Crayola Lectern - Crayoloto: Live At Cafe Oto (2024)

Memories of a wet Monday night in London’s premier space for cosmic sounds, Café OTO with Crayola Lectern in all their stripped down and ragged three-piece glory.

This recording captures the essence of an artist whose hitherto recorded output of fantastical arrangements, as well as heartbreaking reflections are distilled here into a piano-led trio, with members Alistair Strachan and Damo Waters also taking on the artwork and mixing/mastering roles respectively as Crayola himself sheepishly sips his ‘special tea,’ whilst concocting future sounds from a velvet chaise- longue in 1903.

With nods to heroes and friends, Robert Wyatt and William D. Drake, Crayola Lectern straddle the precarious seam between melodic song and improvisation, leading the sounds into what they describe as ‘adventure music.’ Trumpets soar and sometimes snore, voices blend and words revert to their initial shapes as they tumble along, still redolent with meaning and loaded with irreverent sorrow.

These three also play in krautrock masterblasters, Zofff, a wholly different beast, 100% instant composition and have been regular collaborators with Damo Suzuki in various guises over the last 20 years. Feel the rock’n’roll heartbeat at the core of these songs, as they grapple with the dichotomy of survival and self-regulation. Feel the grief and the love battling it out in search of redemption. Most of all, feel the love.