Enfant Bastard

Last updated

Enfant Bastard
Birth nameCameron Watt
Born1980 (age 43–44)
Cleethorpes, England
GenresIndie rock, alt-folk, lo-fi, chip tune, house
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, artist
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, game boy, synthesizer
Years active2006–present
LabelsSL Records
Website enfantbastard.bandcamp.com

Enfant Bastard (also known as Les Enfant Bastard) is the performing name for Cameron 'Cammy' Watt, a musician and artist formerly based in Edinburgh, Scotland who has released albums spanning a number of genres including indie, alt-folk, Lo-fi, Chip music and House. [1] He now resides in Gothenburg, Sweden where we works as an artist. [2]

Contents

Enfant Bastard was a prominent member of Edinburgh's alternative music scene of the 2000s alongside artists such as Meursault and Withered Hand. [3] [4] His work has been critically acclaimed in the Scottish music press, [5] [6] and he has been described by The Scotsman as 'Edinburgh's most beguiling musical innovator' [7] and as a 'lo-fi genius' by The Skinny. [8] He was also important in introducing Chip Music to Scotland. [9]

Biography

Watt was born in Cleethorpes in the North-East of England in 1980. He moved to Edinburgh in 2001 to study painting at the Edinburgh College of Art. [2] In Edinburgh he became involved in the city's alternative music scene alongside acts such as Meursault, Withered Hand, Eagleowl and Rob St. John, [10] first as a member of the anti-folk band The Love Gestures (which also featured Dan Willson of Withered Hand and Neil Pennycook of Meursault). [11] He subsequently performed as 'Enfant Bastard' and was closely involved in the Bear Scotland collective, alongside the Foundling Wheel, Dead Boy Robotics and Meursault and Withered Hand. [12]

He moved to Gothenburg in 2012, where he now works as an artist. [2] He held his first solo exhibition in Spring 2014 at the Lilla Galeriet. [13] His artwork has appeared on the cover of releases by Wet Paint and Meursault. [1] [14]

Music

Much of Enfant Bastard's work is lo-fi being recorded in accordance with what he has called the 'bedroom recordist manifesto'. [5] [15] This approach led to the NME describing his work as 'snobby art-school jazz pish'. [16] [17] Much of his output was released in small runs of hand-made CD-R's, before later being given wider release by independent Edinburgh label SL Records. [18] His often chaotic live shows have also been highly praised, with The Scotsman naming his EP launch for Master Dude as one of their gigs of 2010. [19] [20]

His early releases were largely guitar based songs described variously as indie, folk, and anti-folk. [15] [21] He later began releasing music in the chip tune genre, recorded mostly using a game boy, and he became influential in introducing the genre to Scotland, paving the way for artists such as Unicorn Kid. [9]

Watt has enjoyed a close musical relationship with Dan Willson of Withered Hand. As well as performing together in the band Love Gestures, Watt helped write the song Oldsmobile Car along with Neil Pennycook of Meursault which appeared on Withered Hand's You're Not Alone EP (a version of the song was also released by Meursault as Red Candle Bulb). [22] Enfant Bastard also released a chip-tune version of Withered Hand's For the Maudlin on his Master Dude album, [23] while Walls by Enfant Bastard was covered by Withered Hand on his Inbetweens EP. [24] In 2014 Watt animated the video to the Withered Hand single 'Black Tambourine'. [25]

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oi Polloi</span> Scottish punk rock band

Oi Polloi are a punk rock band from Scotland that formed around 1981. Starting as an Oi! band, they are now generally more associated with the anarcho-punk genre. The band has become notable for their contributions to the Scottish Gaelic punk subgenre. The name comes from the Greek expression "οἱ πολλοί", Anglicized hoi polloi, meaning "the masses" or "the common people".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Creosote</span> Scottish singer-songwriter

Kenny Anderson, known primarily by his stage name King Creosote, is an independent singer-songwriter from Fife, Scotland. To date, Anderson has released over forty albums, with his latest full length, I DES, released in 2023. Anderson is also a member of Scottish-Canadian band The Burns Unit. In 2011, Anderson's collaborative album with Jon Hopkins, Diamond Mine, was nominated for the Mercury Prize and the Scottish Album of the Year Award. Astronaut Meets Appleman was also longlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optimo</span>

Optimo Espacio was a weekly Sunday-night club based in Glasgow, Scotland at the Sub Club on Jamaica Street, as well as a collective moniker for the night's resident DJ duo. Having run every week since it was founded in 1997, on 11 March 2010, it was announced on the official Facebook page that the weekly nights would come to an end on Sunday 25 April 2010. However, JD Twitch and JG Wilkes continued to tour, promote and release music as Optimo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodpigeon (band)</span>

Woodpigeon are a Canadian indie pop collective founded in Calgary and presently based in Montréal. It is led by and performs the songs of Mark Andrew Hamilton. Woodpigeon have released six studio albums, and a number of EPs, and Hamilton has worked with over 75 collaborators both on record and in live performance. Live, Woodpigeon is often a solo project incorporating loops and layered vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kid Canaveral</span> Scottish alternative pop band

Kid Canaveral was a Scottish alternative pop band that formed in St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, but are now based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Since 2007 the band have released a number of well received singles, an E.P. and an album on their own label, Straight to Video Records, and in 2011 they signed with Scottish independent label Fence Records. The band left Fence Records to join Johnny Lynch on his new label Lost Map Records in August 2013. The band have received praise for their pop hooks and melodies, and their energetic and engaging live performances. Their second record Now That You Are a Dancer was nominated for the 2014 Scottish Album of the Year Award. The group released their third record Faulty Inner Dialogue, via Lost Map Records, on 29 July 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meursault (band)</span> Scottish indie rock band

Meursault are a Scottish indie rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 2006. Led by singer-songwriter Neil Pennycook, the band's musical style has been categorised as folktronica, alternative rock and indie folk. The band themselves have described their latest work as "epic lo-fi". The name of the band is a reference to the main character of L'Etranger, the absurdist novel by Albert Camus.

<i>All Creatures Will Make Merry</i> 2010 studio album by Meursault

All Creatures Will Make Merry is the second studio album by Scottish indie folk band Meursault, released on 24 May 2010. A limited edition, hand-printed version of the album was released in April 2010. Songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Neil Pennycook states that "the main theme of the record is one of contentment – what people are willing to do to obtain it, hold on to it, and what we stand to lose or gain if we try."

<i>Pissing on Bonfires / Kissing with Tongues</i> 2008 studio album by Meursault

Pissing On Bonfires / Kissing With Tongues is the debut studio album by Scottish indie folk band Meursault, released in 2008 to a generally positive reception from the music press and online community critics. The band initially self-released the album in 2008, before a second run was released on the Edinburgh-based independent label, Song, by Toad Records, in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Stafford</span>

Adam Stafford is a Scottish musician, filmmaker, film writer, photographer and broadcaster based in Falkirk, Scotland. He was the lead singer and songwriter with the Scottish band Y'all is Fantasy Island as well as a short film maker and solo artist. Stafford was born in Sunderland, England. In the late 1980s, his family moved to Falkirk, where he still resides with his wife and daughter.

<i>Cold Seeds</i> 2010 studio album by Cold Seeds

Cold Seeds is a musical collaboration between Kenny Anderson, Frances Donnelly, and Neil Pennycook and Peter Harvey of Meursault.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eagleowl</span> Scottish indie folk band

eagleowl are a Scottish lo-fi, indie folk band from Edinburgh, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sparrow and the Workshop</span> Scottish rock band

Sparrow and the Workshop were an indie three-piece based in Glasgow, consisting of the Belfast-born, Chicago-raised Jill O'Sullivan, Welshman Nick Packer and Scotsman Gregor Donaldson. The band's debut album Crystals Fall was released by Distiller Records in 2010 to critical acclaim, with the likes of Drowned in Sound and Clash Magazine awarding the album 9/10. The band was notable for their use of harmonies and bastardized instruments/FX pedals and they have been compared to bands as varied as Jefferson Airplane, Talking Heads and Black Sabbath.

<i>Avalanche Records Alternative Christmas</i> 2009 compilation album by Various artists

Avalanche Records Alternative Christmas is a Christmas album, in CD-R format, made up of contributions from Scottish bands and musicians. Released by Avalanche Records in Edinburgh, it raised money for charities Street Invest and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh.

Rob St. John is an English writer, artist and musician.

<i>Something for the Weakened</i> 2012 studio album by Meursault

Something for the Weakened is the third studio album by Scottish indie rock band Meursault, released on 16 July 2012 on Song, by Toad Records. Regarding the album, songwriter Neil Pennycook noted, "This album makes more sense to me, and I think I’m more relaxed this time. I can hear it as a body of work, and it resonates more with me than the other records."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Withered Hand</span> Scottish indie rock musician

Dan Willson, also known by his stage name Withered Hand, is an Edinburgh-based indie rock musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miaoux Miaoux</span> Musical artist

Julian Victor Corrie, better known by his stage name Miaoux Miaoux, is an English producer, musician and songwriter based in Glasgow, Scotland. He is signed to Chemikal Underground Records, who have released his albums Light of the North and School of Velocity. Prior to his solo career Corrie was a member of the Glasgow-based band Maple Leaves.

Song, by Toad is an independent record label and music blog based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 2008 by Matthew Young, and has released several critically acclaimed albums by acts including Meursault, Rob St John and Sparrow and the Workshop. The label takes its name from a passage in The Wind in the Willows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randolph's Leap (band)</span> Scottish indie-pop band

Randolph's Leap is an eight piece indie-pop band from Glasgow, Scotland, and signed to Lost Map Records as of 2014. Founded by frontman Adam Ross in 2006, members include Ross (guitar/vocals), Adam Florence (drums), Vicki Cole (bass), Andrew MacLellan (guitar), Heather Thikey (violin), Pete MacDonald (keyboards), Ali Hendry (trumpet) and Fraser Gibson (trombone).

The Leg are an alternative rock band based in Edinburgh made up by Daniel Mutch, Pete Harvey and Alun Scurlock. The band formed from members of Khaya and Desc, following the break-up of the latter in 2005. The band have released four albums, first with SL Records and then Song, By Toad Records.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Enfant Bastard biography". SL Records. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "About". Cameron Watt Paintings. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "How the capital sound of Edinburgh's music scene is rising". The Skinny. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Music Guide 2010". The List. 10 September 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Best of Enfant Bastard review". The Skinny. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  6. ↑ "Hunks Killing Arm review". The Skinny. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "Live Review and pictures: Dead Boy Robotics, Vasquez, Esperi, Enfant Bastard". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "I Hear A New World". The Skinny. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Clubbers Dictionary: Chiptune". The List. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Withered Hand: Beginning to flourish". The Skinny. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Interview with Withered Hand". Plentyside. 7 July 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "Capital Records: Edinburgh's music scene is thriving". The Scotsman. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  13. ↑ "CV". Cameron Watt Paintings. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "Meursault 'Dull Spark' – Release Notes". Song, by Toad Records. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  15. 1 2 3 "Enfant Bastard". Bandcamp. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  16. ↑ "Drowned in Edinburgh #1". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  17. ↑ "Edinburgh Fucking Rocks, Bitches". Song, by Toad. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  18. ↑ "Review: The Best of Enfant Bastard". Song, by Toad. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "Gigs of 2010: Enfant Bastard, Roxy Art House, 2 October". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  20. ↑ "Live Review: Enfant Bastard, The Leg, Bit Face, Wounded Knee". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  21. ↑ "Review of Retreat festival". The Skinny. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  22. ↑ "Withered Hand – You're Not Alone review". Song, by Toad. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  23. ↑ "Enfant Bastard – For the Maudlin". SL Records. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  24. ↑ "Withered Hand – Inbetweens EP". Withered Hand Official Website. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  25. ↑ Murray, Robin (9 September 2014). "Premiere: Withered Hand – 'Black Tambourine'". Clash. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  26. 1 2 "Enfant Bastard". Rate Your Music. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.