Laura Moody

Laura Moody is a London based singer, cellist, songwriter and occasional theatre performer. Laura is best known for her work with innovative string quartet the Elysian Quartet which has won much acclaim for its pioneering performances and recordings of contemporary classical, experimental and improvised music. She has also toured world-wide as a member of physical theatre string ensemble The Gogmagogs. In her solo cello and voice work she looks to combine the two instruments in interesting and often physical, even theatrical ways. Laura composes what she believes to be essentially pop songs, although nobody else ever seems to agree with this definition. Her songs are influenced by beatboxing, electronica, contemporary and classical music and various kinds of pop music. However, in the absence of the ability to actually beatbox or use technology in any meaningful way and being much too self involved and lazy to be bothered to compose for other people she explores what is possible with just solo acoustic cello and voice. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and writing in the third person.
I sing and play simultaneously without the use of any electronics drawing on my background in both contemporary classical music (I am a member of the contemporary string quartet Elysian Quartet) and pop music to try to bring together the diverse sounds, textures and extended techniques of avant garde instrumental and vocal music with the clarity and direct communication of pop for an interesting, physical, even theatrical performance.

For the past two years my music has been received equally well in contemporary classical and pop circles. I have performed at several venues in London including The Spitz, Bush Hall, Union Chapel, and also opened for Adem on a number of occassions around the UK. I performed at the Crash Ensemble’festival in Dublin in 2007 and have been invited to perform at the Homelights festival in Dublin in November 2009. I have been invited to open the Tampere Festival of Vocal music in Finland and I was also voted best new discovery at this year’s Truck Festival by The Observer.

Having self-produced an EP last year I am currently working with Nonclassical/StopStart records on my debut album which we hope to release next year. So far I have promoted myself using social networking sites and word of mouth.