Maribou State
When: 8th February 2025
Location: O2 Academy
Maribou State are Chris Davids and Liam Ivory, the UK duo giving electronic music a much-needed shot of soul. Coming to Glasgow’s O2 Academy on 8th February 2025.
Having emerged on the scene in the early 2010s. Maribou State soon found an adoring audience primed for their atmospheric soundscapes, expansive beats, and experimental guest vocals.
With a genre-blending aptitude for combining organic and electronic sounds. The British electronic duo have carved out a niche for their ever-evolving take on contemporary electronic music, despite a fairly modest back catalogue of music. Characterised by warm, downtempo beats and distorted vocals. Maribou State’s cinematic sound translates fantastically to the live setting, and has earned them widespread recognition.
Originally from Hertfordshire. Founding members Chris Davids and Liam Ivory met at school and began writing and producing music together as teenagers. In 2011, they made their debut as Maribou State, releasing their EP Habitat on FatCat Records. Before releasing several more EPs and singles on Norman Cook’s Southern Fried Records. Citing the likes of Bonobo and Radiohead as key influences. The pair began to fine-tune their hip-hop beats and electronic production. Producing a handful of remixes for Lana Del Rey and Fatboy Slim along the way.
Maribou State’s EP – Olivia
Maribou State’s first major release came in 2012 with their EP Olivia. Which served to cement the duo as ones to watch thanks to their emotionally resonant blend of live instrumentation and electronic production. Follow-up EP Truths was released in 2013 and featured popular tracks such as ‘Scarlett Groove’ and ‘Moon Circles’. The EP also marked a shift in Maribou State’s readiness to collaborate with guest vocals. This saw the beginning of their relationship with Holly Walker. Who would soon become a keystone in the duo’s sophomore album and live shows.
Their first full length album Portraits, arrived in 2015. Featuring lead singles ‘Steal’ and ‘Midas’, the album also saw a return to Walker (now also joined by Jono McCleery) on vocals. Released via Counter Records, the effort was met with great critical acclaim for its infectious grooves and richly textured production, and its success paved the way for extensive world tours, both as DJs and live performers.
Kingdoms in Colour
Kingdoms in Colour was released in 2018 and showed Maribou State harnessing their recent touring and travelling experiences to expand their sonic palette for this second album. The duo seized the opportunity to collaborate alongside other global artists (Texas-based trio Khruangbin lent their services on ‘Feel Good’), whilst weaving various field recordings and decades-old samples into the fabric of the album. Receiving unanimous praise for its vibrant production and creative layering, Kingdoms in Colour further served to position the pair as one of the most innovative acts in contemporary electronic music.
An unintended six year break
In 2022, Chris Davids was diagnosed with a rare brain condition which hindered the duo’s ability to produce music and tour, and ultimately led to an unintended six year break between albums. Fortunately, Davids underwent a major operation which was tentatively deemed a success, and Maribou State were able to get back in the studio. They soon announced their third album, Hallucinating Love, which is set to be released on the 31st January 2025. In the meantime, they’ve teased two singles; ‘Blackoak’, and ‘Otherside’ featuring long-time collaborator, Holly Walker.
