The avante garde South London trio mary in the junkyard chose Nottingham for the first stop in their album promo tour, appearing at Rough Trade for an instore performance and singing. We were there to experience their unique, genre-spanning approach to music...
mary in the junkyard is a name I’ve been hearing for a while. Recently, they’ve played live sessions for BBC Radio 6 Music and KEXP, opened for Wet Leg on their Moisturizer tour, and formed an unlikely friendship with the Serbian conceptual artist Marina Abramovic. More locally, their 2024 set at Nottingham’s Dot To Dot festival was praised by this publication as an “eye opening half-hour of experimental noir-rock”, securing them as a group worth seeing on their current record store-based tour promoting their debut album, Role Model Hermit.
A South East London three-piece, mary in the junkyard consist of guitarist and lead vocalist Clari Freeman-Taylor, vocalist, bassist and violinist Saya Barbaglia and percussionist David Addison. Supposedly, their namesake of ‘Mary’ is derived from a beloved pet cat. Barbaglia and Freeman-Taylor, both classically trained musicians, were acquainted through summer camps and youth orchestras, while Addison was known to them as the drummer of Second Thought, who Freeman-Taylor sometimes sang with. Their first gig, in 2022, was at the Cavendish Arms in Stockwell, and they soon found a home at Brixton’s Windmill, the venue which served as a launch pad for Black Midi, Black Country, New Road and Squid.
On stage at Nottingham’s branch of Rough Trade, mary in the junkyard are at home playing to a smaller crowd, making them ideal candidates for the venue's popular in-store live/signing sessions, consisting of a 60-minute set and an opportunity for autographs, selfies and a conversation with the band. The short nature of these concerts results in minimal conversation and audience participation, save for an amusing anecdote about a whimsical frog that visits the band member’s dreams (she has yet to visit David Addison). Frontwoman Clari comes across as reserved when speaking directly, but like many musicians, sheds this shyness when playing.
Clari Freeman-Taylor’s voice is light and melancholic, contrasting the angular tempos of Blood and New Muscles, two prominent tracks from Role Model Hermit. Her enunciation is unique, with notes of Jessica Pratt, Jasmine Rodgers of Boa, and Sue Tompkins of Life Without Buildings. Saya Barbaglia contributes backing vocals, providing a pleasant, deep resonance which pairs well with Freeman-Taylor’s ethereal wail. The two switch easily between guitar, bass and violin as needed, even taking some time to play-act at boxing between songs.
Musically, mary in the junkyard sit between several genres. There is a Midwest emo quality to their arpeggiated riffs and a shoegaze inspiration in feedback-heavy tracks such as Crash Landing and Thou Shalt Sprout - the song I was most impressed by live. The inclusion of Barbaglia’s violin lent a folky element to their set, explaining the recent Adrianne Lenker comparisons (although I feel that any female artist who exhibits some folk traits these days gets a rather lazy comparison to the Big Thief frontwoman).
To me, mary in the junkyard represent the best of the Windmill scene in that they are trying to carve out something unique, which is remarkably distinct from the prog-jazz theatrics of Geordie Greep or the synthy post-punk of Fat White Family. While their music will perhaps not ‘chime’ for everyone, it will be found by the people who are meant to love it. Fans of more widely known acts like English Teacher and Wet Leg (who they have opened for) would find much to appreciate on Role Model Hermit and 2024’s This Old House EP.
The set was fashionably brief, spanning 12 songs, and containing a mixture of material from their debut album, EP and standalone singles. Two unreleased songs referencing children's literature - We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and The Wind in the Willows - were also played back to back. David Addison is reliable and steady on the drums, and Saya Baraglia’s violin solos offered depth and weight to the set’s dreamier interpolations.
The maiden night of any tour is bound to be subject to a few errors - it’s bad luck to say good luck on opening night, as is said in the theatre. mary in the junkyard faced some technical and performative hitches in their first gig, a missed beat here and a fluffed lyric there, but were able to quickly recover themselves and play an overall solid hour of music. As they complete the rest of their tour, stopping in Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow, they are sure to grow in confidence with each show played. Role Model Hermit is a special album, and serves as the foundation for a potentially great live band.
mary in the junkyard performed at Rough Trade on 6 July 2026
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