TIM HUGHES talks to the celestially-voiced Chris Beard, of ‘drone-pop pioneers’ Flights of Helios

Ambient, ethereal, folky, atmospheric... When it comes to describing Flights of Helios there is no shortage of words. The problem is, none of them really help explain what it is that makes them Oxford’s most exciting and hypnotically-beautiful new band.

Assembled by multi-instrumentalist Seb Reynolds, this collective of talented musicians have already proved a scintillating live act. But why?

“It’s hard to say,” says singer Chris Beard, formerly of Oxford epic rockers Harry Angel.

What is clear, however, is they are band which the audience feels and senses as much as hears and watches.

“Our best stab at defining our sound is post-folk drone-pop pioneers,” he says. “But even that doesn’t quite encapsulate it.”

An offshoot of improvisational act The Braindead Collective, Chris; synth, sax and electronics man Seb (formerly of Sexy Breakfast, The Evenings and Keyboard Choir and now The Epstein); guitarist James Maund (We Aeronauts and Cat Matador); drummer James Currie (Komrad); and bass and guitarist Phil Oakley (Sexy Breakfast, The Evenings and Borderville), maintain that same loose approach to instrumentation.

Chris, a computer expert at the University of Oxford with a celestial singing voice, was drafted into the band when Harry Angel, which once played alongside Status Quo and Girls Aloud at a Children in Need bash at RAF Brize Norton, “went on hiatus”.

“It is all part of the circle of life,” he says softly, picking his words neatly and with care.

“The rest of the band were having kids. I took a bit of a break, then had a call from Seb to join the Braindead Collective. And that led the way to Flights of Helios, which had the same attitude, and is quite free and ambient, but applied it to a more structured approach. There are a lot of ideas, with everybody contributing, which is really exciting.”

The band have already gone down well at venues as diverse as Truck and Wilderness festivals, and Oxford’s St John the Evangelist Church.

“There has been a touch of pleasure at playing the gigs we’ve done,” he says. “And we are probably the only band last year to have used Donnington Bridge as our personal ‘reverb’ chamber. Phil organised a boat party in aid of charity Art Is Just A Word, and we played for 40 of the coldest minutes of our lives. Having planned our set to match the boat’s route, under Donnington Bridge we weighed anchor to sing Irish-folk torch song Dyhana and Donalogue. And it sounded simply massive.”

On Saturday they headline a night of ambient pop and synth rock at the Wheatsheaf, Oxford. The night also features Last Night’s Victory and After The Thought.

“We have been getting used to playing live and playing off each other,” says Chris. “I just zone out and concentrate on making music that is as real and honest as possible, without worrying about how the audience perceives us.

“We are quite a happy bunch and get on well together, but performing is all about letting it go in a kind of pagan ritual.”

Although Chris, as singer, is the obvious focus, he is at pains to explain that he is not the frontman.

“We could be seen as anti-rock,” he says. “We certainly don’t do any star jumps. That has its place, but not with us. We all have ideas about how we want to present ourselves but it’s really all about the performance.

“We stand in a horseshoe so we can see each other. That also means no one is the centre of attention. We don’t talk too much on stage, either, and try to make the music speak for itself.”

The effect is transformational. Or should that be transportational. Certainly their use of expansive electronic rock coupled with projections of space travel take the audience on a voyage of their own.

“We all have curious minds and are all interested in space,” says Chris. “It’s great to drop the lights and start the projections. It allows us to dream away and not be the centre of attention. And it’s good to have a bit of mystery.”

That theme of space extends as far as the name – borrowed from a graceful single-wing, solar-powered high-altitude craft developed by NASA. “It is one long wing that flies like an albatross; an amazing device,” says Chris.

It also relates to Greek mythology – Helios being the sun god who drove the chariot of the sun across the sky each day. According to the tale, Helios’ son Phaëton eventually stole the chariot, crashing to earth and setting the world on fire.

“What we are saying is you’ve got to take risks if you are going to achieve anything creative or artistic,” says Chris.

“Though hopefully we’ll carry on ascending.”

Flights of Helios play the Wheatsheaf, Oxford, on Saturday. Tickets are £3.50 from wegottickets.com.
A double A-side of Star and Crows will be out this spring.