top of page
unnamed-4_edited.jpg

Wild Dogs Run

Wild Dogs Run                      Hollowblue and Sukie Smith
 
Travelling to Bari in Italy for a festival to play as duo with cellist Sarah Gill, my luggage including my guitar was lost, I have never had a diva fit before but I did there in the airport ... We travelled to the town where we due to play to discover that the town was in mourning after a coach accident had killed scores of older women going on a pilgrimage. Horrible horrible. Our show was understandably postponed.  In time my stuff was recovered and we played our show dedicated to those women, it was a privilege to be of any comfort, it was a very emotional time, we all did a lot of crying and hugging..  As a result of the shows being delayed, we overlapped with an Italian band who were also booked to play the week-long festival, we spent time with them and a year later they asked me to co-write a track with them, which is this song, this video went on to win best 3D video at lots of festivals, including The Sundance Festival, in competition with Metalica and Pink amongst others.  3D video with credits is just below, enjoy.

unnamed-4_edited.jpg

Wild Dogs Run (Stereoscopic 3D)

Wild Dogs Run                      Hollowblue and Sukie Smith
 
The first Italian music video in Stereoscopic 3D
 
Written:                                     Hollowblue & Sukie Smith
Directors:                                   Francesco Rotunno and Alessandra Vinotto
Cinematography:                         Giulio Pietromarchi (A.I.C)
Editing:                                       Lorenzo Vignolo.
Stereographer:                            Andrea Siri 
Colorist :                                    Corrado Silveri
Executive producer :                    Giovanna Battista Rassaval
Visualizer :                                   Carolina Italiani
Produced by:                               Red Eye Film Studio.
Label:                                         aCupintheGarden
Supported by Sfera 

Awarded Best Music Video:          3D Film Festival, Hollywood, California, USA
 
Official selection:                         3D Media Festival, Belgium
                                                 Orlando Film Festival 
                                                 Cinequest

Finalist:                                       Dimension 3, Paris 2011
Special Prize:                               Mei Faenza, Italy
Special Event:                              Capalbio, Italy. Short film festival


 

madam logo.jpg

Italian Tour Diary By John Robertson

Italian Tour Diary by John Robertson     Madam as a Trio 

John Robertson filmed and filmed all our tours and shows and he made this from our magical time in 2012 . Our lovely Italian agent Monica Mellisano was responsible for such adventures.

madam logo.jpg

The Snake

The Snake                             Gone Before Morning Album Launch, Kings Place, London 

This is my favourite show of all time so far.  The head of BLIP Creative is a brilliant, unassuming man whose offices were next to a private members club (The Academy Club in Soho) that I worked in, it was empty one lunchtime, he came in ordered drinks and lunch and while he waited for his food, I talked to him about the show I had booked at Kings Place for the album launch of Gone Before Morning, he had an idea...  These lights had only been used once, for one Alexander McQueen show, huge illuminated wings that models walked through, but over a few weeks he and his amazing team built this structure which reached out over the audience and created images and patterns in real time. LX Design & Install: BLIP (Operated: James Alexander)
FOH Sound: Kings Place PA (Operated: Tamas Sebestyen)
Friday, January 21st, 2011.  Sold Out.    

madam logo.jpg

Soundcheck with BLIP lights

Soundcheck with BLIP lights    Gone Before Morning Album Launch, Kings Place, London 

I love seeing the calm before the storm.. so here is some footage of us setting up before our album launch at Kings Place in 2011. Mr. Jeff Townsin on Drums, Mr. Nick Bergin on Bass, Mr. John Mercedo on Electronics, Mr. John Robertson on Guitar and Miss. Sarah Gill on Cello, backing vocals, Saw, Keyboards, etc.  Impressive talents onstage.     

madam logo.jpg

Call America

Call America                          Ship of Fools, Afloat the Thames, London.

Some humans just don't know how much they have changed your life.  Klarita Pandolfi-Carr wrote to me via a music site and offered a show at her notorious 'Ship of Fools' night on the Embankment.  My father had just died and I didn't have the stamina to play shows, she made it clear it was not going to be ok just to say no!  We played this atmospheric and magical boat several times and saw many, many incredible gigs there.  It was an important place for us to play and with Klaritas' promotional support we played more very interesting shows, for example supporting Steve Sevrin at Shoreditch Church.  Call America always has a special place in my heart as the first track of mine to be released (Stolen Recordings - Call America - Compilation 1)

madam logo.jpg

Call America (Duo)

Call America                         Exmouth Market - Record Store Day (Acoustic)

Record store day, completely acoustic, just before we play, we watch a woman dancing slowly past us - dancing to only the music in her head, we didn't want to interrupt.  The best interactions always happen unscripted and live.

madam logo.jpg

Still

Still                                       Union Chapel, London

The sound in the Union Chapel is like no other place...

madam logo.jpg

Superfast Highway

Superfast Highway                 12 Bar Club, London

The audio is from the 'In Case of Emergency' album release party at the 12 Bar Club on Denmark Street.  The gig footage is shot by Director Matthew Lynch as is the traffic footage, it is the cars and motorbikes to-ing and fro-ing from the Ace Cafe, - a hangout for Bikers and a stop off on journeys to and from The Essex .. and possibly this song was recalling some A12, A13 driving.

25th Feb 2008.  Sold out.

 

madam logo.jpg

Interview at Real World Studios

Interview at Real World Studios  Gone Before Morning

I ran from the mixing room to do this interview then ran back.  Making an album in a week really really takes all of your power, but, we did it!  Invited to and recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World studio..

madam logo.jpg

Hush Your Mouth

Hush Your Mouth                   Official Trailor

This film helped everything.  I wrote and recorded the soundtrack for this film which was a huge leap of faith for Director Tom Thyritt and Producer Liza Brown.  Compositions from the film appear on my debut album 'In Case of Emergency'.  

Signing my first album deal standing in the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel on Sunset Boulevard where I was staying, to attend the screening of Hush Your Mouth for David Lynchs' producers, later that week. That, let me tell you, was a moment. 

madam logo.jpg

Fall On Your Knees

Fall On Your Knees                 The Colony Room

Sohos' hidden private members club, Sebastian Horsley took me here for the first time, dazzling. I asked to join after my father died as some kind of honouring of a properness that was there. I still have my membership card;, the club is sadly long gone.

madam logo.jpg

Psalm, with John Lee Bird 

Psalm, with John Lee Bird        For Paul Smith at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5

Long-time Madam collaborator, Artist John Lee Bird, made a series of paintings for Paul Smith which were installed in his flag ship store at Paul Smith Globe Heathrow Terminal 5.  This piece of music was written for Hush Your Mouth, a film Sukie scored, but it was not used.  It's so perfect for this animation of the paintings.  Improvised to picture at Bark Studios and recorded by Brain O Shaunessy, played and sung by herself.

madam logo.jpg

Not Here Yet

Not Here Yet                         The Lexington , London       

madam logo.jpg

Not Here Yet

Not Here Yet                        The Horatio, London   

All shows are special , all songs have a reason , but this is such a powerful experience playing Not Here Yet live, its slow start, Sarahs saw making such an eerie sound and the stuttering guitars and menacing bass , it always takes me by surprise when it kicks off and always feels like an enchantment when we play it live. This song nearly didn't survive, I played it to artist Lee Tryming who played bass live when we played as a duo sometimes , he championed it , I nearly threw it away...     

One Small Step - Trafalgar Tavern.jpg

Sukie, Sarah, Adam, John (1/3)

Sukie, Sarah, Adam, John          'One Small Step'

This improvisation set of 36.50 minutes of music created with Adam Franklin (Swervedriver) on guitar and Sarah Gill on electric cello, Sukie Smith vocals and spoken word was improvised in response to a three night run of shows in collaboration with John Lee Bird in the spectacular Grand Nelson Ballroom exclusively upstairs at the Trafalgar Tavern. Greenwich. The 365 artworks by John Lee Bird were first exhibited in Mexico City in January; accompanied by special soundtrack performances from Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu) and Suitman Jungle. The exhibition continued later in the year with journeys to L.A.  The audio of these sets accompany the work. This piece explores the relationship we have to the different parts of London we have all inhabited and the connections we have to lives that have gone before..

One Small Step - Trafalgar Tavern 2.jpg

Sukie, Sarah, Adam, John (2/3)

Sukie, Sarah, Adam, John          'One Small Step'

This improvisation set of 36.50 minutes of music created with Adam Franklin (Swervedriver) on guitar and Sarah Gill on electric cello, Sukie Smith vocals and spoken word was improvised in response to a three night run of shows in collaboration with John Lee Bird in the spectacular Grand Nelson Ballroom exclusively upstairs at the Trafalgar Tavern. Greenwich. The 365 artworks by John Lee Bird were first exhibited in Mexico City in January; accompanied by special soundtrack performances from Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu) and Suitman Jungle. The exhibition continued later in the year with journeys to L.A.  The audio of these sets accompany the work. This piece explores the relationship we have to the different parts of London we have all inhabited and the connections we have to lives that have gone before..

One Small Step - Trafalgar Tavern 3.jpg

Sukie, Sarah, Adam, John (3/3)

Sukie, Sarah, Adam, John          'One Small Step'

This improvisation set of 36.50 minutes of music created with Adam Franklin (Swervedriver) on guitar and Sarah Gill on electric cello, Sukie Smith vocals and spoken word was improvised in response to a three night run of shows in collaboration with John Lee Bird in the spectacular Grand Nelson Ballroom exclusively upstairs at the Trafalgar Tavern. Greenwich. The 365 artworks by John Lee Bird were first exhibited in Mexico City in January; accompanied by special soundtrack performances from Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu) and Suitman Jungle. The exhibition continued later in the year with journeys to L.A.  The audio of these sets accompany the work. This piece explores the relationship we have to the different parts of London we have all inhabited and the connections we have to lives that have gone before..

bottom of page