Philip Burley

Philip Burley, full name Philip David Burley, is one of the two frontmen (along with Floren MacDonald) of the Cornish anti-folk band The Red Army. He is noted for appearing to suffer a seizure when playing a guitar riff, as well as for his strong vocals which are seen as a key factor in the critical acclaim received by the band so far. He is a professional composer and musician, and has become one of the most well known and respected anti-folk writers on the Cornish scene in recent years. He is due to enroll at Dartington College Of Arts to read Musical composition, though will notably remain partially based in Cornwall to promote his forthcoming record.

Early life
He was born in the village of St Day on September 28 1987, and attended schools in the area, learning much of the ways of the world. He attended Redruth School from 1999-2006, obtaining A Levels in Music, History and Drama And Theatre Studies. He also attended Truro College from 2006-2007, adding a fast tracked A Level in Politics to his qualifications.

Acclaim
In 2007, The Times newspaper called him "the most talented and certainly the most prolific" songwriter on the Cornish scene. In the same year, The West Briton declared his song 'Northern Lights' a "masterpiece".

Speculation
In June 2006 he received an unconditional offer to study Music Composition at Dartington College of Arts and is expected to attend the institution from September 2007 for a full three-year degree. It should be noted that he has commented on several occasions that his commitments with The Red Army will still remain priority.

The Red Army

The Red Army was formed on February 17 2004, when Burley joined forces with Florence MacDonald and Stephen Burley. At the time of writing, they have played over 200 gigs.

Musical style and influence
Burley considers himself an anti-folk artist, and is heavily influenced by Adam Green, Regina Spektor and Pete Doherty. His vocal style is often noted to owe homage to Morrissey, and his dramatic, heartfelt, metaphorical poetic lyrical style has clear links with both Morrissey and Bob Dylan. E.g: "It doesn't matter if I'm treading on thin ice, because I can walk on water"-'Northern Lights', The Red Army Some critics have labelled this aspect of his work pretentious and melodramatic, however, the best example of this is probably 'Northern Lights', a live favourite and one of his best known works. At the heart of Cornwall's anti-folk scene, Burley often talks about his "mission statement" to increase the scenes support, and is regarded by local acts as one of the scene's largest influences.

Sexuality
Burley's sexuality has always remained ambiguous, largely due to his frequent claims not to enjoy sexual intercourse. Despite this, Burley has been romantically entangled with a student named David Taylor since January 2007. Previous to this, he had a relationship with fellow bandmate Stephen Burley from 1990 to 2007, though this is noteably aparent in either songwriter's lyrical content. This is often claimed to be the origins of the pair's professional rivalry and strained working relationship.

Trivia
*Burley is noted for his enthusiasm for the work of Regina Spektor.
*Philip Burley is the brother of Stephen Burley, bass player and founding member of The Red Army.
*Burley is a keen player of Wiki Races.
*Burley is a pathological compulsive liar.
*Burley has hinted that he is behind the disputes with his co-frontman. In an interview in May 2007 he revealed "We have a love/hate relationship. I'm the hate."

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