Biography

Marianne Velvart

Formerly Marianne Derbyshire by marriage, I played a succession of local-level Christian events in the 1990s followed by annual concerts at the Greenbelt Festival plus radio, arts events and gigs around London's mainstream.

The Greenbelt days also afforded a platform for my performance poetry and a publication named At a Peculiar Angle under Sea Dream Music.

Marianne Velvart Band on stage
Voice in a million

The advent of the Paley's Watch collaboration heralded my (comparatively small) professionally recorded work out of the complete files. During the time period of these works I contended with three near record and management deals which all ultimately fell through.

Paley's Watch

Back to the 90s, the band Paley’s Watch recorded a track called November for a progressive rock compilation which went John-the-Baptist-like before the album of the same name. Another recording appeared on Mannerisms, a tribute CD to the late Geoff Mann (of Twelfth Night) followed by the full studio concept album November, released on Plankton Records in 1994. My artwork also features in the November CD booklet.

Another shared venture was a satirical album, brainchild of Marc Catley, entitled Hot Air for Jesus. Finally out of this phase a three track demo (all my own compositions, guitars and vocals) flowered and died through lack of management, act or non-act of God or 'other' take your pick. I left the band in 1996 to pursue solo work.

A serious proposal from prog titan Rick Wakeman in 1997 to be signed to his record label Hope Records was heady at first, but ultimately gutting when the label folded and the deal fell through.

Music Endeavours

Too long on the back burner, the digitising of my songs has now on been achieved and samples are available for streaming audio.

Marianne Velvart Band

Literary Endeavours

Since the year 2000 I have not played music, but produced a (second) collection of poetry and prose titled Songs from the abyss of the heart birthing beauty. The first, At a Peculiar Angle, was printed (with a few annoying errors) and rushed out for the Greenbelt Festival some time before. I consider the calibre of the latest collection to eclipse the former by some distance.

Oh yes. Then there the book I've been….. that’s been writing me for years. It shall be finished when it needs to be. Like music tracks should be as long as their creators deem not as radio playlists or conventional conceits dictate, but I digress.

The novel is an existential road trip which spins a theosophical narrative against the immodest backdrop of time and space. The aesthetically ferocious hero charters the chariot of the ‘Arts’ for the ultimate of human quests after personal and universal meaning. Creating and absorbing multiform artworks cleaves a path. Music melts hearts; beauty triggers bittersweet surges of profound emotion. Art touches the parts other brews cannot reach.

My songs are available for streaming audio and free to play for private use only. My lyrics are free to read. If you wish to use my songs or lyrics commercially then please contact me.

At a Peculiar Angle