Upon first hearing Elk – the musical creation of 21 year old multi-instrumentalist Joey Donnelly – you could be quite easily forgiven for believing that he was American. Just like that of Ohio’s Adam Torres or the Cotton Jones’ mainman Michael Nau or even David Pajo in his Papa M guise, Donnelly’s music possesses unearthly, elemental and haunting qualities similar to those of his fellow singer-songwriters from across the Atlantic Ocean.
But Joey Donnelly isn’t from the United States. He is from Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. And this is where he wrote the seven songs that can be found on his forthcoming debut album, Beech (released on 28th June 2019 through Bad Paintings). And God Is In The TV is delighted to bring you the premiere of one of them, ‘Yue’, the lead song from that record. There is a purity and honesty to ‘Yue’ which captures a translucent tenderness, one that comes from Donnelly’s ability to quickly establish an intimate rapport with the listener.
The accompanying video to ‘Yue’ features some grainy old home-movie footage taken on a family holiday in California. Scenes of tall redwood trees, snow-capped peaks, Alcatraz, Coit Tower, San Fransiscan streetcars and a journey along the Pacific Coast Highway all magnify the sense of Americanism that lies at the heart of Elk’s music.
In concert, Elk sees Joey Donnelly joined by his older brother Mikey on keys, samples, glockenspiel and backing vocals.
Catch Elk live supporting The LOVE Band featuring Johnny Echols at:
26th June – Strings, Newport, IOW
27th June – The Haunt, Brighton
29th June – Grand Central, Liverpool
30th June – Oran Mor, Glasgow
1st July – Brudenell, Leeds
2nd July – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
3rd July – Globe, Cardiff
4th July – Fleece, Bristol
5th July – Islington Assembly Halls, London
