Kelley Stoltz

Information

Pop Mutations & Freakender present:
Kelley Stoltz

• Special Guests
  Tuesday 9th July
  The Flying Duck
  18+

During the 2010’s Kelley played live as a sideman with Rodriguez and Echo & the Bunnymen, as the 2020’s dawned he was invited to support Pavement on their big reunion tour. He’s also been heard playing drums live
with Robyn Hitchcock as well as adding sitar to Hitchcock's last two albums. In 2022, Stoltz was championed with a live appearance on Marc Riley’s BBC6 show. As producer, he has recorded the new album by Brigid Dawson formerly of the Ohsees.
Between these outside musical projects, pushing past 50 years old and becoming a father for the first time, he has been steadily writing and recording new songs of his own. The result is “La Fleur”, his 18th album, a dazzling collection of 12 tracks chosen from the last two years of songwriting. It will be released in May by Agitated in Europe/UK and Dandy Boy Records in the USA.
“La Fleur” again finds Stoltz plays nearly all the instruments on the album, though a new friendship with pop guru Jason Falkner has led to Falkners appearance on 2 songs. There’s the requisite 60’s meets 80’s pop rock
confections that Stoltz favors with a new focus on out front vocals and perhaps a bit shinier production.
Pandemic era blues, politics and fatherhood are lyrical touchstones throughout.
“Reni’s Car” is the jangle rock lead single based on an actual event of Kelley riding around Manchester in the
Stone Roses drummers car. “About Time” marries Twin Peaks synths, to Fleetwood Mac and Avalon era Roxy
Music in a cautionary tale to Stoltz's young daughter. “Human Events” puts revolutionary prose to a Moody
Blues strum that floats off into Osees territory ... and do I hear a nod to Gershwin in there?

In my ears, Stoltz rarely does any wrong, and these comparisons are only just that little fruit to get you curious-
he is still one of a kind. An under the radar hero to a few, and still after all these great songs, deserving of more.

Climb on the bandwagon - as ever it’s quite pleasing here.