Phil Morrissey

It didn't take long after gigging around various Oxford clubs and pubs for the trademark sound of Phil Morrissey and the Alchemists to be familiar to many on the scene.



With the release of their new EP ‘Onto Our Shoulders’, the band has been able to condense their mesmerizing sound into a studio recording. From start to finish, the band clearly establishes that their music can be subject to the professionalism of the studio without detracting from the atmospheric density of their live sound. The effect is a worthy testament to the band; who are justifiably one of the most exciting and unique new talents of their genre.



An emotive synergy of haunting vocals, melodic riffs and winding strings are expertly driven by the beats of a bongocero in this tripartite alt-folk collective. The result is an artfully executed array of rippling, melodic layers that effortlessly wash over the listener uncovering ineffable depths of nostalgia and reminiscence. As the music bends and warms itself around and through your body, the notes take on an almost timeless quality, culminating in a harmonic rhapsody that refuses to be forgotten.



However, it is undeniably their unique live gigs that have come to embody their distinct, organic sound. With shows frequently climaxing in frantic tribal-esque jams, the majestic stage presence of the trio emanates a relaxed cohesion that is repeatedly mirrored by an awed audience. Guiding listeners through a tour of emotions, the band gracefully crafts an eclectic cascade that will charm you into quiet pensiveness one moment and have you dancing the next. As the celebrations and lamentations of vocalist and guitarist Phil Morrissey move you into stillness, barefooted violist Tim Gill captivates with every ecstatic note he draws out while the seemingly possessed drummer Dan Drew, pattering out aural tapestries like a frenzied medium, simultaneously entrances. The result that is forged is a wholly gratifying one and cements their place one of the most memorable and impressive live acts in Oxford today.



REVIEW - Oxford Arts Critic