Duotone

“As soon as you listen to the opening song you’ll be hooked” **** 4 Stars (Maverick)

Duotone is the name under which Barney Morse-Brown (cellist for The Imagined Village and Chris Wood’s Handmade Life) and James Garrett (London based singer-song writer and percussionist) write and perform their own contemporary acoustic songs. They loop guitars, cellos, percussion and voices to create ethereal soundscapes for their poignant lyrics to weave in and out. 

Following hugely successful appearances at End of the Road Festival and London’s South Bank Centre in 2010, Duotone have regularly been mesmerising audiences around the country with their shows that breathlessly move from riotous energy all the way down to the most delicate moments of heartfelt intimacy.

With momentum building, the duo were asked to support The Imagined Village on their Spring 2011 UK tour, playing some of the UK's top venues and in the process winning a new audience selling large quantities of both their debut album 'Work Harder & One Day You'll Find Her' and their DVD 'Live at the Electric Palace'. 

Coming from a musical family of seven children, Barney’s passion for performance was established early on, studying the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, and was awarded a scholarship to study baroque cello at the Royal Collage of Music. The cello has always played a pivotal role in Morse-Brown life, starting at the age of six, progressing through college, university to building a career as a professional musician working the likes of Chris Wood, The Imagined Village and Eliza Carthy. Morse-Brown has honed his skills within this world to help him create a sound that not only challenges convention but to also shows the versatility of the instrument by making it the lead instrument in this band. 

Raised in Dorset James began learning classical guitar at an early age before moving into a more rock orientated world in the thriving music scene around Bridport. Garrett worked on moving beyond the normal confines of guitar playing, always looking to achieve new sounds. This approach was carried into the world of percussion when Garrett took up the Cajon (a hand crafted wooden box drum originating in Latin America). With his unique percussion set up Garrett provides the heartbeat of Duotone’s sound. 

The duo will be releasing their second album ‘Ropes’ on 3rd October. This new full length release promises to thrill and captivate even more than the last. An October Tour will accompany the release. The duo will be previewing some of the songs from this new album at The Green Man Festival this summer. Go check them out! 

“Hauntingly ethereal” **** 4 stars - Songlines

“This really is a little gem of an album”. **** 4 stars Maverick

“This album starts strongly, gets better and ends too soon” Acoustic Magazine

“Quirky, whistful and very beautiful” The Scotsman