Francesca Mountfort is a Melbourne based cellist, performing artist and composer. She has toured Europe, Australia and NZ with a variety of acts spanning genres such as cabaret punk, indie rock, carnival gypsy and dance with solo cello.
Nervous Doll Dancing is Francesca's solo project that began in 2002 as a collaboration with dancer You Jay Lee.
Francesca won the 2003 NZ Fringe Award for music with a show that incorporated shadow puppetry and film to her original live music, and in 2004 she produced her debut album titled Nervous Doll Dancing.
Francesca hs since been performing Nervous Doll Danicng in Melbourne festivals such as Apollo Bay, Darebin Music Feast, Sustainable living Festival, Electundra and Melbourne Fringe.
A recent project for live performance is the incorporation of an ethereal, miniature puppet show that is performed, filmed and projected to the live music of Nervous Doll Dancing.
Francesca recently launched her second solo album titled Aphelion, that is now available in New Zealand as well as digitally on itunes.
Francesca graduated from Victoria University of Wellington in 2002. She studied cello with Rolf Gjelsten from the New Zealand String Quartet and with David Chickering, principle cellist of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Other Projects:
Local Melbourne band The Rise and Demise, who's members include Luke Benge, from Wellington band Paceload, and Phil Smiley from Two Lane Black Top, have been performing and recording since 2006. They are soon to be releasing their debut album on Speak n Spell Records.
www.myspace.com/theriseanddemise
The Wintership Quartet started a few years ago as a side project for Melbourne band The Winter Ship. It consists of Guitar, Viola, Violin, cello and Double Bass. The group has scored and performed music for short film, Contemporary Dance and live theatre, and sometimes incorporates a magic show as part of their live performance.
www.myspace.com/wintershipquartet
Defend The Melody is a down tempo, trip hop band currently based in Melbourne who are soon to be releasing their new album "The Longest Winter"
www.myspace.com/defendthemelody
In 2002 and 2004 the wonderful NZ acoustic carnival band Carousel released albums, and in 2005 they toured NZ as part of Arts on Tour NZ. Sadly they are not currently playing or recording.
www.carousel.net.nz
Reviews:
Wellington is gaining attention far and wide for the creative infusions that hatch from the local music nest. Taking light to fresh poles is resident alt-cello performer Francesca Mountfort with her debut CD release. This recording is uniquely neo-classical; there is no contradiction here, as this creation is a delight of post-modern paradox. It is a true and tasteful meld of centuries-old bowman ship and well-metered digital aggregations.
"Caterpillar" and "white" open the disk with a soaring weave work of emotive mellow-drama. Multiple cello intonations freely roll over each other into pleasing stratas. By the time you get to the third track, "Dreaming", you'll feel entranced and ensconced by some sort of looming seriousness. It's only when the whimsical childlike vocal interlude skips in, like a pixie playing in a sandpit, that you sense something kooky waiting to give you a poke. Clocks and musical dolly boxes chime in, their evocative sounds syncopated into a strange and natural accompaniment. All the while you are will informed of the versatility of the cello itself, with no shortage of technique on offer. "Chairwaterair" seems the most conventional tune, with the inclusion of violin, but that still has enough evocative power to create some sort of craving for a hungarian homestay.
A seminal work made with great craft and care. Its artistry is worth your time and money.
Sick Borg, The Package, Wellington
New Zealander Francesca Mountfort is a new name to me but her self-released Nervous Doll Dancing includes none of the usual newcomer mistakes so I am guessing she’s been around for a while after all. Mountfort is a cellist with equal interest in classical composition, avant-garde and folk music and this is very much visible all through this disc’s nine tracks. The electrified cello is always the main feature but there is also ample use of bells, music boxes and the occasional vocal addition. Mountfort uses the full range of the cello which results in a sound that sometimes is comforting and lulling, at others emotional and heartfelt and if we turn around the corner words like nervous and claustrophobic are more likely to come to mind. That’s quite an achievement, and along the way she manages to create some of the most beautiful cello playing I’ve heard in some time.
Hello!!! It's been awhile - sorry there hasn't been in any Australian shows for many months but we've been busy in Europe with a bunch of touring and we're now recording our new album in Berlin (scheduled for release in March). But to make up for it, here's a big (and silly) Merry Christmas from us (and from some hippos too) :
Some bold new artistic direction? Nah, Just us being silly!!! We did this track for our label's "Black Snow - the completely different Xmas compilation". (and of course, visit our youtube channel for a high quality version)
Wishing you a very silly Silly Season and we'll see you back in Australia sometime in 2010!
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Hi Francesca, Great to run into you the other night! We're launching our new album at Northcote Social Club on Thursday night... it'll be our last Melbourne gig for a very long time too 'cause we're heading back to Europe in a few weeks. It's an early show too - we're on at 10:00pm in case weeknights make people scared of being up late ;-)
Hey doll face... How are you? Miss you. Coming to NZ anytime soon? I'm still in Welly, recording album at mo... ;) Give my love to Pauline and Peter, my parents found their wedding song CD the other day - tee hee! xx
hey ya stranger we're coming to Oz in september, we're doing some shows in Melbourne around sept 12/13. But we're also ther for the week[working as weell] maybe we may meet?? would be sweet!. XX kieran
Hello Darlings, The Wishing Well are performing an all out folkfest at
the Northcote Social Club (Our last Melbourne show for 2008), Saturday
August 2nd. With supports from Jacks Castle and Kinematic. Doors open
8:30pm. You can buy tickets from us (cheaper) for $10 through emailing
us at:
thewishingwellband@gmail.com or online via the Northcote Social
Club's www. northcotesocialclub. com or at the door for $12.
Online Now!
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