This is a very unusual music review, it is a visual one. I am synaesthetic a neurological trait that means I “see” sound. I have drawn what I see when I listen to the first three singles for Muse’s album Simulation Theory. Dig Down, Thought Contagion and Something Human . As a Muse fan, there is always that moment before you listen to a new song where you wonder “What’s next, what are they going…
So, It’s International Women’s Day Today, and frankly, women have come to the end of putting up with the patriarchal nonsense that assumes it rules the world. You will have seen all the news about protests, events and marches around the world. Why am I writing about Death Metal then? Stay with me here. I know Death Metal is not everyone’s listening choice, and not mine until very recently. It wasn’t until I heard Alissa…
I thought I’d do something a bit different this week, I’ve been experimenting with time-lapse photography while I draw music. It adds a whole new dimension to the work to be able to see it appear as if by magic as I sketch. Plus it is enjoyable and allows me to share the dynamic nature of synaesthesia with you. Here’s a set I worked up yesterday while listening to Iron Maiden. I was listening to…
BBC 6 Music visited my studio this week. My studio is at Guildford indie venue and arts hub The Boileroom and, as part of 6 Music’s Independent Venue Week the Steve Lamacq show was on tour, and they broadcast from there. An especially exciting event for me as Steve Lamacq is pretty much responsible for my taste in music and my love of radio, as a medium, it is still my favourite way to hear…
I’m going to come right out and say it; I’m not a massive fan of Christmas. Some parts of it I love, some things can go whistle. If you are like my sister and at least one of my cousins, you started the build-up to Christmas way back in early November with references to Christmas jumpers and general kick off to the countdown excitement. If you are like me, you started and finished your Christmas…
It’s nearing the end of the year and the traditional time for making lists of stuff is upon us. So rather than a list of my top ten albums, pieces of jewellery or political pratfalls of 2017 (although I’m not ruling that out if list mania grips me next week) I’m looking back at what I have learnt from my immersion in music, both as listener and bass player this year. Lessons Learnt From Music…
I was a huge Cure fan back in the late ’80s, big black and white poster of Robert Smith on my bedroom wall, had all their albums but never went to see them live. The closest I got was going round a friends house to watch “The Cure in Orange” on video. Then 1992 and the Manic Street Preachers happened and stole me away from The Cure. Not much other than occasional listening until my…
People often ask me “…what is it like to be synaesthetic, what do you see?”. I talk about it all the time in the context of my art but am not sure why I have fought shy of writing about its more extreme form until now. I went to see one of my favourite bands live and what I experienced means I probably should. I went to see Muse play. Their particular sound, a sort…
The bass guitar is a wonderful instrument, if it were not for my learning to play it none of this would ever have happened. I am synaesthetic, I have a visual reaction to sound both musical and non-musical. This inspires my artworks be they jewellery you can hang on yourself or paintings you can hang on a wall. I could have spent my creative time listening to recorded music drawing what I saw and making…
When I learnt how to custom paint, it was to use the skill in my jewellery, however, being a bassist I couldn’t resist painting a bass just because I could. It was an intricate design for my first go, but it worked out in the end. The bass itself works fine and sounds great, so I’m happy. The first thing was to find a bass to paint, EBay obliged with £30 worth of slightly abused…
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