Clodagh Simonds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clodagh Simonds
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Clodagh Simonds |
| Born | 16 May 1953 Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland |
| Instruments | Voice, piano, keyboard, Harmonium |
| Labels | Deram, Janet Records, Die Stadt |
| Associated acts | Fovea Hex, Mellow Candle, Mike Oldfield, Steven Wilson |
Clodagh Simonds (pronounced KLOH-də; born May 16, 1953) is an Irish musician, songwriter, and singer. She was born in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland. Clodagh grew up and went to school in Killiney, County Dublin.
Contents
Clodagh Simonds' Musical Journey
Starting with Mellow Candle
When Clodagh was just eleven years old in 1964, she started her first band. It was called Mellow Candle. She formed it with two friends from school, Alison Bools and Maria White.
They released their first song, "Feelin' High," in 1968. Clodagh was fifteen at the time. A few years later, Mellow Candle released their only album, Swaddling Songs. This album became much more popular about twenty-five years later. The band broke up in 1973.
Working with Other Artists
Between 1972 and 1975, Clodagh worked with other famous musicians. She sang on the second album by Thin Lizzy, called Shades of a Blue Orphanage.
She also sang on albums by Mike Oldfield. These included Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn. She even helped Mike Oldfield come up with the name for the Ommadawn album!
In 1976, Clodagh moved to New York with Mellow Candle's drummer, William Murray. She wrote music for two plays there. She also continued to study piano and music from different cultures.
In 1989, people in Japan became interested in Mellow Candle again. Their album was re-released there. Since then, the album has been released many times in other countries too.
Clodagh sang on Mike Oldfield's album Amarok in 1990. In 1991, another band, All About Eve, covered one of her songs called "Silversong."
By 1996, Clodagh had moved back to Ireland. She released a mini-album called Six Elementary Songs. That same year, an album called Virgin Prophet was released. It included some of Clodagh's very first solo songs. She wrote and recorded these when she was only 16 years old.
In 1998, you could hear her voice on Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells III. Also, her song "Poet and the Witch" was covered by Stephen Malkmus. In 1999, she sang a song for Russell Mills' album Pearl & Umbra.
Fovea Hex
From 2005 to 2007, Clodagh released three EPs (shorter albums) under the name Fovea Hex. These EPs were called Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent. Many talented musicians worked with her on these projects. Some of them included Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, and Steven Wilson.
In 2011, Fovea Hex released the album Here is Where we Used to Sing. This album also featured many great musicians.
Between 2016 and 2019, Fovea Hex released another set of three EPs. They were called The Salt Garden. In 2021, an album of remixes from The Salt Garden was released.
When Fovea Hex performs live, the group includes Clodagh Simonds, Laura Sheeran, Cora Venus Lunny, Michael Begg, and Colin Potter. They also have a cello player. In 2007, Fovea Hex was invited to perform in Paris by the famous director David Lynch. They played as part of his art exhibition. The band continued to perform in Ireland, the UK, and Europe until 2019.
Clodagh Simonds' Music
Albums
- Mellow Candle, Swaddling Songs (1971)
- Fovea Hex, Bloom (2005)
- Fovea Hex, Huge (2006)
- Fovea Hex, Allure (2007)
- Fovea Hex, Here Is Where We Used To Sing (2012)
- Fovea Hex,The Salt Garden 1 (2016)
- Fovea Hex, The Salt Garden 2 (2017)
- Fovea Hex, The Salt Garden 3 (2019)
- Fovea Hex, The Salt Garden (Landscaped) (2021)
Singles
- Mellow Candle, "Feelin High"/"Tea with the Sun" (1968)
- Mellow Candle, "Dan The Wing"/"Silversong" (1971)
- Fovea Hex & Andrew Liles, "Gone"/"Every Evening" (2007)
Selected Collaborations
Clodagh Simonds has lent her musical talents to many other artists' projects:
- Thin Lizzy, Shades of a Blue Orphanage (vocals, piano, mellotron), 1972
- Mike Oldfield, Hergest Ridge (vocals), 1974
- Mike Oldfield, Ommadawn (vocals, lyrics), 1975
- Jade Warrior, Kites (vocals), 1976
- Mike Oldfield, Amarok (vocals), 1990
- Mike Oldfield,Tubular Bells III (vocals), 1998
- Russell Mills, Pearl + Umbra (vocals, harmonium), 1999
- Tunnels with Percy Jones, Natural Selection (treated vocals), 2006
- Current 93, Black Ships Ate The Sky (vocals, zither, psaltery), 2006
- Matmos, For Alan Turing (vocals on "Molly Malone"), 2020
- Human Greed, Black Hill: Midnight At the Blighted Star (piano), 2008
- Steven Wilson, Insurgentes, (vocals, lyrics), 2008
- Matmos, The Ganzfeld (vocals on "Just Waves"), 2012
- Brian Eno, ForeverAndEverNoMore, "These Small Noises" (vocals), 2022
