Micachu
LABEL: Beggars Group , Rough Trade  |||  PHOTOGRAPHY: Olly Hearsey

Micachu is the moniker of major new talent, 21 year old songwriter and producer Mica Levi. Dspite her relative youth, Mica arrives as something of a Midas touched, Renaissance artist: equally at home writing and producing stunning, experimental pop with the likes of Matthew Herbert, as MCing with friends in various grime collectives and balancing this with her day time tutorage at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she’s studying composition.

Perhaps the real beauty of Mica’s talent is despite her prodigious musical ability she without fail keeps things rough around the edges: no polished beats when bit fat dirty ones will do, obvious choruses eschewed for intricate yet subtle melodies that grow and grow.. Mica studied violin, viola and composition at the Purcell School of before being offered a scholarship to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to study composition. Her talent as a young composer has not gone unnoticed with Mark Anthony Turnage commissioning her to write an orchestral piece for the London Philharmonic Orchestra to be performed at the Royal Festival Hall on April 29th.

For live shows Micachu plays with her band the Shapes: a three-piece fronted by Mica (vocals, guitar, electronics and Hoover), Raisa Kahn (keys) and Marc Pell (drums). Armed with just her beat up, half sized guitar and hidden beneath a mop of hair, Mica’s understated appearance belies her startling musical prowess. Currently doing the rounds is Micachu’s ”˜Filthy Friends’ mixtape featuring the likes Man Like Me, Ghost Poet, Kwes, Jack Penate, The Fields, Naked & the Boys, Toddla T, Suicidedogz, Golden Silvers and many more of her friends.

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SHOWS
Sep 03 2009 • Aarhus Festival • Aarhus
Sep 06 2009 • Electric Picnic • Dublin, Dublin
Sep 12 2009 • Bestival • Isle of Wight, South
Sep 22 2009 • Cedar Cultural Center • Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sep 24 2009 • UW Madison Memorial Terrace • Madison, Wisconsin
Sep 25 2009 • Schuba’s • Chicago, Illinois
Sep 26 2009 • Midpoint Music Festival • Cincinnati, Ohio
Sep 28 2009 • This Ain’t Hollywood • Hamilton, Ontario
Sep 29 2009 • El Mocambo • Toronto, Ontario
Oct 01 2009 • Pop Montreal • Montreal
Oct 02 2009 • Littlefield • Brooklyn, New York
Oct 03 2009 • Wordless Music Series • New York, New York
Oct 07 2009 • Nation of Shopkeepers • Leeds, Northeast
Oct 08 2009 • The Deaf Institute • Manchester, Northwest
Oct 09 2009 • Captain’s Rest • Glasgow, Scotland
Oct 10 2009 • Sneaky Pete’s • Edinburgh, Scotland
Oct 12 2009 • Audio • Brighton, South
Oct 13 2009 • Norwich Arts Centre • Norwich, East
Oct 14 2009 • Fiddlers • Bristol, Southwest
Oct 15 2009 • The Scala • London, London and South East
Oct 16 2009 • Airwaves • Rekyavik
Oct 18 2009 • Paradiso • Amsterdam
Oct 19 2009 • Hafenklang • Hamburg
Oct 20 2009 • Roxy/NoD • Prague
Oct 21 2009 • Elevate Festival     Graz, Steiermark
Oct 22 2009 • La Casa 139 • Milan, Milano
Oct 23 2009 • Circolo degli Artisti • Rome, Roma
Oct 24 2009 • Covo • Bologna, Bologna
Oct 25 2009 • Club Zukunft • Zurich, Zurich
Oct 28 2009 • Le Grand Mix • Tourconing
Oct 29 2009 • Ubu Club     Rennes
Oct 30 2009 • Rockmotives • Vendome
Oct 31 2009 • Novosonic Fest • Dijon
Nov 01 2009 • Maroquineri • Paris
Nov 18 2009 • Razzmatazz • Barcelona
Nov 19 2009 • Moby Dick • Madrid
Nov 20 2009 • Plano B • Porto
Nov 21 2009 • ZDB • Lisbon, Lisboa


LINKS
Micachu's website
Micachu on myspace