Shady Bard

Shady Bard have been described as a miniature indie orchestra, their line-up includes violin, cello and French horn alongside guitars, piano, percussion and samples. They have been drawing comparisons to Godspeed, Super Furry Animals, Radiohead and Arab Strap.

The album is a collection of symphonic alt.pop fables charting personal and global breakups and breakdowns, produced and mixed by Robin Housman and the band's Lawrence Becko. Its songs are shaped by synaesthesia, a condition where two or more senses are combined automatically and involuntarily - in this case words and music appear in colours, tieing in with the lyrical content - from the dark orange of Fires to the bright yellows of Torch Song.

Their debut ep, Treeology, released last February, and the limited edition promo of the album have recently been fetching over £100 on ebay.

They've toured extensively and shared bills with the likes of James Yorkstone, Califone, iLiKETRAiNS, Yndi Halda, I Was A Cub Scout and Peter Bjorn & John, as well as playing Green Man Festival alongside Gruff Rhys and Calexico. This summer they play Supersonic Festival headlined by Mogwai.

They've been played by Steve Lamacq, Phill Jupitus, Marc Riley, Stuart Maconie and Janice Long, have recorded sessions for BBC Radio 2 and Radio 4's Loose Ends and have been played in Spain, France and beyond.