The Bear and Other Stories

The Fantasy Orchestra is a community project led by This Is The Kit's Jesse D Vernon, featuring guest vocals by Kate Stables (also TITK). Based in Bristol and also in Paris. The Orchestra (motto: 'more is more') brings together 40+ musicians, professional and amateur, to create a kaleidoscopic symphonic brigade. Live shows can include more than 80 performers. They began life as an Ennio Morricone covers band and have since developed full sets of David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Jimi Hendrix, and most recently, Radiohead. There's more than two hundred songs in their repertoire and their mission is World Peace One Note At A Time. They meet every week and go on a bicycle tour every summer. Their eclectic repertoire covers film soundtracks (Morricone, Barry, RD Burman), rock and pop favourites (Hendrix, Beatles, Bowie), and some more obscure treasures. Think psychedelic loveliness, rousing choral noise, and some choice costumes. The track list represents a Fantasy mix of well-known and lesser-known composers such as Bristol-based master guitarists Paul Bradley and Jamie Harrison, whose song, The Bear, gives the album its title.