MORCHEEBA

Thirty years ago, a chance meeting at a South London party led to one of the most
enduring and creative partnerships in British electronic music. After that first
encounter, the budding multi instrumentalist Ross Godfrey from Kent, only 18 at the
time, heard that Skye the East Londoner sang and wrote songs, so he invited her
round his flat share in Dalston.

“Ross asked me who I sounded like. And I said: ‘I don’t sound like anyone.’” Not,
Skye clarifies with an apologetic smile, in an arrogant way. “I didn’t know who I was.
So I just wanted to present myself. I played a song on my guitar, very quietly, and
they loved my voice. And the rest is history.”

That’s a three-decades-deep history. One that’s encompassed 10 previous studio
records, over 10 million albums sold, countless world tours, solo albums, film
soundtracks and the inevitable spins of the line-up carousel. You don’t become trip
hop royalty without some interesting detours along the way.

And you don’t become enduring artists, beloved of multiple generations and lauded
across the music industry – see, most recently, last summer’s invitation from Chaka
Khan to headline her Meltdown Festival at the Southbank in London – if you don’t
learn how to Escape the Chaos. And if you’re Morcheeba, a musical byword for
comfort and calm, you’re taking your fans with you.

“Absolutely,” affirms Skye. “We’ve had a lot of people say to us over the years that
our music has changed their lives or got them through something that was really
difficult or traumatic. It’s a good feeling that you can help to heal people in your
own small way.”

Introducing the 11th studio album from Morcheeba. Escape The Chaos is 12 tracks
of balm and boldness, familial strength (that’s chosen family and actual family),
community solidarity, exquisite electronic-meets-organic production, and the
instantly recognisable and always reliably shivering power of Skye’s vocal.

The album’s opening shot is the single Call For Love. The simmering, rootsy anthem,
released in these worryingly turbulent times, the song’s themes of inclusion and
support and tolerance resonate with importance.

As Ross puts it: “Call For Love is very grounding, musically and emotionally. The
the world is so confusing and complicated these days. An apocalypse is always on the
horizon, both personal and global. It is comforting to take refuge in music and love

JOY. Present
MORCHEEBA + support
Thursday 22nd May 2025
Concorde 2, Brighton
£27.50 adv + fees
19:30-23:00
14+ (U16s accompanied by an adult)