Welcome to my website. Here’s a little about me.

 

I began in music by forming the indie band Kan Kan, our records included the e.p. Changing Trains (a John Peel favourite) and The Informer. After that, I started writing scores and songs for fringe theatre in London. This was largely done for no money, what we used to euphemistically call “profit share” but I didn’t mind that, it was exciting to work in the theatre and I learnt a great deal about composing and developed my desire to write scores and songs for stories, be it film, theatre radio, dance. I applied for a job as Composer-In-Residence at The Liverpool Playhouse and spent three year there writing many scores for studio and main house shows, site-specific events and developing lots of work with the Youth Theatre. I was also fortunate enough to be offered the chance to direct and so I wrote my first music-theatre piece The Double an adaptation of the novella by the Russian writer Dostoyevsky, a psychological piece, set in a heightened world where a man discovers his doppelgänger who is out to undermine him. It was this heightened, dark and magic-realist world that I found compelling and one that I wanted to work in, to tell stories with music and song. To that end, I applied and was invited to join Stephen Sondeim’s Master Classes in MusicTheatre at Oxford University - it was an honour to learn from such a great artist.

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After leaving the Playhouse, I started working as a freelancer, writing scores (drama series and documentaries) for BBC TV, ITV, Channel 4 and BBC Radio 3 and 4. as well as independent film, theatre and contemporary dance. I also, along with designer Rosalind Henderson set up the music-theatre company Base Chorus eventually becoming an Arts Council portfolio company. The productions made were not adaptations but original stories, again from the world of heightened magic-realism and dark fable, but also with a strong thread of comedy. Productions includes The Golden Boy, The Man Who Stole A Winter Coat, The Corrupted Angel and My Clockwork Heart. My relationship with the Unity Theatre, Liverpool was very supportive and I was able to work with them as a base to develop and present the work before touring in the UK and abroad. I also became their resident composer/lyricist for their unique Christmas Show which continued with Theatre Porto later. Other commissions include The Peoples Opening, Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008: As The World Tipped, Wired Aerial Theatre and City Of The Unexpected, National Theatre of Wales.

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I have always had a strong interest in community arts, running projects iin a variety of settings, for example, The Dialysis Ward, Royal Liverpool Hospital, Teeside Steeelworkers Community and the Liverpool Mental Health Institute. Much of the work involving recording stories from participants and then shaping the narrative with them using words and narrative inspired sound design. You can hear examples on this website.  Finally my love for 1930s cabaret has led to me producing

occasional cabaret events incorporating lots of unique perfortmers

video artists and other maverick acts.​

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Credits are available on the Credits Page

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