Many bands claim they surpass genre but Bishopskin may be one of the few who truly do. Their Facebook bio reads “prayer music BISHOPSKIN olde English folk Lo-fi secular interdogmatic worship Post-contemporary jazz”, an assortment of words as eclectic as the band itself. A product of the free time provided by the lockdown a few years ago, Bishopskin is a nine person group lead by artist and vocalist Tiger Nicholson along with James Donovan, former guitarist of HMLTD, another band fond of Christian imagery. 

When asked by Still Listening who they were inspired by, Donovan simply stated “God, magnolia trees, English folk” and nowhere are these influences clearer than in their new single Stella Splendens (Latin for ‘splendid star’) a 14th century hymn dedicated to the Star of Bethlehem. The song was introduced to the band by clarinettist Tati Gutteridge who lends her voice to their playful take on the hymn and who’s Ukrainian background inspired the final sound. You’ll want to sing along even if you can’t understand the words. 

Their bandcamp claims that during a performance of the song in a London church “Tiger gave up on the Latin lyrics and instead chose to slap his body in frustration” making this definitely not one to be missed at their live shows. It’s about time a band brought the energy of a medieval tavern to South London. 

Sometimes it feels like Bishopskin shouldn’t work. They cross so many genres, have nine members, make music as varied as their album covers, but somehow they tie it all together.

Will covers of centuries old tunes be the next big thing? After the revival of sea shanties in 2021 no one can be sure. If this single is anything to go by, I hope so.