Biography
The Coral are one of the UK’s most celebrated rock bands. They released their first album in 2002, and since their debut EP, have sold over a million UK albums. With five top ten albums, including the chart-topping Magic and Medicine (2003) and eight top 40 singles within their repertoire, James Skelly (vocals/guitar), Ian Skelly (drums/percussion/vocals), Nick Power (keyboard/vocals), Paul Duffy (Bass/keyboards/vocals) and Paul Molloy (guitars), stride into the future to fortify their irrevocable presence in modern music.
There are no full stops in The Coral’s story, but after an unapologetic hiatus, 2016 sees them turn a distinct new page with their triumphant touring return and a seventh album, Distance Inbetween. Picking up the band’s story from the release of 2010’s Butterfly House, theirs is a tale of uninterrupted individual creativity punctuated by the surprise release of their lost album, The Curse of Love (2014).
Straddling digital and analogue worlds, many songs on Distance Inbetween developed through texts and emails between James Skelly and Nick Power. Its unforced development was influenced equally by the nature of modern communication, their shared artistic desires and love for the static of rediscovered cassette tapes. Histories and influences, pieces of past are re-discovered and celebrated in many ways on Distance Inbetween, themes which are explored and exposed in The Coral’s first gallery event Distance Inbetween: The Exhibition at RedHouse Originals.
The collection features new unseen artwork alongside special edition prints created by Ian Skelly to document the songs and the stories behind the music. Also on display will be original artefacts and ephemera that inspired the creation of the album. Drummer and co-songwriter Ian Skelly has produced the artwork for the band’s album covers since their debut in 2002 and Distance Inbetween is no different. With psychedelic Victorian-inspired cut and paste collages presented alongside surreal comic book-style illustrations, Skelly has created a striking visual world for the album to inhabit. And now, for the first time, fans of the band will be invited to step inside.
Contact us to request the catalogue of available artworks by Ian Skelly
Banner image credit: Anna Benson
