Wendy Bevan
Words by Glenn Sargeant
Feature Image Photo Credit: Balazs Weidner
Ethereal experimental pop storyteller Wendy Bevan returns with her first album in 10 years, Alone With The Unknown, produced by Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran.
What is your earliest musical memory?
One of my earliest memories is sitting at the piano at my grandmothers during the summer in the
hazy afternoon light, finding melodies before I could even read music properly. There was
something about the way sound could conjure a whole atmosphere, like a room you could step
into I think that’s stayed with me ever since. I would also sing along to my Dad while he played
guitar, we were always practicing and writing songs together.
When did you begin songwriting?
I started writing songs when I was a teenager, and probably even before then. I noticed I was
always singing to myself and making up these little tunes and I always experimenting; when I
was a kid I’d also compose melodies on my Casio Casiotone MT205 keyboard that I really loved.
You have your new album ‘Alone With The Unknown’, out now. How did you want to approach the making of the album?
There is no one specific way I approach making music, nor did I have set idea about the making
of this album. I did however, have a shared vision with Nick Rhodes who produced the album,
and that was to create something otherworldly, everlasting and mysterious with a hint of
glamour and a nod to old fashioned elegance, layered with shimmering chords, swells of strings
and twangy guitar. Every track that has made it onto the album, feels like its found its home in a
unique sonic world.
Where did you record the album and how long did the recording process take?
I recorded the album in London, and its making took several years from start to finish, so its been
a long journey to get here with this. I started Alone With The Unknown just before the pandemic
and during that time we decided to put it on one side, while developing another project entitled
Astronomia.
Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?
Because the album took a few years to finish, there were moments of coming back to a half-written song after a long period away and hearing it completely differently sometimes a lyric I’d written before suddenly made total sense in light of where I was. It felt like the songs had been
waiting for me to fill in the gaps. We would keep a box of magnetic jigsaw puzzle type, words in
the studio and occasionally when I couldn’t think of the right lyric I’d pull a word out of the
magnet box and the song could take a whole other direction.
Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?
When recording the album in the studio Nick and I were drawn to warmer, more analogue
textures, strings, guitars with a bit of twang and shimmer, layered against synths that felt
cinematic rather than modern. We wanted the record to sound like it existed slightly outside of
the modern day and from another time. We used a number of synths to achieve that sound;
especially Roland. I also used numerous pedals to record with my NS Strings electric violin; I
particularly love Earth Quaker Devices of which I used several, and Game Changer Audio, my
PLUS pedal I can’t live without.
Which of your new album tracks feature you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?
A- Crazy Kinda Feeling – this track nearly didn’t make the album but, its now a bonus track and
actually, its really fun to perform live.
B- I don’t really work well with anger, so non of the songs really express this mood.
C- Slow Moon, is a beautiful reflective song, a monologue spoken directly to the Moon.
What do you hope people take away from this album?
I want my audience to feel they have accidentally entered through a secret portal, into a unique
world that exists no where else and gives them the space to dream, a space where they belong, a
space that brings them hope and beauty.
Does the album’s title have a specific meaning/significance?
Alone With The Unknown opens up a space for interpretation, it explores that space in-between.
Was it a difficult album to write?
No. Was it a challenge..? Well all creative work is a challenge but a joyful one, its not about
being difficult its about getting it right from start to finish, and that takes time. Finding a feeling,
creating a world that accurately represents you as an artist is important and one of the most
interesting elements to any journey in creating an album or any body of work.
Who designed the album artwork?
The photograph on the cover is by Photographer John Swannell and the artwork was designed
by Rory McCartney.
One of the tracks is the single ‘Innocence’ out now. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?
Innocence is inspired by the delicate tension between beauty and danger in human connection, alongside a lifelong love for classic film noir and European cinema. My aim was to capture the emotional space of wanting to surrender or lose yourself in another person, while still trying to figure out who you are.
Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?
I have a few places that I call home, I’m from London so here’s London in five words:
Electric,
Eclectic,
Diverse,
…Anything goes.
In July, you supported Duran Duran at BST Hyde Park. How did it feel playing your biggest UK show to date and what are your memories of that day?
Some great memories that I will treasure, sharing the bill with such an iconic line up as Duran
Duran, Scissor Sisters and Nile Rodgers made it feel like a real stepping stone in my career. It
was a real reminder to myself of what my vision has been all these years, working towards
moments such as those.
Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2026/2027?
There are some good things in the pipeline ….but I can’t give anything away at the moment!
Watch this space…
What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?
That my audience feel they want more and felt something they can’t quite put into words. I
always hope to feel that I gave everything I had on the stage in those moments, that to me is an
achievement.
Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?
My NS Strings Electric Violin and my Bridge 5 String Golden Tasman Electro-Acoustic Violin.
I can’t live without these instruments. My VOODOO Labs pedal board is also really precious and
important to me; as I mentioned before, Eathquaker Devices, Game Changer Audio are some of
my favourite pedals but also I love SOMA Synths, Death By Audio, Boss, Merit and Electro
Harmonix Pedals- they all work well with the violin.
How do you look after your voice?
Everyday I try to do some vocal exercises.
Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?
This is such a tough question! Where do I start…Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, Pink Floyd, Harold
Budd, Scott Walker, Roxy Music, God Speed You Black Emperor, Bowie, Iggy Pop, Meredith
Monk… the list could go on, really its long. Well, what I’d recommend is listening to any of these
if you haven’t and depending on the generation of readers it might be that they know them all or
none of these influences.
What makes Wendy Bevan happy?
Happiness to me is sunlight, the sea and silence, the powers of simplicity feed the soul deeper than anything else that comes to mind
Feature Image Photo Credit: Balazs Weidner
Wendy Bevan’s new album ‘Alone With The Unknown’ is out now.
Listen Here: https://orcd.co/alonewiththeunknownwendybevan
The latest single ‘Violet’ is also out now.
