Bought together by sinister industry forces to produce songs for other artists, Ben and Kate soon decided they preferred each other's company and escaped their paymasters, Thelma & Louise style (except without the whole cliff-death thing), to compose, record and perform together.
Their eponymous debut album is due for release on September 23rd after a successful Pledge Music campaign. Previously, the band have supported Nerina Pallot at the amazing Union Chapel in London and played at the 'Lates' show, sponsored by Mastercard in the great hall at the Natural History Museum.
Ben Parker
Ben is perhaps best known as one half of Ben & Jason, the critically acclaimed singer/songwriter duo who enriched the turn of the millennium with 3 albums of string-laden, spellbinding pop.
A BRIT school alumni, Ben joined BBC2's Sgt. Pepper project singing backing vocals on 'A Little Help From My Friends' with Razorlight, and joining Pete Doherty and Carl Barat on guitar for 'A Day In The Life'.
Ben was musical director for Sam Taylor Wood's John Lennon biopic 'Nowhere Boy' and tutored leading man Aaron Johnson in guitar and vocals, also providing similar direction to Robert Pattinson in 'Bel Ami'.
Closer to home, Ben collaborates with writer and actor Dan Clark, star of the hit BBC3 sitcom, 'How Not To Live Your Life'. Ben composes all music for the show
Kate Aumonier
Kate was discovered by the legendary producer Glyn Johns, and was immediately introduced to Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, for whom she sang backing vocals on the pair's Grammy award-winning collaboration 'The Tucson Sessions'.
After touring with Blues legend Dr John, Kate spent months collaborating with writers and producers like Gordon Raphael (The Strokes), Richard Coulson (Ryan Adams), TD Lind (Eden Street), Jez Ashurst (Farrah) and Mike Rutherford (Genesis).
Kate's debut solo album – 'Here I Am' – was released in late 2004 to critical acclaim. Even Terry Wogan liked it.
More recently Kate has been collaborating with Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Counting Crows, Ray LaMontagne and Kings of Leon).
But Chains are more than an impeccable musical pedigree, great cheekbones and a pair of well-stocked CVs. The 'Head In The Sand EP' - four tracks of millennial music hall – is the first clue as to what the combined talents of Parker and Aumonier are capable of.
From 'Head In The Sand's Feist-like breeziness to the inch-perfect harmonies of 'Twisted Game', Chains will leave a lot of X-Factor winners wondering where their hits have gone.
De'Borah
A 'deep thinker' raised in a musical family, De'Borah's love for music and words surfaces in what double Ivor
Novello award-winner Chris Difford calls ‘a delicate and perfect writer’.
In July 2012, she released her second EP entitled ‘A Thousand Tongues’ which has since received airplay on BBC Radio 6 Music , BBC Radio Kent and XFM. Produced by Patrick Wood (Emily and The Woods, Ryan Keen), and with themes ranging from love to conservation, the EP is a re-introduction to the 22-year old South Londoner after a three-year hiatus studying in Brighton.
Performing at festivals such as the Secret Garden Party and venues across London and the South East, De'Borah continually graces the stage with an unmistakable strength and elegance. Like her voice, which Simon Evans (BBC Radio Kent) says ’achieves that balance between delicacy and strength, sounding fragile but
actually, it’s not when you start to listen’, De’Borah (pronounced Deh-bor-rah) is not to be taken lightly.
Besides her pin-drop vocals, it is undoubtedly her songs that have inspired audiences. Just a few examples of her passionate but honest lyrical approach can be heard in songs like 'How Far We’ve Come' recorded at Camden’s legendary Roundhouse and 'Off My Skin' recorded for the award-winning Brighton Institute of Modern Music.
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