Cloudboy are an indie band from Dunedin, New Zealand consisting of three constant members, Demarnia Lloyd, Craig Monk and Johannes Contag

History

Cloudboy originated in 1995 as a side project of Dunedin electro-pop artists Mink, and recorded a mini-album centered around the eponymous title track Cloudboy, presenting a more intimate, minimalist side of singer Demarnia's talent. A few singles were released in the following years, namely picture disc Little Prince and the Flying Nun released Pet.

The follow-up album was concocted between 1997 and 2001; the band decided to record and produce completely autonomously and wouldn't accept any time/space limits. Down At The End Of The Garden was finished in early 2001 and released on Global Routes.

Live, cloudboy have undergone numerous variations, sometimes with up to eight players on stage, at other times stripped right back to two or three. Almost invariably there has also been a computer, dat-machine or cd-player pumping out some twisted backing beat, sample loops and/or grainalised soundscape. In the last couple of years, cloudboy have branched out to play outside the usual live pop/rock/dance music venues. their live soundtrack performance accompanying the archival films of silent NZ film programme "Shape of the Land" was set in cinemas, art galleries and theatres. Another pinnacle of their very select performance history was their album-release tour featuring not only a jazz rhythm section, violins and flute, but also a chorus of three backing singers, masked and costumed, as well as projected video backdrops including New Zealand Film Archive footage. Another highlight was a show at Auckland's Stardome - the audience held their breath for 1 1/2 hours whilst reclining in their chairs to watch the fake starry skies.

In 2003 Cloudboy travelled to Europe. It took a year to get the troupe together for the long-awaited Europe stint, but by June 03, everybody had assembled in Berlin. This eastern-most city of Western Europe, more relaxed and afforable than most of its counterparts, acted as a base for the tour. Sojourns were made to Scandinavia and the UK, the Czech Republic and much of northern Germany. a trimmed-down version of the 2001/2002 NZ touring line-up, Cloudboy in Europe was a fully "live" affair, by now having fully abandoned the electronic backing tapes of old.

Members

Core

Demarnia Lloyd - Vocals, samples
Craig Monk - Guitar, Violin, Synth (among other instruments)
Johannes Contag - Various stringed and buttoned instruments.

Variable

John White - Violin, Backing vocals
Chris O'Connor - drums (2001-2003)
Phil Boniface - Double Bass (2001's Down At The End Of The Garden release tour)
Donna Demente - Vocals, performance art (2001's Down At The End Of The Garden release tour)
Jef T Mitchell - Vocals, performance art (2001's Down At The End Of The Garden release tour)
Andy Cummings - Vocals, performance art (2001's Down At The End Of The Garden release tour)

Discography

• 1995 - Cloudboy 7-song ep (Cloudboy/Infinite Regress Music)
• 1996 - Little Prince vinyl picture disc (Cloudboy/Infinite Regress Music)
• 1997 - Pet vinyl single (Flying Nun)
• 2001 - Down At The End Of The Garden full length cd (Cloudboy/Global Routes/Arclife)

Trivia

• Demarnia Lloyd is the sister of Dark Tower and Trillion's Jody Lloyd
• Occasional member John White is guitarist/vocalist for Dunedin's Mestar