The Shell + Sonia Killmann

Information

formed out of the mid 2020s experimental music scene in Scotland, The Shell move seamlessly between ambient, free jazz, minimalism, driving kosmische rhythms, and an all-encompassing apocalyptic sound that ebbs and flows across their compositions.
Support on the night comes from international saxophonist and electronic musician Sonia Kilman.

The Shell are:

Leigh Chorlton - drums
Simon Kirby - modular synthesiser
Andrew Ostler - saxophone

Leigh Chorlton is a member of the improv collective Ubu Warp Cheer. He has toured the UK with Berlin based band Raiments (Fresh After Death). Chorlton is a regular attendee of Giodynamics Glasgow and an occasional participant in Tony Bevan's improv jam Help me! I'm melting. He runs Whitespace Gallery in Edinburgh.

Simon Kirby is a scientist, artist, and musician whose work transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. Along with Lomond Campbell and Tommy Perman, he won a Scottish BAFTA in 2009 for the emotionally insecure, social-media obsessed, robotic band in a wardrobe, Cybraphon (now part of the permanent collection of the National Museum of Scotland). He won a List Award for outstanding contribution to Scottish Arts in 2011, and is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the British Academy, the Academy of Europe, and the Cognitive Science Society.

Previous releases include Terra Nova with FOUND, a record and audio-visual installation critiquing Antarctic exploration; Concrete Antenna, which was record of the week on BBC Radio 3’s Late Junction; and Sing the Gloaming with Tommy Perman and Rob St John. The last was an exploration of the evolution of language that brought together the finest vocalists in Scotland, including Kenny Anderson (King Creosote), Aidan Moffatt (Arab Strap), Nerea Bello, Andrew Wasylyk (Idlewild), Su Shaw, Hanna Tuulikki, and Emily Scott (Modern Studies).

Andrew Ostler is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. A long time member of the project Darkroom with Michael Bearpark (No-Man, Henry Fool), Andrew is more recently known for his solo work. His 2024 album The Blind Sublime has been described as “a monumental work” and “an important record, a record that will remain”. Other credits include remixes for Bass Communion (Steven Wilson).

Sonia Killman
Sonia Killmann is an international saxophone player and electronic musician. They have performed across the UK and Europe and are collaborating closely with Cryptic Glasgow as a Cryptic artist, working in interactive installations and performance. Sonia's work treads the boundaries between the familiar and the unfamiliar by merging organic and synthetic sound worlds. The composer creates spaces where sound becomes the overarching sensory experience in an otherwise visual world. Sonia has been exploring Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening concepts through circular breathing and adapting environments in the context of live performance. In 2025, both Sonia and Laura Mannelli won the Lumen Prize for their collaborative work UMWELTRAUM((A)) in the category Music & performance. The installation was developed in Cove Park and commissioned by Cryptic Glasgow and Kultur | lx.

Venue Info

Pianodrome Bruntsfield is at The St.Oswald's Center at 41 Montpelier Park, Bruntsfield, Edinburgh EH10 4NB, at the corner of Montpelier and Montpelier Park and next to the Bruntsfield primary school.
Doors open 30’ before event starts.

The Pianodrome is based in a 130 year old ex church building, and currently the space is unheated, so please remember to wrap up warm.

Concessions
We do not check your right to a concession or name your price ticket. If you feel you can afford the full price please select this ticket. However, concessions prices are there to help anybody attend the show - if you need a lower cost ticket you are in the best position to determine that. No questions asked.

Accessibility
There is ramped access to the main hall of the Pianodrome on Montpelier (the entrance to the South-East of the building ///circle.item.tidy).

We have an accessible toilet and space for wheelchairs. Most of our performances are relaxed performances. If you have any access requirements please feel free to email us at boxoffice@pianodrome.org.

Babes in arms
You do not need a ticket for babies, but if your child is likely to take space in a seat then please book them a ticket.

Non-human visitors
Pets are welcome if they are well behaved.