Portals & London Prog Gigs Present: VLMV, Winter At Sea

Pete Lambrou, the visionary composer and multi-instrumentalist behind VLMV (pronounced “Alma”), is one of the most singular voices emerging from the ambient, post-rock, and experimental scenes in the UK. With a career that spans atmospheric solo work, film and television scoring, and evocative live performance, Lambrou has carved out a distinctive sonic universe he describes as “ambient-ish post-something” (Pete Lambrou) a playful yet accurate summation of a sound that is at once genre-fluid and deeply immersive.

FFO: Sigur Ros, Explosions In The Sky, Olafur Arnalds

Winter At Sea are an entity torn between nostalgia and the age of streaming and social media; lost in the storm yet proudly defiant of modern day engagement and promotion. They do not use social media, preferring to engage with their listeners in person and by mailing list. They are a band that favour the tangible touch of CD, tape, vinyl and hand-printed packaging over modern streaming platforms. Their influences come from the DIY ethos of the groundbreaking post-rock artists and labels of the 1990s – Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai, and Tortoise, and labels including Constellation, Rock Action, and Kranky. “We’ve been inspired by the spirit of ’90s post-rock,” confirms Chris Chapman, the de facto captain of this ship; “not just the music but the sense of freedom, experimentation and contrariness.”

This show will be a mix of unreserved seating and standing.

Venue info: https://www.thecamdenclub.co.uk/