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——— BETH ORTON (UK)For more than 30 years, Beth Orton has built a singular catalogue, guided by emotional depth rather than any fixed musical style. From the pioneering folktronica of 1996’s Trailer Park to the earthy classic-rock of 2006’s Comfort of Strangers and 2022’s self-produced Weather Alive, each album stands as its own world. Where Weather Alive was spectral and dreamlike, The Ground Above marks a resurfacing. Her most direct and unapologetic work to date, it explores survival, renewal and acceptance through a newfound strength. “All the songs on the record are looking through the prism of the years from many directions at once,” Orton explains. “If writing songs is therapy, it’s hallucinogenic therapy.”
Both deeply personal and collaborative, the album features multi-instrumentalists Shahzad Ismaily and Sam Beste (Vernon Spring), drummers Tom Skinner (Sons of Kemet, The Smile) and Chris Vatalaro, and bassist Tom Herbert. Self-produced by Orton, it marks a new chapter in her evolution as a songwriter, singer, producer and bandleader. Divided into two distinct halves, The Ground Above explores grief and love as inseparable forces. Its opening tracks are raw and searching, while the second half embraces timeless melodies influenced by the Great American Songbook, spiritual jazz and improvisation.
Each song draws on personal memories and experiences. “Before I Knew” questions agency and the choices shaped by survival, while “Cigarette Curls” recalls a formative friendship, blending memories of Françoise Hardy, The Slits and Blondie with a live hip-hop beat and Nick Hakim’s wordless harmonies.Throughout the record, Orton reflects on aging, motherhood, grief, political uncertainty and the decision to remain connected to life and love. “Waiting” explores how fear can prevent us from fully living, while “Celestial Light” contemplates mortality, solitude and acceptance. “I’ll Miss You” confronts the possibility of losing love without losing oneself, and “Love You Right” celebrates the ongoing choice to love despite life's difficulties.
Written amid growing political turmoil, The Ground Above offers no easy answers but affirms the importance of human connection and art as a form of personal revolution. Orton’s voice moves from intimate whispers to primal howls, particularly on “Otherside,” a song she compares to birds announcing their survival at dawn: “I’m still here.” Like Weather Alive, the album was self-produced with an emphasis on collective creativity. But where its predecessor turned inward, The Ground Above reaches outward. It is a record about embracing vulnerability, honouring the past and finding the strength to begin again, one step at a time.
——— INFOS
• Rotonde (Botanique) | Doors 18:30
• Bota'Carte 30.5€ (https://bit.ly/Bota_Carte)
• Ticket 34€
• Day of show 37€
(costs included)
Tickets on sale 08/10 - 10:00
——— TICKETS
FR: https://botanique.be/fr/concert/beth-orton-2027
NL: https://botanique.be/nl/concert/beth-orton-2027
EN: https://botanique.be/en/concert/beth-orton-2027
——— TAKE THE CONCERT TRAIN
With the SNCB code on your concert ticket you can buy a nominative Bravo! Ticket Bota at a very budget friendly fare. These E-train tickets are available exclusively on bit.ly/BravoTicketBota
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Event venue
Le Botanique, Botanique, Koningsstraat 236, 1210 Sint-Joost-ten-Node, België, Brussels, Belgium
Tickets
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