Charlotte Hatherley | |
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.jpg) Hatherley in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1979-06-20)20 June 1979 (age 46) |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
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Charlotte Franklin Hatherley (born 20 June 1979) is an English singer, guitarist and songwriter. She initially came to prominence as guitarist and backing vocalist foralternative rock bandAsh. Since leaving Ash in 2006, she has worked as a solo artist and acted as a touring musician forBryan Ferry,KT Tunstall,Bat for Lashes,Cold Specks,Rosie Lowe andBirdy. Hatherley has also been a touring member ofNZCA Lines and was the Musical Director for South African artistNakhane.
Hatherley's mother,Patricia Franklin, is an actress. Her father, Frank Hatherley, is an Australian playwright and critic.[1][2]
Born inLondon, Hatherley's music career began at the age of 15, when she joined Britishpunk bandNightnurse.[3] Two years later,Ash was looking for a guitarist to add to their live sound, and they hired Hatherley after frontmanTim Wheeler saw her play at a Nightnurse show.[4] Hatherley's Ash debut was at Belfast'sLimelight on 10 August 1997,[5] and the following week the new lineup played the1997 V Festival in front of 50,000 people. Her recording career with the band began later that year on the single "A Life Less Ordinary" and continued on the albumNu-Clear Sounds in 1998.
Hatherley was a full-time member of Ash for eight years, playing on three studio albums, and wrote a handful of the band's songs, most notably "Grey Will Fade", on theB-side of the single "There's a Star". The song was a cult favourite among fans, and eventually became the title track of Hatherley's debutsolo album. On 20 January 2006 it was announced that Hatherley would be leaving Ash in an amicable breakup.[6]
She reunited with the band in 2022 for a UK tour to support the 21st anniversary ofFree All Angels.[7]
While recording the albumMeltdown with Ash, Hatherley began to record her own albumGrey Will Fade. From the album she released the singles "Bastardo", "Summer" (both videos directed byEdgar Wright), and "Kim Wilde", which all received high praise from critics.[8][9][10]
Hatherley's second albumThe Deep Blue was released on 5 March 2007. It was preceded by two singles; "Behave", in December, and "I Want You To Know" along with an accompanying UK and Ireland tour. For Nokia Online,David Bowie reviewed "Behave", writing, 'Behave is proof that Charlotte made the right decision to go solo. The guitar part is an instant hook, that has a kind of Eno-esque quirkiness about it... Impossibly catchy, you'll find this popping into your head when you least expect it'.[11] Two more singles were released to promote the album, "Siberia" and "Again". In 2007, Hatherley opened forBlondie on their UK tour.[12]
Hatherley's third solo albumNew Worlds was released in October 2009.Pitchfork gave the album 8.0, writing, 'Hatherley is a meticulous artist, and her songs are carefully constructed things designed for a powerful dynamic impact without sacrificing elegance and grace. She's the best sort of craft-driven writer, consistently avoiding ostentatious displays of technical ingenuity while subtly exerting her skill in ways that call attention to, rather than distract from, her melodies.'[13] The album was alsoThe Sunday Times' record of the week: 'These are sensational songs, from an artist who remains bafflingly overlooked, but continues to dive into that tiny pool and come up bearing pearls.'[14]
In February 2012, Hatherley began performing under the name of Sylver Tongue. She released theSomething Big EP in November 2012. Sylver Tongue supported Bat for Lashes on their October/November 2012 UK tour.[15]
In 2017, Hatherley pre-released a solo album viaPledgeMusic calledTrue Love. Inspired by her love of science fiction, the album tells the story of Traveller, a heartbroken alien searching for love. It received a 4/5 star review inThe Evening Standard.[16] Their critic wrote, 'Vangelis'sBlade Runner soundtrack is the obvious inspiration behind these ethereal soundscapes, although this is much more than derivative, fangirl fare. "A Sign" and "Hook You Up" are glorious pop songs in their own right, while Hatherley's yearning vocals ensure that even the most robotic moments retain a compelling human core.' The album was officially released in June 2018.Electronic Sound magazine wrote: 'This is an album easy to fall in love with, from the yearning 'A Sign' to the gorgeous 'You Said Goodbye' its electronic teardrops and emotional nakedness could soundtrack any broken love affair'.[17]
Three singles were released from the record, "A Sign", "Night Vision" and "Hook You Up". The five-trackNight Vision EP contained cover versions of songs from cinema, including theBee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love", the video for which was made in collaboration with theEuropean Space Agency.[18]
Hatherley wrote the score for directorGavin Rothery's sci-fi short filmThe Last Man.[19] It premiered at theFrightFest festival in London in 2014.[20] She performed the score at theBritish Film Institute as part of their major three-month focus on sci-fi on screen,Days of Fear and Wonder.[21] In 2014, she also composed the music forStella Feehily's playThis May Hurt a Bit, directed byMax Stafford-Clark.[22]
In 2019, Hatherley composed the score for the filmImogen[23] which was due to premiere at Oscar qualifying film festival AMDOCS in Palm Springs on 27 March 2020 as part of the Official Selection (postponed due to COVID-19).[24] Produced by Margo Mars andAlma Har'el, the film is directed by Lola Young and Matt Shea and supported by the BFI Doc Society and LUSH film fund. The soundtrack was released in May 2020.[25]
In 2021, she played guitars on composerFrank Ilfman's score for the filmGunpowder Milkshake.[26] In 2022, she contributed to the score for directorPeter Strickland's filmFlux Gourmet.[27]
In 2007, Hatherley was a touring guitarist forBryan Ferry,[28] and in 2009 joinedBat for Lashes as a live member of the band.[29]
In 2010, Hatherley joinedKT Tunstall's band, playing lead guitar. The 2010/11 tour coincided with the release of Tunstall'sTiger Suit album. In an interview with theGalway Advertiser, Tunstall said that Hatherley had helped her 'to find the voice that she had always been searching for.' "Charlotte has just blown us all away. She's an exceptionally talented musician and very visceral. It's just pure emotion when she plays."[30] Hatherley has subsequently recorded guitar on Tunstall's albumsKin andWax and played guitar on her 2018 tour.[31]
During 2015/2016, Hatherley was a performing member of Cold Specks[32] and NZCA Lines,[33] and throughout 2016/2017 toured as guitarist/keyboardist for Birdy[34] coinciding with the release of Birdy'sBeautiful Lies album. In 2019 Hatherley played forFrank Turner,[35] and played onFred Deakin's albumThe Lasters.[36]
From 2017 to 2020, Hatherley was musical director, guitarist and keyboardist for South African artistNakhane.[37]
In 2021, Hatherley played onImelda May's album11 Past the Hour[38] andNatalie Imbruglia'sFirebird.[39] During 2023 she played as part of Birdy's live band for thePortraits tour.[40]
Across Summer 2024 she played in Bat For Lashes' live band for theDream Of Delphi tour in the UK and Europe.[41]
Since late 2016, Hatherley has been in a relationship with artist andEmpire features editor Alex Godfrey. They have a daughter, Rosa Mars, born late June 2020.[42]
| Year | Album | UK [43][44] |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Grey Will Fade
| 51 |
| 2007 | The Deep Blue
| 109 |
| 2009 | New Worlds
| – |
| 2017 | True Love
| – |
| Year | Title | Album | UK [43][44] | B-sides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Kim Wilde"(Download-only) | Grey Will Fade | — | |
| 2004 | "Summer" | 31 | Commodore;SMUT | |
| 2005 | "Bastardo" | 31 | 3 Minutes;I Am a Kamera | |
| 2006 | "Behave" | The Deep Blue | 168 | Mr. Ed;Cousteau (Extended Version); Behave (Luke SmithClor Remix) |
| 2007 | "I Want You to Know" | 108 | Sister Universe;Suspiria | |
| 2007 | "Siberia" | — | Last Night;This Is Pop;I Don't Need Anyone | |
| 2007 | "Again" | — | Again (acoustic) | |
| 2007 | "CH V FD (Deep Blue remixes)" | Non-album single | — | Dawn Treader (Fredmix);It Isn't Over (Fredmix) |
| 2009 | "White" | New Worlds | — | White (Squarepusher Remix);White (Adem Remix); White (Heartbeat Remix) |
| 2009 | "Alexander" | — | Alexander (Radio Edit); Alexander (Blacknred Remix) |
| Title | Year | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Summer" | 2004 | Edgar Wright | [45] |
| "Bastardo" | 2005 | [46] | |
| "Behave" | 2006 | Oscar Wright | [47] |
| "I Want You to Know" | 2007 | Joe Cornish | [48] |
| "Siberia" | Shelly Love | [49] | |
| "White" | 2009 | Elliot Manches | [50] |
| "Alexander" | [51] | ||
| "A Sign" | 2017 | Gavin Rothery | [52] |
| "Night Vision" | John Minton | Lyrics video[53] | |
| "How Deep Is Your Love" | 2018 | Mike Keelin | In collaboration withESA[54] |
| "Hook You Up" | Rik Moran | [55] |
Media related toCharlotte Hatherley at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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