folk @ temperance | Chris Cleverley (ft John Parker) // Awake Mother

‘Gods of All Things’ Tour

Feat. John Parker, Minnie Birch & Kathy Pilkinton

Following his performance with Tobias Ben Jacob at Temperance in Spring 2025, for one special night this winter, Ambient Dream-Folk songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist Chris Cleverley brings his brand new Christmas E.P launch party to Leamington Spa, for a festive review featuring an exciting host of renowned guest musicians.

"Rather Lovely Electro-Folk" - Radcliffe & Maconie - BBC 6 MUSIC

"The feel of Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens" ★★★★ - Scottish Daily Express

"Frighteningly brilliant works" - The Daily Star

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Chris Cleverley was born under a solstice moon, in the honeysuckle mysticism of a late 80s Midsummer, where the symbolic sounds of ‘Hunky Dory’, ‘Graceland’ and ‘Ladies of The Canyon’ echoed from the woodchip walls of the South Birmingham terrace where he was raised; quiet and curious, saturnine and shy. Here, the soul of a young artist was shaped. 

Three decades on and his unique brand of dreamy, psychedelic folk has taken him from the columns and airwaves of The Telegraph, Sunday Times and BBC 6 Music, to the world-renowned stages of Cambridge Folk Festival & the English Folk Expo, twice earning him FATEA Magazine’s ‘Male Artist of the Year’ Award. 

And so this winter, Cleverley tours his brand new collection of alternative festive songs ‘Gods Of All Things’, the follow up to 2024’s critically acclaimed ‘In the Shadow of John the Divine’ (“Holiday Music that doesn’t suck!” - No Depression). 

Come bask in the intricate fingerstyle and lush ambient soundscapes of this true guitar-man, inspired by the Lo-fi American Greats, Elliott Smith, Sufjan Stevens & Phoebe Bridgers; A curious tapestry weaved from the hazy psychedelia of the 60s folk revival and the soulful oblivion of the 90s Pacific Northwest. 

In his characteristically unconventional style, Cleverley offers part 2 of a bittersweet Christmas compendium for the head-spinning modern age. A brand new selection of songs for the misfits, celebrating this curious, magical season, in all its joyful and melancholy contradictions. 

Whether you love or loathe the festive period, this rare evening promises a welcome, serene and reflective space for all to unwind in their own way, as the year draws to a close. 

Cleverley is honoured to be joined on this special night by Double Bassist extraordinaire and Leamington Legend John Parker (Nizlopi) plus Minnie Birch & Kathy Pilkinton of Americana Old-Time harmony duo ‘Awake Mother’. 

Snowfall, My Evergreen (Live for the Runaway Session)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce8hQyztzj0&list=RDCe8hQyztzj0&start_radio=1

Awake Mother

Awake Mother is the brand new collaboration of award-winning Hertfordshire Alt-Folk songwriters Minnie Birch and multi-instrumentalist Kathy Pilkinton. Combining intricate guitar, banjo and ukulele arrangements with complex dual vocal harmonies, the duo present a vibrant new take on traditional music from America and the British Isles, as well as Minnie's own unique songwriting as heard on BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music.