Page 21 - link magazine

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Swindon‛s
widest choice
21st
anniversary of discounted
Art, Craft and
Art, Craft and
Framing products
Lots of extra bargains
Framework Art & Craft
Unit 35 BSS House
Cheney Manor, Swindon
Ample free parking
Tel/Fax 01793 513069
Swindon’s contribution to French-Texan recording Email: [email protected]
Musical success has come to a French exchange student who spent six months with a Freshbook family in www.facswindon.co.uk
the 1990s when she was just twelve, writes Liz Boden.
Singer-songwriter and guitar- in the neighbourhood. We had After those fi rst six months in
ist Angélique Raley's recently re- fun over that summer with water Freshbrook Angélique and Amy
leased fi rst album Angels Go By is fi ghts." kept in touch, visiting each other MEN’S SHOES
notable for most of the songs be- Angélique has fond, enduring every year until Angélique was 18.
ing sung in English, in part due to memories of going to help on a "It was always fun to come back an outstanding selection
Angélique's spell in Swindon dur- farm at weekends with Amy's older and catch up with the people I had • Church’s • Grenson
ing her formative years. sister, Rowena. "The couple at the grown close to. To this day Amy • Loakes • Padders
farm, Ken and Gerda, and I are still good friends and we • Barker • Clarks
had about 40 cows and manage to see each other fairly
every single one had a regularly, despite being an ocean • Rieker • Rohde
name. After milking was apart." • Anatomic Gel
done we would all go Hear samples of Angélique’s Also an extensive range
back to their house and soulful mix of Austin hip with Euro- of slippers now in stock
have breakfast together. pean infl uences, with hint of Swin-
Fresh milk never tasted don, at: ww.angelraley.com BLAYLOCKS
better. They became al- • The Phillippos now live in Abbey Bath Road Corner
most like grandparents Meads. Amy joined the Army in Old Town, Swindon
to me. And we kept in 2001 and is a corporal with the
touch until they passed Royal Signals. Tel: 534271
away."
Music was not a key
part of her life though
she had started learning
classical guitar from the
age of six. It wasn’t until
later when she discov-
ered folk guitar and her
awareness was sparked
by Radiohead, Nirvana
and French pop-rock
artists.
Angélique now lives
in Austin, Texas with her
Angélique, who is now 27, said American husband, Brian. Without
that apart from acquiring a new the fast-track Swindon gave her
language her eyes were opened to learning English, she says they
to a different culture. "I became would never have met and her life
fl uent quite quickly. This was very might have taken a different turn.
handy back in France where I Brian was a great pillar of sup-
aced most English tests with little port when it came to Angélique's
or no studying. English is so use- music. She said, "my music career
ful and determined many of my life really picked up when I met my
choices and also my music. On my husband. He loved to hear me play
CD only four songs are in French, and encouraged me to pursue
the rest are in English." this side of my life. I wrote a lot of
Angélique lived with the Phil- songs after meeting him and going
lippo family in 1994, after their through a diffi cult time together as
daughter Amy spent six months we lost people dear to us."
with the Ralay family in Alsace, Angélique also says luck played
France. a part in helping her into the tough
Her fi rst few weeks at Green- world of recording. "Not knowing
down School, in Grange Park were how anything in the industry works
diffi cult, she recalled. "School was I was incredibly lucky to meet
tough at the beginning - not under- some wonderful people along the
standing the language and strug- way who guided me.
gling to be accepted." "The whole CD creation process
But she soon learnt to fi t in. "I was a great experience and was
remember playing a lot with kids deeply rewarding."

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