Kiran Leonard Explained

Kiran Leonard
Birth Name:John Kiran Leonard
Alias:Pend Oreille, Akrotiri Poacher, Advol
Birth Place:Saddleworth, Greater Manchester
Genre:Electronic
Instrument:Vocals, guitar, mandolin, drum kit, banjo, bass guitar, piano, organ
Years Active:2008-present
Label:Hand of Glory (formerly), Moshi Moshi

Kiran Leonard (born John Kiran Leonard) is a musician, composer and singer-songwriter from Saddleworth, Greater Manchester.[1]

Career

Leonard was born into a musical family in the countryside of Greater Manchester. He first learned to play mandolin and guitar and then, inspired by his older brother's diverse music collection, began to experiment with composing electronic music.

After a period of prolifically self-releasing experimental music, Leonard's full length album Bowler Hat Soup was released in 2012 on Hand of Glory Records to some acclaim,[2] [3] [4] receiving notable endorsement from DJ Marc Riley of BBC Radio 6 Music.[5] His subsequent LP Grapefruit (2016), released on Moshi Moshi Records, likewise received critical acclaim.[6] [7]

Leonard's music notably references a wide variety of literature, historical figures and geographical locations: his 2017 LP Derevaun Seraun documented a collection of pieces commissioned by Manchester Central Library inspired by works by James Joyce, Albert Camus, Henry Miller, Clarice Lispector and Manuel Bandeira,[8] while Grapefruit makes reference to Ondör Gongor, Caiaphas, the Bilderberg Group, Lagavulin and Werner Herzog, Bowler Hat Soup to Friedrich Nietzsche, Brunswick Street, Port Ainé and Bora Bora, Thread Colours (2015) to Franz Kafka and Windermere, and Garden in Bermuda (2016) to Annie Edson Taylor and Coyoacán. He has cited musicians such as Frank Zappa,[9] Richard Dawson,[10] The Mars Volta[11] and Kate Bush as important influences on his music.

Leonard studied Spanish and Portuguese at Wadham College, Oxford University.

Select discography

Albums

As Pend Oreille

As Akrotiri Poacher

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kiran Leonard: the art-rocker challenging the indie-lad stereotype. Richards. Sam. 2016-03-01. the Guardian. en. 2018-02-18.
  2. News: Kiran Leonard – Bowler Hat Soup. The Line of Best Fit. 2018-02-18. en.
  3. Web site: Bowler Hat Soup - Record Collector Magazine. recordcollectormag.com. 2018-02-18.
  4. News: Album Review: Kiran Leonard - Bowler Hat Soup. DrownedInSound. 2018-02-18. en. 2018-04-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180418032531/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/17950/reviews/4147073. dead.
  5. News: Album Review: Kiran Leonard - Grapefruit. DrownedInSound. 2018-02-18. en. 2018-04-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180418032608/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/19338/reviews/4149922. dead.
  6. Web site: Kiran Leonard - 'Grapefruit' Review - NME. NME. en-US. 2018-02-18.
  7. News: Kiran Leonard returns with a wildly ambitious, challenging and wonderful second album. The Line of Best Fit. 2018-02-18. en.
  8. News: The Present Stops For The Past To Speak: DiS Meets Kiran Leonard. DrownedInSound. 2018-02-18. en. 2018-06-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142317/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4151383-the-present-stops-for-the-past-to-speak--dis-meets-kiran-leonard. dead.
  9. News: In Conversation: Kiran Leonard. Clash Magazine. 2018-02-18. en.
  10. News: Kiran Leonard - Interview - Louder Than War. 2015-03-16. Louder Than War. 2018-02-18. en-GB.
  11. News: Frank Zappa? Kate Bush? Grinderman? Here Are The Bands Kiran Leonard Ripped Off On His 16-Minute Single 'Pink Fruit' - NME. 2015-12-04. NME. 2018-02-18. en-US.

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