For Samuel James Taylor and Rebecca Van Cleave, making music together has always been about more than output or momentum – it’s about connection. Married, multi-disciplinary creatives and long-time collaborators across several projects, the duo’s recent Red Light Session captures them in their most natural state.
As Rebecca puts it: “It’s just nice hanging out with your mate, making art together.”
The roots of the project and their partnership go back nearly a decade, when the pair were based in London playing in a band called Ophelia. Sam recalls: “We met in London when we were both doing lots and lots of gigs. As Ophelia, we ended up touring as the support for big established acts.”
But life, as it tends to, intervened. Ophelia slowed, the pandemic hit, and suddenly the space opened up for something new – something softer. Rebecca explains: “We really missed playing together. We felt quite sad that it hadn’t continued, but we knew that we had a different outlet and a different name to go with it.”
The name The Greatest Endangered Thing came from a poem by Nikita Gill, discovered during a lockdown spent in their new shared home of Sheffield, at a time when the world felt particularly bleak. “We were just trying to find a softness in everything,” says Rebecca, “and put something good back into the world again.” The key line stuck: Kindness is the greatest endangered thing.
“It comes when the art comes,” adds Sam. “We’ve just decided to let that kindness be what it is.”
For the session itself, Greeny selected two tracks: one original and one cover. The duo performed If You Could Read My Mind, which Sam describes as “kind of like a dark duet… moody.” They were joined by a small but formidable local lineup, including Ed Cosens, Philippe Clegg, Lucy Revis, Joe Newman and Greeny himself on drums.
“It was just really warm… what a lovely band,” says Rebecca. “When you’re working with that calibre of musicians,” adds Sam, “it was just a really easy session.”
The cover was Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood’s Summer Wine, a leftfield choice that neither of them knew particularly well. “It’s not a song I was familiar with,” Sam admits. “We were like, this is an interesting choice.” But that unfamiliarity became part of the joy. “I love covering stuff,” says Rebecca. “Inspiration from things that you don’t normally think about.”
Between The Greatest Endangered Thing, Dead Like Harry, solo work, photography and acting (Rebecca has appeared in Game of Thrones and Star Wars), the pair juggle multiple creative identities, but the core remains the same. “We’re very similar, but we’re also very different in the way that we create,” Rebecca reflects. “We allow each other to be in our own lane with it.”
“If you value what people bring,” Sam adds, “then it can be a beautiful thing.”
Their shared creative language has evolved over years of collaboration. “I’ll come to Sam with something so random,” says Rebecca, “and he’ll just figure out the musical language.”
The duo are currently recording new material, alongside a DIY covers EP released over Christmas and an upcoming live show supporting St Catherine’s Child at The Greystones. “We’re trying to figure out what songs go into The Greatest Endangered Thing, what goes into Dead Like Harry, what goes into solo projects,” says Sam.
But after years of pushing forward, they’re learning to value the moment too. “Sometimes you’re constantly looking ahead,” says Rebecca, “you forget to be in the moment and realise how beautiful that moment was.”
Catch The Greatest Endangered Thing supporting St Catherine’s Child at The Greystones on 6 Feb. Socials: @thegreatestendangeredthing
