It’s Tuesday morning. Bandcamp Friday is in 3 days and I have all 5 songs of an EP completed. Still need to master, put cover art together, and oh yeah, finalize a name for it. Think I can do all that while working full time? Let’s crowdsource titles in the comments! #musiciansky

Trump just announced the US will cut all trade with Spain. So tomorrow I'm going to panic buy all my regular US staples like... .... still trying to think of something.

Back some time in the mid to late 1980s I was talking to someone about music. I mentioned Cocteau Twins was my favourite Band at that stage. I don't remember who I was talking to, where I was, or the context, but I do remember how the conversation went. 🧵

Merry Christmas to everyone (except Trump, Putin, and Netanyahu, plus their supporters and enablers)

The way to counter AI music is simple. Pick up a guitar, learn 2 or 3 chords and go and form a band. #punksnotdead

Just spent an amusing half hour reading interpretations of Cocteau Twins songs. How does anyone think those lyruics are actually what she sings? I've been listening for 40+ years - there's no point in trying to work them out, just enjoy the music.

Someone finally got the hint and bought me In One Ear by @mrsimonraymonde.bsky.social. Can't put it down.

Remember kiddies, you reap what you sow.

In the words of The Beatles: let it be

Take On Me by Aha just came on. Not by choice, i might add. After 40 years it only just occured that the song title makes no sense at all.

😯 Is the 2nd worst person on the planet a Bauhaus fan?

Sun Tzu: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle

If you're stuck and want to unlock your creativity there's a simple solution. Make some time for you to get truly, utterly, bored.

Me: I'm completely out of ideas for song lyrics. Also me: I'm angry about so many things right now. Me again: Duh!

Best advice? Stop waiting for the perfect moment. It doesn’t come. Just get started and see what happens. The rest sorts itself out—or it doesn’t. Either way, you’re moving.

A few songs are this close to done. Just the lyrics left—the part that decides to vanish the moment you go looking for it. The music’s ready.

The true magic of guitars is when you add distortion and reverb. It's musical alchemy. Add some chorus and delay and you're in another dimension. Or maybe every dimension at once.

It all started with a creaky laptop, a third-rate guitar, and an iPhone as a mic. I've got slightly better gear now, many more pedals, and slightly less background noise. I'm getting there!

I wish finishing songs was simpler. Starting’s easy—ideas come fast. But shaping them into something that holds up? That’s the grind. It’s frustrating as hell. And there’s no shortcut. You just show up and do the work.

40 years ago today, I was here www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdQv...

In this last week I've been complimented on my voice TWICE! As far as I can remember those are the first and second time EVER!

The dog looks mildly alarmed every time I power up the amp, like he’s bracing for the apocalypse. But sometimes, he howls along—I can't tell if he's harmonising or protesting. Hard to tell. You'll have to ask him.

For the last new days I've had the uncontrolable urge to listen to nothing but ska. Must be this hot weather!

I create with lots of listening. Stories, music, news, literature, etc. They spark a little idea I jot down. I save the seed to grow later. The band does the music with a bit of input from me. Then I grab the seeds that fit the mood. As I place them, they grow, get pruned, change to something new.

I don’t know if my music improves the world. But if it resonates with someone, then maybe it matters—not to everyone, just to the one who needed it right then.

My music usually comes when I’m lost in the strings of a guitar or the pulse of a bass. If I’m lucky, lyrics drift through the steam of a shower. More often, they claw their way out when I sit and bleed them. What's youir creative process?

#newmusic #postpunk #goth

You ever feel completely alone in a crowd? Like the more people there are, the more invisible you become? That’s where BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY came from. It’s out today: 🎧 song.link/brightlights #newmusic #postpunk #goth

You ever feel completely alone in a crowd? Like the more people there are, the more invisible you become? That’s where BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY came from. It’s out today: 🎧 song.link/brightlights #newmusic #postpunk #goth

I was never really into Cabaret Voltaire, but I saw them in about 86 and the gig was one of the best I've been to. Completely hypnotic thanks to the music and video montage. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...

Often my songs start life as a bassline, but I think without a guitar I'd be lost.

Most of my songs come about accidentally. I'm just doodling on a guitar and then suddenly find I'm playing something I like, so try and get it down right then and there. I'm always a bit paranoid that I'm playing someone else music though and just don't remember!

One of my favourite songs is Alice, by The Sisters of Mercy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GwW... Somehow it still sounds fresh to me, all these years later. But that's the same for all my favourite music.

Got some new music out next Friday

Many years ago I had She's in Parties by Bauhaus as my ringtone. Now my phone just sounds like a phone, but I know it's mine 🤷

Looking forward to sharing some new music next week. Would love it if you love it too.

I always enbjoy watching music documentaries, even if it's not mnusic that I enjoy listening to. Was watching one about Deep Purple on Amazon the other night. Boy, how did they write such bad lyrics?

OMG I loved this track when it first came out www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCOS...

It's raining today. What's some good music to listen to during a thunderstorm?

This isn't going to replace a fully feature DAW but it might be interesting for getting down some ideas on guitar. bedroomproducersblog.com/2025/05/20/f...

I'm pretty sure that if I focused less on the elements I find easy and enjoyable, I'd release a lot more music!

To get my music done, I try and carve out time every evening and one morning a week—wedged between work, real life, cats, a large dog, and general chaos. What does your music-making routine look like?

Heading down to Barcelona this evening to see The Sisters of Mercy once again. It's been a few years now, but today marks 40 years and 2 months to the day since I first saw them!

To support The Bone Tree, become the echo. Let the sound slip through cracks, drift through smoke, root in silence. Forget numbers. Forget noise. This grows where light forgets to reach.

Today, like every day, started with walking the dog — a stubborn mastiff cross who thinks he’s in charge. Then breakfast, a few quick tasks to clear the decks, and I was at my desk, ready to dive in. Routine first. Then the real work begins.

🎶 Sometimes when I’m deep into writing a song and things are really flowing, a weird kind of paranoia creeps in—what if I’ve subconsciously ripped off another track without realising it? 😅 Anyone else get this feeling when things start sounding too good?

Although I aim to spend about an hour a day on music - playing, writing, messing around, mixing - often I just don't have time. But if I'm really focused I can get something specific done in 10 minutes.

Usually when working on songs I start with the music and the lyrics come in quite late. That often creates all kinds of problem though, so I want to change how I write songs and write the lyrics much earlier.

Trying to finally wrap up a track this morning that I've been working on for an eternity. So close now... Ever had a creative project that refused to let go?