Mischievous musician and master of disguise

Gazelle Twin, real name Elizabeth Bernholz, is a British Female Artist who released her latest album ‘Pastoral’ at the end of 2018. Although following a medieval motif, the lyrics sit perfectly with current affairs; poking at retrogressive tradition and the gruesome side of Great British nostalgia.

“There is a horror in every idyll, and danger lurking beyond the ‘quaint’. The village square – once host to centuries of public torture – becomes a floral framed postcard, dolled up for the summer fête. Bigoted vitriol gently murmurs amidst tearoom chatter, as the neatly framed pastoral picture dissolves into a solemn ennui.”

Gazelle Twin talking to The Wire

‘Pastoral’ mirrors these disturbing themes with a disturbing sound, an uncanny mix of the ancient and the modern. Its production is crisp and electronic…. accompanied by the chilling sound of a school recorder playing throughout, as if she’s sampled the pied piper himself.

Costume aficionado Bernholz doesn’t often reveal her identity; the characters carry the narrative so it is easy to forget she is also a mum from Brighton. In her lead single ‘Hobby Horse’ she plays the fool in a court jester costume combo, you will notice from
the peaked hat and football socks that she is also wearing the costume of a different kind of fool. (Fun fact: the shoe she wears in this video is the Adidas ‘Gazelle’… ahem). The red and white colour scheme is symbolic, purposely reminding us of the St George’s
Flag clad types that Pastoral’s lyrics like “It was much better in my day” are cited from.

Making for a more engaging performance than straightforward listening experience, the combination of Bernholz’ eerie sounds, traditional lyrics, and trippy visuals remind us that the green and pleasant lands of England aren’t too dissimilar to the sinister society that we hear about in bygone stories of Sherwood Forest.

Unique and poignant, surreal and all-too-real, music melodies amongst Brexit
madness: Catch Gazelle Twin on March 1st at Exchange

Natasha Batorijs
19th Feb 2019