Two years ago was meant to be The Bleeding Obvious’ breakout year. We all know what happened so there’s no point going over it, but I’m pleased to say 2022 was the year of performance and (aside from the day job) very little else. 15,000 miles and a lot of new experiences later, here we are…
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...being the inane ramblings of a mundane Yorkshire bird.
I know I’m not alone in that I optimistically thought 2021 would perk up sooner than it did, however it’s still been full of interesting and fun things despite the spectre of COVID.
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The tailspin of the performing arts sector has been spectacularly devastating during the COVID-19 pandemic – one of the many huge unreported issues has been the mental health of performers.
Being the sole member of my band The Bleeding Obvious I have to do quite a lot on stage when I perform “full electric” shows, so I use pedals to activate various things. My upcoming shows are becoming increasingly complex so I acquired a better sound desk, and set about attempting to get my existing pedalboard to talk to it.
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Once again I find myself listing positive things that happened throughout the past year. It’s been a quieter one this time round owing to circumstances surrounding family, finances and work for both Helen and I, but there’s still been some rays of light. I think perhaps the biggest thing for me has been writing and performing, but plenty of other things happened when I actually think about it.
Around 1:30am early this morning I fell through the door after touring the show Rainbow Heart around the UK, a self-booked and self-promoted series of gigs which sought to relate the whole coming-out thing and the search for gender and sexual identity.
Yesterday afternoon the news rolled across our local media that Unity Works (formerly Unity House), one of the larger venues in Wakefield had been placed into administration resulting in all future gigs being cancelled and events and weddings left without a venue. The reasons for the collapse will be speculated upon for years to come as it’s all unpicked and analysed but I’d like to share some personal memories of the story.
Last March I wrote about a project which had been a rework of a direction that didn’t sit right post-Debut. A lot has happened since then, and tomorrow (31st July) my new album Rainbow Heart hits online stores, with the show premiere on Saturday 12th August in Wakefield. It’s a coming-out album, yet not specifically my coming-out album.
Now the immediate post-album launch haze has died down and I’ve got the bug back, I’ve returned to the studio for a couple of projects.
The year didn’t quite go to plan and I’m not where I thought I’d be – a mix of reasons, but mostly history dragging its heels. For many of us, triggered by the political and social landscape changes, the 24-hour rolling news, and all this “post-truth” stuff, it’s easy to get mired down in negativity. However there is a need for positive thinking, so I wrote down a big pile of awesome things which happened to me in 2016.
Three weeks to go until the album launch gig (got your tickets yet?) and a little pile of press coverage has come in – mostly positive, the odd bit of “yeah she dropped the ball at that point”, but generally damn fine. Colour me pleased!
It is done, sent off, completed. The studio is once again quiet and tidy – I’ve even managed to hoover the rug. Even so, it’s littered with soldered makeshift instruments and lyrics scribbled, printed and sellotaped to random surfaces: they adorn the shelves, the mic stands, even the back of my chair. But my first solo album is finished and out of the door – it’s a wrap!
One of the longest-serving computers I have kicking around is a shell server which since 1993(ish) has hosted my email, domain names, and websites.
Of course it’s been patched and reinstalled but I never bothered actually clearing the configurations up to remove old projects. Yesterday it suffered a bit of a meltdown and I took the initiative to finally do some tidying, a process which largely involved manually going through everything bit-by-bit, line-by-line.
Those of you who are regular readers will know of my love of all things Eurovision: the song contest which, despite being about us all getting on and loving each other is quite the global battleground. I threw Eurovision parties alongside my ex for around ten years, then in more recent times hosted small intimate get-togethers while friends watched the show. Last year I said I wouldn’t host another one, so throwing caution to the wind I booked myself a ticket to Stockholm for the Eurovision Song Contest 2016.
Having a bit of spare time on my hands over Christmas last year I started writing music again, all leading up to an album release on 17th November 2016, a year after the first song was written. It’s a bit of a mix of genres and styles, but I play most things on there, involving talented pals when it feels right.
You can find out more about it (including a rather nice interview written by student journo Andy Carson) over on The Bleeding Obvious website.
There’s also a Facebook page, and a Twitter stream – of course there is, this is 2016…
Yorkshire lass, born-and-bred. Photographs stuff, writes software, makes music, cooks, dances round the kitchen. Happy lesbinum, wife, and parent to three. Proud to have a rainbow family.
Musician, composer and producer, under the monicker of The Bleeding Obvious. Occasionally still seen performing live – gig list here. Been on TV and radio in various capacities, occasionally in the background as a supporting actor.
Disc jockey with Mrs R’s Retro Roadshow, spinning original 7” vinyl singles with a 1970s and 1980s rig.
I’m on Facebook, Instagram and Fediverse
By day I work as a systems architect for a marine technology company. More details about all that on LinkedIn.
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