“A shivering seabed of sound, haunted by barely there vocals and stitched together with lo-fi production.”
Jude Rogers, THE GUARDIAN
Monthly Bandcamp Series - Allotment Tapes (throughout 2026)
I came to allotments, and St Anns in particular, via a rather wavy process… I think I wanted to do something connected to land use/nature as these are subjects that are important to me. What I love about allotments is the real DIY, non- conformist vibe that purveys them. Aesthetically, I think they’re lovely, all higgledy-piggledy, sheds made from old doors, nature re-claiming an old watering can. I think there’s something really positive and nourishing about this. It also comes across when talking to plot holders, some really lovely ‘plot-philosophy.’
So, originally I was thinking allotments in general, but then I spent a bit more time at St Anns and realised what an amazing space it is. Firstly, it’s huge and a bit mysterious — a lot of the plots are separated by high hedges, some of the alleys are like little warrens. It’s got a great and varied history as well (from Victorian leisure gardens to vital food supplies, a period of decay and crime and the regeneration of the last 30 years). It’s very much an inner city green space and there are a number of initiatives enabling access to the site and its nature and the opportunity to grow your own food for the local community.
*excerpt of an interview with Sonic Tapestries.
Short film - Widdershins & Deosil
In late summer 2024 I headed out to Derbyshire with filmmaker Benjamin Wigley (who has worked with Benjamin Zephaniah and Nathaniel Mann amongst others) to shoot a short film on 16mm black and white film. We had a rough sketch of what we were going to do, how we were going to use the limited film rolls, but there was also an element of improvisation- including the conclusion to the film.
The puppet, Widdershins, was whittled (at least his head was) with help from Nottingham woodwork studio By Our Hands We Make Our Way... the first puppet head I've ever tried to carve! The result was rather primitive but the process was very therapeutic..
... as has been the composing of the music.. and I've been very lucky to be able to work with a couple of artists I admire greatly- fantastic folk guitarist and composer (and has recorded on records by Jacken Elswyth, Elizabeth Still and more) Nick Jonah Davis. The middle of the film features a dual guitar jam recorded at Nicks shed studio. The end of the film features the haunting vocals of Debbie Armour (Burd Ellen) recorded, again from a jam, at my favourite studio- JT Soar in Nottingham
New album Elkwort out now
Out on 28th April on Laaps.
This album evolved from long improvisations on pump organ and cello.
I really wanted to play the instruments as a form of therapeutic release, a kind of stimming, paying more attention to this than the Appollonian aspects of the music. So scrape and repetition… anger and using the bow/keys to really try to gnaw into deep, old brain feelings.
I often start things with improvisations, but then tidy, smooth things out… I wanted to keep that aspect to the minimum here.. there is some, but where possible I’ve kept the squeaks, the noises, the mistakes.
The project took on another dimension when I received some funding from PRS Foundation, allowing me to bring more artists (Debbie Armour on vocals, Elinor Rowlands on spoken word and Nick Jonah Davis on guitar). Where possibly, these collaborations were also improvised, in the moment and left a little raw.
“I’m loving this at the moment.” - Zakia Sewell, Dreamtime 6 Music
"Dissonant and beautiful sonic meditations." Paddy Clarke, The Quietus
“Elkwort serves up an evocative, folksy psychedelia with strong earthy vibes – an enticing, intoxicating listen.” Songlines
“A shivering seabed of sound, haunted by barely there vocals and stitched together with lo-fi production.”
— THE GUARDIAN
“Experimental lo-fi folk music at it's very best.”
— LEFTLION MAGAZINE
“An evocatively curated and wonderfully weird album.”
— SONGLINES MAGAZINE
“Reengaging with the old, he has created something truly unique.”
— KLOF MAGAZINE