Cuculi Records

10/12/2024

New festive video from annaanise is out ✨tomorrow✨(11.12) to accompany her new single ‘Maybe Next Year’ 🎄

📸 by inshotmedia.uk

05/12/2024

In case you missed the announcement yesterday, please be aware that tonight’s scheduled gig with at will not be going ahead due to artist illness.

We apologise for any disappointment & inconvenience. Thank you to those who bought tickets - they have been refunded through Headfirst.

29/11/2024

Headfirst Editors have chosen Daniel Inzani at The Forge, Bristol as their top pick for Bristol gigs on 5 December!

They say: “Neo-classical adventurism from the brains behind the keys in Spindle Ensemble and Tezeta (as well as Cosmo Sheldrake and Alabaster DePlume). Inzani leads his piano trio and then a 9 piece band through an astonishing compositional breadth from delicate chamber beauty to downtown cinematic drama and luscious space exotica. A true wonder FFO: Keith Jarrett, Nils Frahm, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Einaudi.”

We agree - this is going to be an absolutely outstanding gig, with Daniel showcasing the full range of his mesmerising compositions with both a trio and a 9–piece band. Swipe for a preview ->

If you’re planning on coming, drop a comment below - or better yet, buy a ticket from Headfirst today. We’re independent organisers putting an independent artist on in an independent venue. If we can’t guarantee an audience, we may not be able to go ahead, so if you want this gig to happen, tell us by booking in advance!

27/11/2024

We’re delighted to welcome back Daniel Inzani to play in Bristol next Thursday (5 Dec) at The Forge, Bristol.

Last time Daniel brought his music to a Cuculi event, it was with Spindle Ensemble in St Ambrose, gorgeously captured here by William Lane Photography. We’re so excited to hear not just one but TWO of his other ensembles - a new piano trio exploring his otherworldly chamber compositions, and a big vibey ensemble playing some of the Ethiojazz grooves that’ll be familiar to fans of Tezeta.

19/11/2024

On Thursday 5 Dec, Cuculi Presents a double bill of Daniel Inzani at The Forge, Bristol 🌅

With his new triple album recently named The Guardian’s Contemporary Album of the Month (*****), pianist & composer Daniel Inzani’s restless creativity brings us a double helping of his spellbinding original compositions.

In the first set he’ll be playing a more intimate, chamber set with a brand new piano trio, followed by the full-bodied grooves of a nine-piece ensemble in the second set. This is not one to miss!

***

Beth Roberts (Cuculi Records) is supported by the Early Career Promoter Fund which is
managed by PRS Foundation and funded by Arts Council England using Supporting Grassroots Music funding from DCMS

18/11/2024

09.10.24: Hands of the Heron album launch w/ Anna Anise + boci at St Anne’s church, Greenbank

We’re in love with these gorgeous candid photos that William Lane Photography took at Hands of the Heron's album launch last month. The community really showed up for this hometown gig, well and truly launching their third studio record ‘Quiet Light’ (out this Friday!) and you can totally see it in these pictures.

We can’t WAIT for the next Cuculi Presents gig as it’s a super special one: a double helping of Daniel Inzani on 5 Dec as he brings his new piano trio AND a 9-piece band to The Forge, Bristol. Don’t miss this 👀

09/11/2024

Cuculi Records is a DIY community label based in Bristol, UK. It’s a collective effort imagined by songwriters and musicians as a space to cultivate our own sound and release it independently.

Cuculi [cu-CU-li] - an anglicisation of κουκούλι, the Greek word for ‘cocoon’ - a dark, quiet space for shapeshifting; a metaphor for the process of songwriting & music-making; a transformation of our experiences through art.

This label was formed by members of Hands of the Heron to share our music with the world on our own terms. Our artist roster is a family of projects created by friends from our community, with a focus on alt-folk, quiet chamber pop and reimagined traditional music. Many of our artists collaborate with each other on different phases of the music-making process - artwork, production, video-making & press, because it takes a village to make an album.

We also run listening gigs around Bristol in an ongoing series called Cuculi Presents, inviting our artists to perform alongside genre-defying musicians from the local scene and beyond.

This space has been a creative cocoon for us to develop our craft, and to share the joy and labour of the process in community, and we want to share it with you. Come and listen via wwe.cuculirecords.bandcamp.com 💜

Artists:
Anna Anise
Bea Piper
Bec Garthwaite Music
Beth Roberts
Claire Vine
Eleven Magpies
Fritillaries
Hands of the Heron
Hedera
House of Figs
Ruby Geddes
Something Sleeps
Thomas Calladine

03/11/2024

30/10/2024

Hands of the Heron just released a new video for their latest single 'Pieces of Me', made in collaboration Luke Spurgeon (aka fellow Cuculi artist WoodFolk). Check it out here: https://youtu.be/uwJDwGOdj0k?si=lWWdIo7h1MnfmXj2

New video out now!

We just released an absolutely gorgeous film made by Luke Spurgeon to accompany our new single 'Pieces of Me' - it's available now on Youtube: https://youtu.be/uwJDwGOdj0k?si=UkPRhr_Hn4kO0D__

We're so grateful to Luke Spurgeon (aka WoodFolk) for making this sublime visual world. To us, it really captures the surreal, meandering nature of burnout & grief that the song describes. We hope you like it too 💚

Just three weeks to go til the full album release on 22 Nov via Cuculi Records 👀

25/10/2024

New Hands of the Heron single 'Pieces of Me' is out now 🎧

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/track/6ICf48ZrlGnPVnGlZTr9gV?si=5d3fc34f9bf147f3

24/10/2024

JUST ANNOUNCED: at

On Thursday 5 December, Cuculi Presents an evening with Daniel Inzani (Spindle Ensemble, Tezeta) at The Forge in Bristol. “unhinged, exhilarating adventures in genre-hopping”

“There is a narrative logic to Inzani’s compositions that is compelling, heart-rending and gloriously disturbing.”

★★★★★ Contemporary Album of the Month (Sept 2024) - The Guardian

An astonishingly inventive and prolific pianist & composer, Daniel’s recent critically acclaimed triple album ‘Selected Worlds’ (Hidden Notes, 2024) features the different sides of his musical personality; neoclassical chamber music, improvisation, contemporary composition and cosmic jazz.

In this gig, Daniel will present the vibrant, varying elements of his writing by performing two sets with different ensembles:

20:00 Doors
20:30 1st set - Piano Trio
21:30 2nd set - 9 Piece Band

Please note this will be a standing gig.

There are three ticket prices available for this show:
General - £15
Community supporter - £19
Low income - £11

We ask that those who make more than £25k per year consider opting for Community Supporter as this allows us to subsidise low income tickets.. We consider low income to apply to those who earn less than £15k per year, but we don’t ask for any proof.

This gig is part of a funded series - .music (Cuculi Records) is supported by the Early Career Promoter Fund which is managed by PRS Foundation and funded by Arts Council England using Supporting
Grassroots Music funding from DCMS.

09/10/2024

Tonight! + at St Anne’s Church, Greenbank

Please note - the venue has changed due to ticket demand! We are NOT at The Greenbank, but at St Anne’s church just up from the pub on St Leonard’s Road. We currently still have tickets for sale on Headfirst but can’t guarantee these will still be available on the door.

7.45 - doors
8.15 - Anna Anise
9.15 - Hands of the Heron

There is no bar at the venue so feel free to bring your own hot & cold drinks. The venue is wheelchair accessible.

See you tonight 👀👀👀

07/10/2024

ANNOUNCEMENT: New, bigger venue for Hands of the Heron & Anna Anise this Wednesday!

We’ve had a surge in tickets for Hands of the Heron’s album launch this Wednesday (9th Oct), so we’ve decided to move the show to St Anne’s church, just up the road from The Greenbank. We really want to accommodate everyone who wants to be there and to ensure it can be comfortable.

The new venue also means the show will now be wheelchair accessible. There’s no bar so feel free to bring your own drinks to the gig. We’ve released more tickets in all tiers on Headfirst, including a few more low income ones. Get yours now before they disappear again!

7.45 - doors
8.15 - Anna Anise
9.15 - Hands of the Heron

30/09/2024

9 OCT: Hands of the Heron + Anna Anise live at The Greenbank Pub Easton

Bristol-based psychfolk trio Hands of the Heron is a long-running collaboration between Bec Garthwaite Music, Beth Roberts and Claire Vine, each of whom brings a signature songwriting style to the band. Moving effortlessly between sparse choral folk and shimmering instrumental textures, their interlocking vocal harmonies are a constant thread running through the various hues of their dreamlike, mercurial songs. Their third album Quiet Light (out 22 Nov) is a seamless expression of blend and balance that explores the tension between tending for yourself and connecting with others.

The band founded Cuculi Records together as a DIY space to release their own albums, as well as music by friends & collaborators from the grassroots alt-folk community - including vibrant songwriter Anna Anise who’ll be opening for them for this gig & the rest of the tour - swipe for all dates 👉

Tickets are £13 / £16 / £10 (choose at your discretion based on income & affordability) available now via Headfirst Bristol (but selling very quickly so don’t wait!)

25/09/2024

Just wanted to say a massive thank you to our gig-goers who have raised over £200 for Medical Aid for Palestinians this year 💚 🍉

Headfirst Bristol have made it really simple to add a donations point to the process of buying tickets, and we're really heartened to see how much has been quietly donated by members of our community. Big love to you all.

17/09/2024

Our co-founder Beth Roberts featured in Bristol Life Mag!

I’m honoured to have been given a whole page in Bristol Life magazine to wax lyrical about all my collaborations and the magic of the city’s independent music scene - and to be frank about the ongoing economic spiral that’s threatening to destroy it. Big thanks to the editors for letting me get real about that. I’m hoping this reaches some fresh ears beyond our tired & determined network of DIY creatives because everyone I know is really scared by low/slow ticket sales and rising costs. Please buy advance tickets to shows if you can, it helps so much!

And what a lovely feeling to shout about my Bristol musical families in print so I’ll tag them all here too: Hedera, Hands of the Heron, House of Figs, Cuculi Records & Tryani Collective

Image by the incomparable William Lane