Sound Design & Music
Earth Is Lost
This is a brand new project currently in development. A work-in-progress version will take place at the Up Next Festival, Unity Theatre, Liverpool, in October 2023.
The Secret Life of Mia
This was a 12 minute piece of music composed for the movement sequence in the site-specific theatre piece The Secret Life of Mia, produced by La Banshee. The show was about a young woman’s struggle with bulimia. I began by writing a list of words that described the different extremes of her experience: stress/relief, frantic/controlled, confused/clearheaded etc and then interpreted them musically. The result was a piece of music that had natural peaks and troughs twisting around a central rhythm. I like incorporating something of the performer into the sound or music for a show and in this piece it made sense to use the performer’s breathing to add to the feelings of tension and release.
When I recorded the demo for this, the use of acoustic instruments led to some mysterious artefacts in the layers of sound, almost as though the creation of the music was resonating with the Universe and pulling sounds from the ether. I’m always excited by these uninvited guests and I adopted, and expanded on, some of them for the final recording.
Virtually Reality
Virtually Reality was an experimental theatre piece I devised with my old company, Popular Demand. As well as performing, I was responsible for the sound design and video editing. The show portrayed a sweeping overview of human history and the ever-present preoccupation with perfecting and enhancing the human body, finally moving on to show a possible future resulting from the ultimate aim of achieving immortality.
It was during the creation of this piece that I discovered a new and exciting way of working; of thinking about narrative, sound and imagery. The sourcing, editing, mixing and overall sound journey of this show were the beginnings of Sonic Mutiny.
A-Void
This was a site specific show about self-help, self-esteem and cults. It began on a coach and ended in a warehouse. I was the sound designer on this project. This show had quite a bit of music and video playback, which the company had curated. The sound I made for this show was mostly rather subtle, insidious, unnerving buzzes and hums that complimented the growing sense of unease and menace in the story. The completely unsubtle audio sample here accompanied the breakdown of artifice and revelation of sinister intent behind the story’s cult.
Pat the Painting Pig
Pat the Painting Pig is a new, outdoor children’s show for 2023. It is about a pig who is a very talented artist but wants to escape the adulation and fame his work brings. I wrote this show and so it made sense that I would also act as both musical director and sound designer on this project. The director and I thought it would be fun (for the parents) if the songs in the show were written in the styles of different bands. There are several songs in the show, bits of which can be heard in the first sample.
There is a movement sequence in this show that takes place during a ferocious storm. I have included a sample of the music for this sequence without the wind and rain that is normally layered over the top - sometimes intentionally and sometimes just because we’re outside and we’re in the UK.