Beaumont

by Michael Sutton
The immaculate, fragile music of Beaumont evolved from the twee pop of Reading, England's Blueboy, one of the acts on the celebrated Sarah Records label. Keith Girdler (vocals) and Paul Stewart (guitars, bass, drums, percussion, keyboards) were the core members of Blueboy, a band they formed in the early '90s after the demise of Feverfew. Blueboy recorded three albums in the '90s -- If Wishes Were Horses, Unisex, and The Bank of England -- that netted stellar reviews and the devotion of a loyal cult. The group split up in 1998. Girdler and Stewart reunited as Arabesque and in 2000, they released the mood-spinning This Is...Beaumont as Beaumont. Also consisting of Lorraine Carrol (vocals), Dick Preece (keyboards), Leigh Saunders (trumpet, keyboards), and two Blueboy veterans -- Martin Rose (drums, percussion) and Cath Close (vocals) -- Beaumont ventured into jazz and Baroque compositions. Like with the work of Belle and Sebastian, This Is...Beaumont combined wistful adolescent poetry with quiet, delicately crafted songs.