The Irrepressibles

Jamie McDermott conceived London’s Irrepressibles as vocalist, composer, and artistic director of an orchestral ten-piece drawing equal inspiration from Baroque traditions, cabaret decadence, the glam rock of David Bowie and T. Rex, 1950s exotica, and opulent contemporaries such as Antony and the Johnsons and the Wild Beasts. At age 11 McDermott began piano lessons and later enrolled in art, music, and drama studies at a college in his birthplace of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. His drama instructor exposed him to creators across disciplines—Meredith Monk, Yma Sumac, Carmina Burana, and Blade Runner—shaping the multifaceted projects he aimed to pursue.

Following these studies McDermott trained in rock singing at Guildford, where a vocal coach helped him develop his countertenor to full capacity. Upon completing the program he shifted direction, issuing the acoustic solo albums Newclear Skies and Nude, both of which drew comparisons to Jeff Buckley. While earning a degree in Commercial Music at the University of Westminster he sustained work in that style. The curriculum, which blended production techniques with music’s societal implications, together with his desire to frame his cathartic material within larger sonic environments, prompted him to assemble the initial incarnation of the Irrepressibles in 2002.

McDermott handled guitars and vocals, supported at first by cello, violin, piano, and bass; the lineup later evolved into a performance orchestra comprising pianist/vocalist Sarah Kershaw, violinist/vocalist Jordan Hunt, violist/vocalist Charlie Stock, cellist/vocalist Nicole Robson, double bassist/vocalist Sophie Li, oboist/vocalist Craig White, flutist/vocalist Rosie Reed, and clarinetist/saxophonist/vocalist Anna Westlake. Sets, costumes, and choreography defined the ensemble’s theatrical presentations, which took place in settings that ranged from London galleries and Sicilian villas to a Roman amphitheater in Barcelona and Paris’ concert hall La Cigale. Their most elaborate production, The Human Music Box, placed the musicians inside a rotating open box and directly informed the Irrepressibles’ standout appearances at the 2008 Latitude Festival, where they performed on a floating platform centered in the festival lake amid gondolas.

In 2009 the group issued the score for Shelly Love’s film The Forgotten Circus as the From the Circus to the Sea EP, while the single In Your Eyes, accompanied by a video directed by Fritz Stolberg, appeared that autumn. Their debut album Mirror Mirror reached listeners in the U.K. in early 2010 and arrived in the U.S. in August 2011.