When Gabrielle Papillon released her beautifully constructed sixth album Keep The Fire back in October of 2017 it marked a change in her work. She eschewed her habitual folkier accoutrements in exchange for something grand, sweeping, and modern. From that comes her latest video, a haunting bare bones performance of her single “Deep In The Earth”.
Recorded live, the track takes on a more intimate feel compared to its studio counterpart. The simplicity of it also betrays some of Papillon’s roots. You just can’t put a guitar and a bass together in a barn like that without expecting something to rub off. The context provides just the hint of an ‘aha’ moment as we see an incarnation of Papillon’s former life shine through.
Papillon explains that the video was shot back in July, while the two of them were touring the UK. Shot by filmmaker Harry Dwyer, the video was made in a structure Papillon describes as a “leaky and very ancient” and somewhat vaguely as a “barn” owned by her UK label, state51.
“State51 has two buildings in Shoreditch, in London, and this is one of them,” says Papillon. “It is massive and rambling, and the area we were recording in is mostly used for lumbar and other best of storage, while the updaters houses offices and a side space is used as a venue for shows and parties and sometimes filming. The other building they have is an old old church.”
Despite the stripped down nature of the video, with Papillon performing alongside bassist Sean MacGillivray and accompanied by the constant trickle of rain, there’s a remarkably full sound given that it’s just the two of them.
Tour Dates:
March 28, 2018 – The Carleton, Halifax, Nova Scotia*
March 29, 2018 – Thunder & Lightning, Sackville, New Brunswick*
March 20, 2018 – The Union Street, Berwick, Nova Scotia*
*With Pat LePoidevin