Ellen and the Escapades
Leeds, England, United Kingdom | SELF
Music
Press
Do they have what it takes to go beyond local success?
Well, they would fit nicely into the music collections of the 400,000 Brits who've bought Mumford & Sons' album. Not surprisingly, since their Glastonbury win, the band have been fighting off the advances of labels, publishers and agents. And radio could easily fall head over heels for their warm, literate songs. - Guardian (National Newspaper)
Ellen is one of those understated beauties, an apparently shy girl with the most husky, honey-toned, perfectly pitched voice ever – think a Laura Marling / Thea Gilmore / Joni Mitchell mix. Backed by a band of guys (including a bit of a Napoleon Dynamite-lookalike) Ellen didn’t just stand there looking pretty and singing but held her own as a guitarist too. You could imagine her music as the soundtrack to a yogurt ad, a couple of young lovers sat under a tree in a Spring field spoon feeding each other Petit Filous. Or something. Despite her clear Northern twang when speaking to the crowd between the songs, when singing she has a slight air of Dolly Parton about her but not in a massively cheesy Deep South way but in a massively endearing way – this was particularly the case in the rhythmic dream, Preying On Your Mind. So many bands have written songs called Run (Snow Patrol and Amy MacDonald to name but a few) but Ellen and the Escapade’s Run may just have clinched the top spot for bands called Run, with the poignant line: “Swallow your pride, chase the setting sun..” The gig ended as wonderfully as it started – from the emotional opener Without You to the final track of the encore, Coming Back Home – which sparked a mass singalong. They’re playing this year’s 2000 Trees Festival and Green Man so be sure to check them out. - 247 Magazine
"...I really like Ellen’s husky vocals which makes this EP a complete cracker. I found myself completely captivated with this EP from start to end. Opener Preying On Your Mind is sung at a blistering pace which is simply incredible. Also when seeing them live not only you will be captivated but you will be entranced as well...So is there a gap in the market for Ellen & The Escapades?? Well I think there is. They definately have music that leaves me wanting to hear more. Plus the prospect of the debut album is mouth watering...They will be a name on everybodys lips in the not so distant future." - Planet Music Reviews
After winning the Emerging Talent Competition and, thus, performing at Glastonbury festival, Ellen and the Escapades are becoming a well established band within Britain and are showing their ambition through a UK tour starting in mid-October as well as plenty of peak air time on national radio. Their first self-titled EP, Ellen and the Escapades, is out 18th of October and will no doubt prove to be a big success, and as summer is becoming a distant memory this EP will certainly bring you back to a warmer time. Although Britain is currently near saturated with alternative folk music, there will always be a gap in the market for a band with such a soft, natural sound this band produce, especially with the liberal use of different instruments and the female vocals. Without You has more than a hint of Bob Dylan about it, with harmonica scattered throughout, but instead replace the blues with a slight folksy twist. Every song in the EP will put a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart. A great debut EP from a band that the rest of the country will hear about in the not to distant future. - Crack In The Road
Passing the Rough Trade tent later we overhear a band performing inside to an impressively large crowd. After finding out Ellen and the Escapades have a full set on the second stage later that afternoon, we decide to check them out. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of the weekend. Ellen Smith’s captivating vocals are the highlight in a fantastically catchy collection of songs that tread a line between folk, pop and rock, with plenty of harmonica thrown in for good measure, as well as a sublime cover of The Beatles’ ‘Here Comes the Sun’. The set is well executed with the band obviously having a good time and flattered by the size of their audience. With their album due out later this year, these guys are definitely one to watch. - Clash Music
Discography
'Without You' (b/w 'Run') Single with airplay on National Radio
'Coming Back Home' (b/w Preying on your Mind) Single with airplay on National Radio
'Of All The Times' EP with airplay on National Radio
Photos
Bio
Delicate, bittersweet and soul-searching are some of the words usually associated with the music of alt-folk/folk rock quintet Ellen and the Escapades.
The band self-released their debut single ‘Without You’ in the summer of 2009 and found themselves greeted warmly by the likes of Steve Lamacq and Rough Trade, as well as being selected by BBC Introducing to play both Reading and Leeds Festivals that year.
Since then, Ellen’s dusky, captivating vocals and honest lyrics have helped push the band to new heights, including winning the Q Magazine/Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition and playing a total of 5 stages at 2010’s Glastonbury Festival. Having firmly established themselves on the festival circuit, the band went on to play Larmer Tree and Summer Sundae before supporting Paolo Nutini at the Pilton Party in September 2010.
Having self-released debut EP ‘Of All The Times’ at the end of 2010, the band sold out venues across the UK and have continued to go from strength to strength on the UK live circuit. With Glastonbury director Michael Eavis calling them “better than Joni Mitchell” and equally high praise coming from Chris Salmon at The Guardian and BBC 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne, Ellen and the Escapades have firmly established themselves as ones to watch on today’s music scene.
2011 is shaping up to be the band’s most exciting year yet with a non-stop series of festivals and shows throughout the UK, including appearances at Glastonbury, Lounge On The Farm and Green Man Festival and support slots with Peggy Sue, The Leisure Society, First Aid Kit and Stornoway.
Ellen and the Escapades are currently writing and recording material for their first album.
Quotes:
“It has undoubtedly been the greatest Glastonbury ever, in terms of the sheer breadth and quality of music available…But the real gems have been unearthed off the beaten track, as anyone who witnessed Broken Bells, Frank Turner, Ellen and the Escapades or Local Natives will attest.” – Q Glastonbury Daily
“Enormously catchy songs…they would fit nicely into the music collections of the 400,000 Brits who’ve bought Mumford & Sons album.” - Chris Salmon, The Guardian
“Their radio-friendly brand of acoustic pop is backed by the kind of classic song writing that evokes Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac and The Sundays.” – Summer Sundae Weekender
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