The Flowers of Hell are a transatlantic experimental orchestra made up of a revolving line-up of 16 or so independent musicians based in Toronto and London. Their mostly instrumental sound builds bridges between classical music and post-rock, shoegaze, space rock and drone music, often resulting in their being described as an orchestral extension of the work of The Velvet Underground and Spacemen 3.[1][2] They are led by synesthete composer Greg Jarvis. Much of their repertoire is an exploration of the timbre-to-shape synesthesia that causes Jarvis to involuntarily perceive all sounds as floating abstract visual forms.[3]
The group's name comes from the blues concept of transformation whereby the misery and toil of the musician results in the pleasure of the listener. It was first used by the group’s founder Greg Jarvis on tracks included on various UK newspaper and magazine covermount CDs in 2002 and 2003, of which just under two million units were distributed. Jarvis expanded the project into a London-based live act in 2005 with the founding six piece line up consisting of himself as the principal guitarist, Guri Hummelsund on drums, Abi Fry on viola (later of British Sea Power and Bat For Lashes), Owen James on trumpet, Ruth Barlow as the accompanying guitarist, and Steve Head on Hammond organ.[11]
In early 2008, following a move back to his native Toronto after a decade spent abroad in London and Eastern Europe,[12] Jarvis debuted a North American branch of the group as an opening act for Spectrum[13] (one of the post-Spacemen 3 projects of Pete ‘Sonic Boom’ Kember). The Flowers of Hell have since operated on both continents simultaneously with Jarvis going back and forth for concerts and all members contributing to recordings.[14]
Throughout the band’s evolution, Jarvis has remained as its main composer and producer. Jarvis is an audio-visual synaesthete and his compositions and productions are largely based upon the abstract visions he involuntarily experiences when hearing sounds. Synaesthesia is a cognitive trait found in 4% of the population who are born with two (or more) senses intermingled. With the timbre-to-shape variant that, differing sonic timbres give rise to a visual language of sound.[19]
Notable events in the group's history include a 2020 performance at the Tate Britain where their Come Hell Or High Water LP was on display,[18] a 2019 performance for an audience of synesthetes at the Moscow Conservatory,[20] NASA's mission control staff declaring their fandom and synchronizing The Flowers of Hell song Sympathy For Vengeance with fresh Discovery shuttle footage,[21]Lou Reed highly praising the group and starting his final radio show with three of their recordings,[22]My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields inviting the group to open for one of the eight dates on their 2008 reunion tour,[23] and closing the Intersection Festival of experimental classical music on Toronto's main square in 2011 and 2015.[24][25] In 2010 Greg Jarvis made headlines after being detained in Sentani, Jayapura Regency, Papua, Indonesia by rebel soldiers from the Free Papua Organization - Jarvis was mistaken for a spy and used a ukulele to prove he was a musician.[26][27][28]
