I found some notes recently from when I was first setting up the label 6 or so years ago, listing some of the bands I'd love to release once I'd worked out what the hell starting a record label actually entailed. Tucked up near the top of that list was Enderby's Room.
So, I'm really quite chuffed to say that today we're releasing the debut single from Enderby's Room. It'll be followed up with a couple more digital singles and a proper 7" in February, and a full album is on it's way to manufacture now - expect that to be out in April.
Enderby’s Room is fiddle player Dan Mayfield, once from rural Lincolnshire, but he has now found home living in London. His folk tinged songs reflect on his traditional folk upbringing, which included playing fiddle for Morris dancing sides around the country. Mayfield has played fiddle for many artists including Daniel Johnston, Darren Hayman, The Wave Pictures and Allo Darlin.
Over the past ten years he has gently built up a collection of his own songs, which he performs with his band Enderby’s Room. The name comes from an Anthony Burgess character called Mr Enderby who composed his prose inside the toilet. The band’s make up has been constantly evolving; around 30 different individuals have been a part of Enderby’s Room over the last decade, before settling on the current 5 piece lineup.
Enderby’s Room’s sound features a Victorian pedal harmonium, together with French horn, double bass, ukulele, guitar and percussion.
Lakeside, the first single from their forthcoming debut album, is one of the first songs that Mayfield composed, taken from the perspective of someone longing to be with someone they can’t be with. There are themes of nature and listening which also feature throughout the rest of music on the forthcoming album. Mayfield is joined by Emma Winston (Deerful, Owl & Mouse) on vocals in this lamenting duet.
As well as Enderby’s Room, Mayfield set up School of Noise which encourages young people to be creative with sound, using unusual noise making and sound sculpting machines. This project has seen him take workshops to the Green Man and End of the Road festivals as well as the Southbank Centre, Museum of London, Great Ormond Street Hospital and primary schools around the country.
Here's Enderby's Room playing Lakeside live at Union Chapel for Daylight Music: