Vibracathedral Orchestra


Vibracathedral Orchestra is an England-based drone ensemble that has been active since 1998.

Biography

The group were formed in Leeds in 1998 when Mick Flower, Neil Campbell and Julian Bradley, who had released a number of homemade cassettes together, joined with Bridget Hayden and Adam Davenport.
Most of the group's earliest recordings, most made by recording live to 2-track, were self-released though many underground labels, including VHF Records, Giardia, Eclipse, U-Sound, Qbico, Textile and Freedom From, have also put out a number of Vibracathedral records. They have twice been featured in session on Resonance FM, given an hour-long slot each time.
Although very much a fixed unit, the line-up has been occasionally augmented by the likes of Matthew Bower, John Godbert, Richard Youngs, John Clyde Evans, and Tom Greenwood. Julian Bradley left the group in 2004 with both Neil Campbell and Bridget Hayden following him in 2006. A new album, Wisdom Thunderbolt, featuring Chris Corsano and Matthew Bower as guests, was released on VHF in 2007. The group performed at the Colour Out of Space festival in Brighton in August 2008 with a line-up of Flower, Davenport and Bradley.
According to John F Szwed's biography of Sun Ra, Space is the Place, the original Vibra-Cathedral Orchestra was a 1930s jazz band from Ra's home town of Birmingham, Alabama, which was previously called the Sax-O-Society Orchestra.

Discography

Mothing CD-R, self-releasedCopse CD-R, self-releasedFalling Free You and Me/Filling Sacks with Coloured Scraps 10-inch, self-releasedThe Vibracathedral String Quartet CD-R, self-releasedMusic for Red Breath CD-R, self-releasedVibracathedral String Band / Vibracathedral Drum Troupe 7-inch, Freedom FromLino Hi CD, GiardiaHollin CD-R, self-releasedVersatile Arab Chord Chart CD, VHFLong Live the Weeds CD-R, self-releasedTheir Spines Crumble for a Hug cassette, self-releasedMy Gate's Open, Tremble by My Side, RoaratorioHot Booty CD-R, VHFLive in Newcastle and Leeds 1999 cassette, Matching Head TapesThe One You Call the Ghost Train 7-inch, TonschactDabbling with Gravity and Who You Are, VHFWearing Clothes of Ash / Baptism Bar Blues split with Jackie-O Motherfucker, Textile
  • split with Low, Misplaced MusicMMICD CD-R, self-releasedGirls with Rocks in Their Hands 7-inch, Great Pop SupplementRain Gutter Teasing Rusty Cat Sneezing split 7-inch with Phonophani, Safe as MilkHex Hostess CD-R, self-releasedWings over America split with Sunroof!, VHFThe Queen of Guess, VHFU-Sound volume 13: Live in Manchester/Leeds CD-R, U-SoundRagged and Right CD-R, self-releasedRoyal Park / Brudenell 7-inch, Gold Soundz
  • untitled double LP, self-releasedLive on WFMU, EclipsePontiac Lady triple CD-R, VHFResonance Session CDR Qbico U-Night 2LP, 2 sides by VCO Øyenstikker utbrudd CD-R self-releasedLive at Audioscope '04 split 10-inch with The Telescopes, Fourier TransformSmash! Smash! Smash! CD-R, self-releasedTuning to the Rooster CD, ImportantSaved by the Bird CD-R, self-releasedVCO @ ATP 2004 CD-R, Spirit of OrrThe Sun Balance / The Open Knot, QbicoWisdom Thunderbolt, VHFGet it? / Baptised By Intuition, split 7-inch with Infinite Light, Krayon RecordingsThe Momentary Aviary LP, ManhandJoka Baya LP, VHFThe Secret Base LP, VHFSmoke Song LP, VHFuntitled split CD-R w. Death Shanties, self-released