During the next few weeks The Orchestra of The Upper Atmosphere will be working on their third album. It follows in the wake of excellent reviews for their second album released this year. Also in the next few weeks, Juxtavoices will be working on their second album. This will be accompanied with a DVD as well as the CD.

The ‘Alchemy / Schmalchemy’ project will be developed further with a view to further performances.

The Frida Kahlo project will be launched in London in October.

I am starting work this Autumn on a collaboration with the poet, performance artist and director Lucy Skilbeck. This will culminate in a performance next year. More details later.

Looking forward to rehearsals and performance with ‘Alchemy / Schmalchemy’ on our latest iteration. This will be as part of the Summer Institute of Qualitative Research at Manchester Metropolitan University.

It will be at 5pm at The Business School, All Saints Campus, Oxford Road, Manchester, July 8th.

I now have a new duo, ‘Crypts of Lieberkuhn’, with Geoff Bright on saxes. Our first gig is on July 24th at O.T.T. Sheffield.

This will be a busy month with final preparations for the big exhibition in August, the duo with Mark Sanders and the new work with ‘Crypts’ and with Nathan Bettany and Linda Kemp.

Work for my duo show with Andy Coates continues at a pace. We’re assembling publicity material and are both very excited about it. It’ll be at Artsmith Live from August 1st to August 15th. The exhibition will consist of constructed sculptures, free-standing and relief, assemblages and collages. They are made from wood, metal, plastics and a variety of objects, carefully chosen from urban, rural, and coastal sites as well as from junk stalls, charity shops, skips etc. The objects have their own resonances and histories, but the juxtaposition of different types produces a magic, where each participant celebrates the other.

The exhibition will open and close with a music performance. Have a look at my upcoming gigs. The closure one will feature some amazing national and international stars, including Derby’s very own and special Corey Mwamba.

Juxtavoices will be featured on BBC, Radio 3 in the next few weeks. Myself and Geraldine Monk will be talking about Juxtavoices. I’ll announce the actual date shortly.

I’m busy working on the next stage of ‘Alchemy / Schmalchemy’ with Geoff Bright and Gillian Whiteley ready for a performance at Manchester Metropolitan University in July.

Meanwhile ‘Orchestra of The Upper Atmosphere’ are busy with rehearsing for upcoming gigs and ‘Engine Room Favourites’ have their new CD out on Discus, ‘Bad Tidings From Slackwater Drag’.

I’m also in a new band along with Alan Jenkins and 3 other fine musicians. It’s ‘Dr Schwitters and The Gathering Brow’, performing at the closure of Alan’s show at Artsmith on May 15th.

Work has begun on a project I’m involved with on the subject of Frida Kahlo and women artists in general. It’s with some fine musicians from the Leeds and London scene, led by Philomena Campus and Laura Cole.

The gong wassail at Loughborough campus went really well last week, with a good uptake of students and a great final performance.

The 2nd album of Engine Room Favourites has been released on February 16th. It’s ‘Black Tidings from Slackwater Drag’. There’ll be a gig later in the year to celebrate, probably up in Leeds.

I’m in a new band, ‘Not One Direction’, with Alan Jenkins (bass clarinet), Lorin Halsall (double bass), Kate Hall, (guitar and other instruments) and myself on percussion and electronics.

Orchestra of The Upper Atmosphere have been getting rave reviews of the 2nd album from all over, so we must have done something right.

I’m working hard on a series of assemblages for my duo show.