When: 7.30pm on Tuesday 26 January 2010
Where: Dulcimer, 567 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester M21 0AE

We’re pleased to present the first Manchester headlining show by Copenhagen’s Choir of Young Believers!

The man behind Choir Of Young Believers is the 26-year-old Danish-Greek-Indonesian singer, song-writer and guitarist Jannis Noya Makrigiannis. For many years, Jannis has moved in the underground circles of the Danish indie scene and been a part of the legendary band, Lake Placid.

Musically, Choir Of Young Believers is located somewhere between low-key folk and orchestral indie pop. The simple yet perfectly crafted melodies are arranged around piano, guitar, banjo, drums and percussion, and draped in lush, dramatic and imaginative arrangements, resulting in a sound that is both solemn, stoic, achingly beautiful and unmistakably ‘nordic’. Live, COYB take on many shapes and sizes: sometimes a dual performance with guitar and cello, and sometimes an eight-man ensemble, featuring percussion, trumpet and strings.

In spite of his young age, Jannis writes mature intelligent songs. The melodies are simple and beautiful while the arrangements surprises and overwhelms the listener. There are references to Roy Orbinson, The Beach Boys, Pixies and Hank Williams, but Choir Of Young Believers stand out as a bright example of alternative pop music with depth and quality.

In August 2009, CYOB’s debut This Is for the White in Your Eyes came out on Ghostly International. That summer also saw them playing two sold-out shows in front of 2,500 people at the National Concert Hall in Copenhagen, performing the album in full, accompanied by the National Radio Symphony Orchestra. In their home country, they’ve also had two top five indie chart hits, played at Roskilde festival and been named Denmark’s ‘talent of the year’ and ‘hope of the year’.

‘It was like hearing Radiohead’s Thom Yorke in the middle of a Sixties Roy Orbison single. Let the buzz begin’ – David Fricke, Rolling Stone

‘A piece of heaven. Tender folk meets grandiose prog-pop. Beautiful like a forest dressed in the colours of the fall’ – The Guardian

‘Choir Of Young Believers sound just as earnest and grandiose as their name suggests. Central figure Jannis Noya Makrigiannis sings in a round, open, occasionally Paul McCartney-esque tenor‘ – Pitchfork Media

Supporting CYOB are Manchester’s own Table – a six-piece led by songwriter David O’Dowda. Their debut single, Songs You Can Sing, has just come out on Humble Soul/Static Caravan, and they recently did a radio session with Marc Riley. Well worth arriving promptly to catch.

Tickets available from the bar, Piccadilly Records, Ticketline.co.uk and on 0161 832 1111.