Alexander Wolfe is a New Cross based singer/songwriter. He started his musical career in the band ‘Taxi’ with none other than Jamie Cullum, who he is still friends with today. The band supported Paul Weller in 2002, ably backing him with their take on northern soul. Since the demise of Taxi, Alexander has gone on to perform solo and won the Emerngenza singer/songwriter award in 2008. Born Alexander Gordon de Menthon in December 1981 in Cambridge, he moved with his parents to South East London at the age of two where he spent his formative years growing up in Woolwich. His mother, Anne de Menthon, was the lovechild of a French Count and a Canadian cabaret singer. Alexander’s family got word from the French side of the family that Count de Menthon had passed away and unexpectedly in his last will and testament acknowledged Anne and left her gifts of extravagant French artefacts, antique furniture and money. To her son, Alexander he left an original Rembrandt print.
Alexander had been experimenting with music, bands and writing songs for a few years and was becoming more and more serious. He was in love with music and soaked up as much as possible, inspired by everyone from Captain Beefheart to Joni Mitchell, Velvet Underground to Curtis Mayfield. He became convinced that he had found something he could offer, something unique to be remembered for. Around this time his beloved Nan passed away leaving Alexander devastated. From that moment, he took on her maiden name, ‘Wolfe’ and spent the next few years writing, and sculpting his sound and future as an artist. Alexander decided to record an album. He sold the only thing of value that he owned, the Rembrandt print, to fund buying a home studio set up. He managed to beg, steal & borrow some studio time to put down the drums with a friend called Steve Pilgrim, now playing with ex-La John Power and Paul Weller. All the other instruments (except the strings) were played and recorded by Alexander in various places, from attics in New Cross, to basements in Brick Lane. Everybody who worked on the record did it for the love of the music, from the string players to the engineers.
The songs are an eclectic mix, from the twisted waltz opener Prague Song, through the white knuckle ride of Movement to the hushed heartbreaking title track Stuck Under September. It’s clear that this is something special, more in common with Nick Drake, Tom Waits and Neil Young than any of today’s crop of singer songwriters. Song For The Dead is to be the theme of the new BBC comedy series ‘Whites’, starring Alan Davies as a lazy chef. The series began on Tuesday 28th September on BBC 2 and should be a surefire hit. The premier of the wonderful short film based on the song and entitled ‘Stuck Under September’ at the National Portrait Gallery was followed by an intimate live performance of songs from the album with a string quartet. The film is essentially the story of a broken love affair between the sun and the moon and the wonderful Emilia Fox stars in the film. The video for this is available free with the album download at iTunes. MORNING BRINGS A FLOOD truly is a singer songwriter album for the 21st century.
‘With songs full of sadness, regret and longing, this newbie sounds like a husky, bluesy Chris Martin.’ The Guardian
“a beautiful album with echoes of Nick Drake.” The Sunday Times
Artist website: http://www.alexanderwolfe.co.uk/