SPOTLIGHT: Xan Tyler
Singer-songwriter Xan Tyler releases her debut solo album, Holding Up Half The Sky, with a special event at the world’s oldest surviving music hall.
If you were into the London’s music scene in the early 90’s chances are you would may have come across Death Bang Party.
With a cult following, their stage shows were risqué, bold and even bewildering.
Among the line up, teenager Xan Tyler. In truth she was always destined for more and people knew it. Her big break coming with Alan McGee and Creation Records when she was signed to front electro pop duo Technique.
The pairing with Kate Holmes of Frazier Chorus were named after a New Order album so it was fitting perhaps that it was produced by Stephen Hague (New Order) and Owen Morris (Oasis).
Two singles in Sun Is Shining and You & Me charted, an album was born and tours later followed, and Xan was signed to legendary dance label Positiva, where she paired up with German electronic titans Timo Maas and Martin Buttrich for Orinoko.
More recently, she has also collaborated with dub and reggae legend Mad Professor, as well as Kramer for their project Let It Come Down and David Liddell on Glasshouse. Her last two solo EPs, Into the Blue and Golden Hues, on more critical acclaim.
But now is when the singer-songwriter steps into the spotlight with the launch of her debut solo album, Holding Up Half The Sky, via Last Night From Glasgow tomorrow and release on May 24.
The penchant for the memorable never wanes though. This weekend’s launch comes with a live event and pop-up art exhibition at Glasgow’s iconic Panopticon music hall, telling a new story all of its own.
Each track on the new album is described as being written as a celebration of female empowerment, personal themes told through the life stories of inspiring women.
She describes the project as an exploration of “friendship, support, survival and love” and has also collaborated with 13 celebrated female artists, who have each created a new piece of art inspired by the record's songs.
The artwork by Lucy Campbell, Kathryn Williams, Claire Roberts, Karen Strang, Ashley Cook and many more, will go on display at the Panopticon, the world’s oldest surviving music hall, where Xan will also perform songs from the album alongside her band and special guests.
TOUR DATES
04 May 2024 – Album launch and pop-up art exhibition, Glasgow Panopticon
13 July 2024 – Campfire 6, Lewes (tickets available via DM)
08 August 2024 – Acoustic Music Club, Kirkcaldy
29 September 2024 – Slanj A Va, Stirling
She said: “Bringing together lots of amazing women all with the same aims of collaboration, sisterhood and art has been the most wonderful experience.
“Once the artists were paired with their song I really just wanted to let them do whatever came to mind – some of the pieces are quite abstract, others are more literal, but all of them are amazing.”
Holding Up Half The Sky features baroque indie, wickerman folk, sweetbitter waltzes and bouncy highlife pop for a compelling and unique sound.
Artist Lucy said: “I absolutely love what Xan is doing with this project – the concept of the album alone is wonderful but the collaboration with other women artists across different disciplines makes it all the more fabulous, and I am honoured to be a part of it.”
The cover artwork comes from London-based artist Jo Richards, whose oil on canvas portrait of Xan will also be on display as part of the pop-up exhibition.
Following the exquisite, heartfelt and profound Miniature Oceans, and the intense and powerful You're My Muse, Joyce and Joanne is the third single from the release. With Xan initially conceiving the album as a letter to her younger self, the moving and romantic track was inspired by her own family.
She explained: “Years ago my dad told me about his Aunt Joanne, who ran a dance school in London with her best friend Joyce. The two of them shared a house together, worked together, did everything together for many years. There was speculation about the nature of their friendship, but with this being the 1960s, same sex relationships were frowned upon.
“I was captivated by the thought of them expressing their love for each other through their dancing, but also struck by how sad it was that even their families didn’t celebrate them as a couple.”
Produced by Boo Hewerdine, whoo co-wrote a number of songs for the release, Holding Up Half The Sky was engineered and mixed by Chem-19’s Jamie Savage.
An impressive supporting cast also includes Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow), Adam Scott (Album Club), John Rooney (Starry Skies), Emma Pollock (The Delgados), award-winning violist John McCusker, and multi-instrumentalist Gustaf Ljunggren. Nick Watson, from Fluid, mastered the album, and funding for the project came via Creative Scotland and Help Musicians.
Tickets for the album launch night on Saturday, May 4 are available here.