Marble Valley is an international collective led by ex-Pavement (QRO live review) and Silver Jews (QRO album review ) drummer Steve West. He takes centre stage as vocalist and songwriter in chief while ex-Pavement sound engineer Remko ‘Duche’ Schouten plays keyboards and samples, Robert ‘Beige’ Ellerby is on bass, ex-Salako and now Horse Guards Parade James Waudby plays guitar, Carl Hogarth on keyboard, ex-Pavement guitar tech Andy Dimmack bangs the drums, and Aaron Gammon plays percussion and samples. They formed in 1997 and, in spite of living in different locations (West lives in Lexington, VA, Schouten and Beige in Amsterdam, and Andy and Carl in Hull, U.K.), they’re still together constantly making good, cheerful music.
Breakthrough, their fifth album, will be released on Sea Records on the 17th October. It was conceived across five continents and had a long, unconventional gestation: the band got together in Amsterdam over a weekend last year and recorded a few ideas; Steve West then re-elaborated them while on tour with Pavement, and the album was finally recorded at Schouten’s studio in Amsterdam.
After the success of their U.K. tour in support of Super Sober EP last year, Steve West and his sextet will be back in England in October. As brilliant as all their albums are, Marble Valley really give their best on stage.
With Horse Guards Parade as support, here are the U.K. dates where you can catch them and enjoy their slacker, catchy tunes: