Whilst making his new album The Last Rotation Of Earth, Christinzio’s relationship with his fiancé crumbled after nine inseparable years. The album follows this break-up amid long-term struggles with addiction and declining mental health. The outcome is an extraordinary record, with Christinzio describing it as “more cinematic, sophisticated, and nuanced than anything I’ve done before. And more desperate”. Y et, how can someone lost produce this masterpiece with such premeditated ambition? Despite the heavy heartbreak behind this album, a classical beauty soars throughout BC Camplight, angrily fractured by moments of distorted sound. This is an album that implores you to listen at the highest volume, overwhelming your senses with a lurid rush of noise.

In May 2023, Christinzio released The Last Rotation of Earth, an album written after the breakup of his long-term relationship. [14] The album peaked at number 31 on the UK Albums Chart. [15] The release of the album was followed by both solo and full-band tours, with the band consisting of longtime members Adam Dawson, Luke Barton, Francesca Pidgeon and Thom Bellini, with the new addition of multi-instrumentalist Jolan Lewis. However, in early 2015 Christinzio overstayed his visa permissions due to a severe leg injury and was made to leave the UK, resulting in the cancellation of his band's summer tour which was to include performances at the Green Man and End of the Road festivals and an appearance on Later... with Jools Holland. Gigs in other countries went ahead as planned, including a debut tour in the US. Christinzio temporarily resided in Paris and Philadelphia. [5] [10] In the spring of 2016, he toured the West Coast of America for the first time. He then re-settled in Manchester with an Italian passport, care of his grandparents, [11] and has since been granted a permanent Settled status.His constant movement contrasted with fellow band member Francesca Pidgeon’s stillness. But she impressed the audience in a different way – from guitar to clarinet, percussion to vocals, keyboard to saxophone, it seemed there was nothing she couldn’t play. Multitalented would be an understatement. John Freeman (10 February 2015). "The Homecoming King: An Interview With BC Camplight". The Quietus.

Christinzio relocated to Manchester, England in 2012, following the advice of a fan on social media. [7] There he recuperated and returned to writing and performing. [8] [5] In October 2014 Bella Union announced it would be releasing BC Camplight's already-recorded third album, How to Die in the North, in January 2015. [9] I Want to be in the Mafia’ gave an unfiltered display of Christinzio’s talent on piano, at points standing up in Elton John-esque showmanship whilst his hands flew over the keys with flare. His impressive vocal range is also realised from the heartbreaking highs to the final low drone of ‘I’m Going Out On A Low Note’. Throughout the hushed silence, the sound of rain dominated, ironically foreshadowing the next song ‘It Never Rains in Manchester.’ Maximalism. In the most minimal of terms, this is the best description of their music: layers upon layers of melodies and rhythms seamlessly sewn together in craftsmanship only they are privy to. With a unique output, BC Camplight occupy their own niche in the diverse ecosystem of the alternative genre. Credit: Ailish O’Leary Austin @ The Mancunion Few songwriters of his generation sprinkle laugh-out-loud lyrics into their songs so successfully, especially while walking the tightrope of maintaining such heavy subject matter at the same time. “Music is just the instrument my brain uses to get its thoughts out,” is his typically self-effacing explanation for that. “You have to be mindful that you can’t just dump 3000 pounds of awful feelings onto people all at once. I enjoy having a reprieve and letting people breathe and reset. It’s more human; humans are very complicated people, and I think some people appreciate music that reflects the complexities of just how weird our brains are.”David Sue (5 April 2013). "Brian Christinzio: Manchester saved my life". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. This was enhanced when Christinzio projected to the front of the stage to deliver an operatic performance over the instrumental. The song distorted to its finale and the gig was completed in a rage of fire and sound. The crowd was full to the brim with BC Camplight. As the night drew to a close, the Albert Hall crowd demanded an encore from BC Camplight with a slow, gladiator-style clap. The band returned as champions to the chant with the addition of some trumpets. With his suit unceremoniously dumped, a crazed rendition of ‘I’m Desperate’ ensued. After the success of each song, he faced the audience with arms outstretched and fingers flourished as if to produce the maximum surface area to absorb the crowd’s cheers. As a sunflower grows to the sun, he was often planted on the edge of the stage, closest to the audience’s attention and adoration. DeLuca, Dan (29 April 2014). "Philadelphia's BC Camplight makes it in Manchester, new album 'How To Die In The North' on the way". Philly.com . Retrieved 26 October 2014.

It’s just a device that I really enjoy,” Christinzio explains. “It puts the listener in a specific place. It’s a reminder that you’re listening to a person going through something, and I’m not trying to be Bill Shakespeare.” Christinzio was a restless performer, unable to occupy any single area of the stage for too long. Surprisingly the piano didn’t limit him, as he favoured the piano stool as a prop rather than a seat. From pacing the stage, to hammering the piano stool on the keys, to ringing his mum in America, he contained an unpredictable quality – much like his music.

Year End Lists

Originally from Wenonah, New Jersey, [4] Christinzio relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, in 2003. He soon signed a record deal with One Little Indian and established himself on the city's live music scene. He played live with members of The War on Drugs and appeared as a session piano player on Sharon Van Etten's 2011 album Epic, among other collaborations. That said, The Last Rotation Of Earth is not exactly a passive experience. There is an inherent buy-in to Christinzo’s work here and elsewhere, one that requires a bit of work from its listener. This marks Christinzo’s fifth album and the first to follow what he has called his “Manchester Trilogy,” three records steeped in turmoil and directly responding to an array of drastic life changes, including revitalizing moves across the world, forced deportation, and familial tragedy. Within that rush of biographical songwriting are true gems like “Just Because I Love You” from 2015’s How To Die In The North, “I’m In A Weird Place Now” from 2018’s Deportation Blues and “I Only Drink When I’m Drunk” from 2020’s Shortly After Takeoff, each containing a painful honesty among increasingly experimental production and songwriting. The Last Rotation Of Earth by BC Camplight

In 2017 Christinzio recorded a new album, Deportation Blues, released on Bella Union in summer 2018. Some of the album chronicled his experience with the UK immigration system. His most successful at the time, the release was nonetheless followed by another difficult personal period, including the sudden loss of Christinzio's father. [12] The sheer bleakness of the details may not have stung so sharply were it not for the circumstances in which Christinzio, who has achieved cult status with his records as BC Camplight, found himself. Halfway through the recording of his new album, his fiancée and partner of nine years split up with him. It left him bereft, and suddenly all of the music he had been working on seemed redundant. The only consolation to be found was that a flood of new material was suddenly ready to replace it. On the One Little Indian record label, Christinzio released two albums, one in 2005 and another in 2007. They were critically well received but did not succeed commercially. He was dropped by the label and nearly quit music altogether while struggling with mental health issues, drugs and alcohol. [5] [6] Ten years later Christinzio is still making important music, still channelling the forces that have beleaguered him and making the most honest and candid work he can.In a new press release, Christinzio said The Last Rotation Of Earth “is a document created in the shadow of incredible darkness. One from which the creator hadn’t planned on escaping and still doesn’t. Hence the title of the album. It is the result of an illness that I’ve battled my whole life. It isn’t something that the world has done to me. It’s the world I live in, and it’s no one’s fault.” Talk about tempting fate. But it’s true to say that Christinzio has made his best music under immense duress, and The Last Rotation Of Earth is an inimitable work; a heady, heavy slice of lustrous hooks, moods bursting with classical sophistication and fractured paranoia. Christinzio’s signature dizzying progressions and U-turns are executed with a masterful hand. A notable feature of the album are periodic conversational voices, as if a cast of people were delivering their lines – which was exactly part of Christinzio’s thinking. “I wanted to make the songs resemble little films, with lots of ideas,” he says.