Formed in late 2024, Whimsical Creature are a British progressive rock duo from Reading, consisting of I Am the Manic Whale's Michael Whiteman and Ella Lloyd. The project's impetus can be traced to a late summer camping trip taken by both members' families, where the two agreed to write material more acoustic and stripped-down than Manic Whale. With Whiteman the chief lyricist and composer, Whimsical Creature perform a style of folky, neo-tinged prog-pop which greatly resembles Big Big Train (the pair even played a set at the BBT fan gathering A Mead Hall in Winchester).
After a handful of gigs and singles (one of which a cover of Chris Squire and Alan White's "Run With the Fox"), Whiteman and Lloyd revealed their debut LP Wistful Thinking in 2025. The self-released album is an explicitly acoustic affair, with Whiteman handling guitar, bass and piano, Lloyd juggling flute, autoharp and glockenspiel, and both musicians sharing vocals and percussion. Whiteman's songs speak of human resilience, an appreciation of the natural world, the Cottingley Fairies hoax and scepticism about the rise of AI. From: https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=13074
