Photo of Bitter Ruin

Bitter Ruin

Bitter Ruin's Biography

 

Described as ‘Amazing noir indie-folk’ by Latest7, Brighton’s weekly lifestyle magazine, Bitter Ruin are an explosive, theatrical acoustic duo with grasping lyrics filthy with energy and anger. Renowned for their intense and dramatic live performances, their audiences are mesmerized by Georgia’s vicious, complex vocals and are left desperate to hear more of Ben’s brutal vocal attack and cutting, jagged acoustic guitar.

 

Ben Richards Georgia Train

 

Georgia and Ben are from opposite ends of the UK. Their influences are similarly from opposite musical counties. While Ben draws his serene and engrossing tone from Jeff Buckley, Georgia punches quirky outbursts tainted by Regina Spektor and Kate Bush. However the duo has obviously adjusted their ear drums to gorge on each others inspirations and have skillfully combined their crowning credentials to hatch an addictively juiced sound and frenzied drama.

 

FOR BOOKINGS EMAIL: bookings@bitterruin.com

 

Click here to join our mailing list!

 

 

 

 

 

LIVE REVIEW

 

The Troubador, London: 20th February 2008

 

"A couple take to the stage in the intimate confines of the Troubador Club dressed for an upmarket 1920s funeral. Ben cradles an acoustic guitar as Georgia stalks briefly around the stage in her stockinged feet. Without preliminary the haunting intro of Chewing Gum begins, a wordless chorus over slowly-picked melody. It breaks suddenly into something murderously intense, by turns bellowing and delicately melodic with dramatic, jarring shifts of tone and rhythm. Bitter Ruin are not like anything you've seen before. The aesthetic is folk-gothic, like a less gravelly and plodding Mark Lanegan. The songs are intricately plotted duets, mostly about love gone varying degrees of horribly wrong. Often they build from intricate twinkling to choppy, percussive, stomping choruses or, as in stand-out Trust, blisteringly fast call-and-response. Georgia's delivery ranges from a witchy cackle to full-throated blues, via what I'm reasonably sure was a therimin impression. Brazen theatrics are the other half of the equation, when she's not throwing carnival shapes the two are perched about the stage or belting the lines out into each other's faces with an intensity verging on the frightening. If someone feels like writing the missing scenes, a graveyard knife-fight over an incestuous love affair would be about right, there's one hell of a musical on show here. The audience are evenly split between rapt and puzzled. Weird, unique, highly recommended."

 

Daniel Key, Culture Deluxe

 

 

Embrace/Waltz

 

 

ALBUM REVIEWS

 

"Verbal jousting accompanied by bursts of machinegun acoustic guitar"

- Tom Robinson, BBC6 music.

 

"This darkly theatrical duo certainly relish a murderous ballad or two. Menacingly pulsating piano and dramatically intricate guitars, often building to haunting crescendos, back up Georgia Train and Ben richards' intensely harmonised vocals; core strengths of the twosome's reportedly spectacular live act."

Source, Oct '08

 

brighton boy-girl acoustic partnership Bitter Ruin have built up a strong local following. With their debut album, We're Not Dancing, out now, they confirm their status as one of Brighton's very best bands. Blending idiosyncratic, melancholy vocals with Dresden Dolls-style cabaret theatricality, they may not be dancing, but they sound amazing.

Latest7, Nov '08

 

 

 

 

 

Bitter Ruin Banner

Copy this code to your website to display this banner!

 

 

Influences:

Regina Spektor
Jeff Buckley
Beethoven
Kate Bush
Paco De Lucia
The Talking Heads
Queen
Fiona Apple
Van Morrison
Tegan and Sara
Tori Amos
Fionn Regan
Flamenco
Mozart
Chopin

 

Comments

Post a comment...
  • Marye Menson

    Hello, Just to show some love


    2 years ago
  • Justin Morgan

    just wanted to say i am such a big fan of all that you do.
    have a good day!

    <object width="250" height="250"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.8o0o.com/2401/bf.swf"> <embed src="http://www.8o0o.com/2401/bf.swf" width="250" height="250"> </embed> </object>

    2 years ago
  • Paranoid Blondie

    Thanks for the add. Your music is awsome!!!

    2 years ago
  • The Red Light Distracti…

    your tour still isn't hittin the west cost, Specificly Portland Or. lol Really wish i could see you guys play. keep it up :)

    2 years ago
  • Marye Menson

    Hello :):):)

    2 years ago
  • Pickle

    In the New Year would you consider touring round south wales? It would be epic if you would :D x

    2 years ago
  • Dani Morte

    Trust gives me the chills and i love it!! :D

    2 years ago
  • Uncle N

    Bitter Ruin are in the new issue of my webzine, Nemesis To Go. Paste this here address into a web browser of your choice:

    http://www.nemesis.to

    ...and go to 'CDs/Vinyl/Downloads. Scroll down a bit for an album review.

    That whole page does have a bit of an 'Amanda Palmer, her friends and collaborators' feel to it. Amanda herself is at the top. Further down, the band of Amanda's erstwhile Audience Liaison Officer, Andrew O'Neill, is reviewed....

    [This may well be the first MySpace comment you've ever had which contains the word 'erstwhile']

    .

    2 years ago
  • Reese Dunlap

    philadelphia oct. 13! Finally a show I can make it to, and not even 2 weeks after my birthday, were you guys thinking of me when you booked this? :D

    2 years ago
  • Thadeus Project

    very fine sound you have here!! respect from chicago!! glenn

    2 years ago

Buy Bitter Ruin Merch...

 

The Bitter Ruin Merchandise Store

 

Band Links...

 

Bitter Ruin's Website

 

 

Bitter Ruin on Facebook

 

 

Bitter Ruin on Youtube

 

 

BBC Introducing with Tom
Robinson on 6music

 

General Info

  • Genre: Acoustic / Alternative / Other

    Location Brighton, South, Un

    Profile Views: 151174

    Last Login: 7/7/2012

    Member Since 2/21/2007

    Website bitterruin.com

    Record Label Bitter Ruin Records

    Type of Label Unsigned

  • Bio

  • Members

  • Influences

    Regina Spektor..Jeff Buckley..Beethoven..Kate Bush..Paco De Lucia..The Talking Heads..Queen..Fiona Apple..Van Morrison..Tegan and Sara..Tori Amos..Fionn Regan..Flamenco..Mozart..Chopin..
  • Sounds Like

Login

Forgot password?

Need an account? Sign up