We’re nearly at the end of the longest year I’ve ever lived through. Yes, I know it had the normal number of days, but didn’t they stretch out? Didn’t they expand to make way for the anxiety, boredom and horror of the last twelve months. 

Not a good year in many ways, and I know I am lucky to have had a relatively easy time of it compared to others. But also, musically a relatively productive year. Let’s have a little recap, shall we?

January

2020 was the tenth year of me releasing music as a solo artist. Ten years! So naturally I released a digital ‘best of’ compilation that came with a pdf download of my gig diaries. The gig diaries are entirely true and factual. They covers such topics as:

• The rituals and chants Bad Elephant Music artists engaged in after the label’s first showcase gig
• The Demon that haunts a music pub in Watford
• Praying Mantis Dave, the seven foot tall insectoid biker with whom I have a blood-feud
• That time I turned into a bird and flew away after a gig. 

February

For eleven years I have been taking part in February Album Writing Month (FAWM). 2020 was the first time I completed the challenge and wrote and recorded 14 brand new songs in the month of February. 

Needless to say, I was very happy about this. 

Partly it was successful because I filmed every song. Why would that help? It meant I was forced to put up with a single take of the vocal and guitar parts, which stopped my procrastinating and trying to fix mistakes. 

Here’s one of my favourites:

March

Lockdown kicked in and we were all stuck indoors. I got a new studio mascot and tried to spend as much time as I could in the studio. Which definitely worked out well. 

April

April was all about studio work. I had written all those songs in February and decided on the mad idea that these would form the basis of that year’s Subscriber’s EP. 

May

May saw the release of that Subscribers Only EP and yearly ‘Indoctrination Guide’. Here’s a page of lies from said guide:

It also saw the release of the first new single from FAWM, Racing Gravity.

June

This was a very busy month. I did a livestream concert, I engaged in a bit of t-shirt related weirdness [see pic below] and I released Skeletons, the second lockdown single.

All in all, the first half of the year was quite productive despite the weird awfulness of the outside world.

Here’s the final episode of the studio diary for 2020.

Out of the frying pan, etc etc etc.

This is a charity single. I have recorded a charity single. I think that fact justifies it and all the silliness around it.

The story of how this song came about is summarised in this video:

Yes, I do end up sobbing in that video. Nothing rhymes with Christmas!

Money raised through download sales will be passed on to the UK foodbank charity The Trussell Trusts hungry people will be fed. And they’ve found a match-funding donor for the Christmas period, so your donation will be doubled. It’s priced at one pound, but you can go higher if you would like.

To download (and donate) click ‘buy in the bandcamp widget up above or click on this link.

I wrote a new song! I wrote a new song because lovely social media people sent me pictures as inspiration. Thank you!Also, this was a good experiment. I now have loads more cool pictures. Hoping I can get more lyric ideas from them.

Here’s the finished song:

The Union of Andys have taken over my laptop, so I met with them to demand they give it back. I’ve had to agree to things I really, really don’t want to do.

This video does its best to explain itself, but you might want to watch the previous episodes of the Studio Diaries. Here’s the playlist.

This is very exciting! I have just finished recording a new version of my 18 minute ‘epic’ song, IronBark. I am so excited I immediately made as many little homemade singles as I had the materials for. Which is 18 (I only had enough labels for that many).

There are 18 CDs of the brand new version of IronBark. It sounds well good! 18 minutes of music about the murderous, melodramatic happenings in the town of Ironbark, all set to twisty guitars and synths and stuff.

I’ve put them onto these vinyl style CDs. You can have one, if you’re quick! £1 (or more if you want) plus a little for the postage.

I have no idea if a ‘proper’ physical version will ever exist – I have literally just finished the recording and have had no time to work out plans for a release. So this might be the only way ever to get your hands on a physical thing with this song on it. Certainly the only way for a while. (Can you tell how this is a smooth, commercial endeavour full of careful planning?)

Get ’em while they’re hot.

All together now: “Five men know where the bodies are buried…”

Here’s a pic of me pulling an indecisive face. I’m trying to work out what to do next, artistically speaking.It’s a weird time. The eye of a plaguey storm. We’re likely to be heading back into full-on lockdown soon here in the UK and while I’m lucky to have a relatively secure job and little personal risk, that doesn’t mean I’m unaffected. I find myself lacking concentration. Do you find that? Hard to focus on anything weighty, long, meaningful.

I’ve been throwing around ideas for the next album. Is it a scifi concept album? Is it a looser collection of songs that will allow space for the big long prog rock epic that is currently brewing? Is it a combination of the two?(I might be combining those two ideas into some chimeric monster album)

But, is it the right time to be thinking of an album? That’s a big load of music, a large statement. I’m not sure now is the time to be making big statements. it might be the time for lighter distractions. Individual songs. Sillinesses.

Not sure.’Just follow your muse. You’re an artist, do what feels right’.But a lot of that view of the artist – that we’re instinctual, creative, making decisions in the moment without too much thought – is fiction. Getting an album written, recorded, mixed, mastered, released? That’s a big project with lots of moving parts. Musicians who get stuff done are project managers as much as ‘artists’.

So I’ve decisions to make about what the next things I release are.I reckon those two album ideas that have been knocking about are about to become one idea.I reckon before that there might also be:

– Another demo tournament. I enjoyed the last one.

– Revamped ‘Seven Bells John’ songs plus the short stories that go with them (yes these exist). That’ll include new versions of Through These Veins and Ironbark which I’ve nearly finished. They sound fantastic.

– Individual single releases.

Probably that’s what will be happening. Maybe.

I had a day off, so I’m amused myself by making a lyric video to my song Satellites.

This means I’ve had an excuse to listen to the song. It is good! It’s been in the setlist so I’ve played it relatively recently, but haven’t heard the album version for a while. It’s one of my most collaborative songs really. Michael Cairns plays drums and also decided on the half time feel in second chorus (which was a good idea!). Jordan Brown got me to change key from C# minor to F# and also provided the rather excellent bass playing. Dan from Seren Sounds produced and if I recall correctly sang backing too.

Being a loner, weirdo solo artist I have to push myself to collaborate with others. I’m always pleased when I do.

Satellites is the third track from my album Happy People. It’s about love in a near future dystopia where the government watches your every move, where people are forced to live underground sheltered from the post-apocalyptic nightmare outside. And it’s about two people trying to escape.

It turned out to be about this accidentally as the lyrics were inspired by various attempts at Burroughs/Bowie-esque cut-ups from which the story seemed to emerge. You can see that in some lines being, well a bit weird (the one about gunships. What’s that about?) So in the video I’ve tried to give the sense that this is found footage with subtitles that happen to match the song.

Here’s a link to a blog post that tells you more about the song.

In which the Slatter bot continues to misbehave and I have an actual genuine opinion about guitar playing.

Meet the Slatterbot by clicking here.

The latest in the totally serious and sensible studio diaries. You can sign up to talk to the Slatterbot here (opens in facebook messenger)