Fail Better presents NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA and THE WITCHING TALE
Schedule
Sun Jan 25 2026 at 07:30 pm to 10:00 pm
UTC+00:00Location
Komedia Brighton | Brighton, EN
We are honoured, excited beyond words, and still in disbelief that we get to meet and host the legendary North Sea Radio Orchestra and The Witching Tale on the 25th of January at the ever so welcoming Komedia.Expect full humans, heavy weather, mansions in eternity, cities in the sea and curling sea snakes.
NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA
The North Sea Radio Orchestra (NSRO) is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra (plus chorus). Formed in 2002, the NSRO was set up mainly as a vehicle for the compositions of its musical director, Craig Fortnam, but has also performed works by William D. Drake and James Larcombe. The ensemble is notable for its post-modern fusion of Romantic music and later twentieth-century forms, and for its bridging of the worlds of contemporary classical music, British folk music, London art rock and poetry.
The North Sea Radio Orchestra is an ensemble of varying size, drawing on a pool of up to twenty members. It performs compositions which range from single-instrument solos and voice-and-guitar duos up to full chamber-orchestra-and-choir pieces (and all points in between, including assorted trios, quartets, quintets etc.). The instrumentation within the ensemble features woodwind, strings, orchestral and electronic percussion, nylon-string guitar, chamber organ, piano and the human voice. In some line-ups, between six and ten members have sung as "the North Sea Chorus".
Blending classical composition, folk, minimalism, art rock and electronica, Craig Fortnam’s North Sea Radio Orchestra’s music has been likened to Penguin Café Orchestra, Nick Drake, Frank Zappa, and others, while influences include Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten, Vernon Elliott, Nick Drake, and Cardiacs’ leader Tim Smith. Their early recordings featured settings of poetry by Yeats, Hardy, Tennyson, and others, but more recently Craig has been featuring his own lyrics.
The release of their fifth studio album, Special Powers, garnered the following praise:
“Their 5th album joins ancient and modern influences, woven and working in harmony to create something graceful and original” Electronic Sound
“Evocative symphonic visions and chamber pop meeting space-rock in a soundly full of synths? What’s not to like?” Prog Mag
“When an album finishes leaving you with a broad smile, a far-away expression and a glad heart then you know you’ve been well and truly got. Such are Craig and co.’s Special Powers.” Terrascope
“Their special powers are real!” Shindig
NSRO’s Komedia performance promises to be one of the gigs of the year.
https://northsearadioorchestra.bandcamp.com/music
THE WITCHING TALE
Featuring Katherine Blake (Mediaeval Babes/Miranda Sex Garden) and Michael J. York (Coil/Utopia Strong), The Witching Tale are a psychedelic, folk, goth duo who weave vocals with ambient electronics, recorders, pipes and obscure instrumentation"
https://linktr.ee/thewitchingtale
