Steve is a composer and producer based at Hotel Zulu Studios in south London. His focus recently has been on creating musical contexts for poets, but he has been involved in a wide range of groups and projects .

Music

SALT MUSIC A collaboration with poet Angela Brodie who like Steve grew up in Hull, this is a cycle of poems and songs about the days of the fishing fleet and the community built around that unforgiving trade. It was first performed in Hull for the 2017 City of Culture celebrations. Angela and Steve look forward to touring the show and the release of the album in 2021

ALBUM: SALT MUSIC (recording at present)

BURNING WATER A solo album. The influence of poets remains strong but the words and voice are Steve’s in songs and music that are products of this strange and special time. Recording and mixing is ongoing but release should be later this year .

LITTLE MACHINE 2009 - now. The band is Chris Hardy, Walter Wray and Steve. They tour with Roger McGough providing musical settings for his verse and performing their own versions of classic poems. ALBUMS: LiTTLe MACHiNe, MADAM LIFE, A BLACKBIRD SANG, DARK ROSE (with Carol Ann Duffy), THE LIKES OF US (with Roger McGough), FRABJOUS DAYS

DINO AND THE DIAMONDS 2016 - now. Another trio with Dino Mahoney and Clare Fellows . The words are Dino’s and the music by Steve.

VIDEO: TWO MEN WITH BEARDS AND A BABY

SKY IN THE PIE 2020. Roger McGough and director Joanna Vymeris, with her theatre/circus company Feathers of Daedalus, were working on a piece based on Roger’s children’s poetry and invited Steve to create some music. The show turned out to be a magical piece of physical theatre playing at Barnes Arts Centre and The Vaults and due to return to theatres when they reopen. ALBUM: SKY IN THE PIE

THE LOVE ADDICTS 2018-now. A collaboration with playwright Mark Davies Markham that draws on the angst and hilarity of dating for the over 50s. The music is guitar heavy punk and the words are a torrent of painful observations. Songs such as Blind Date at Fifty Eight, Saga Holiday to Dignitas and Prostate My Arse give you the flavour. ALBUM: In development

THE MOONPENNIES 2019-now. A lockdown project for Steve and girlfriend Clare. The set currently consists of Two Men with Beards and a Baby, Emily ( a love song to Emily Dickinson), Close to You, Jilted John (unplugged), Great Auk Down (McGough/Halliwell), Heaven and Woolworths (Patten/Wray), You’ve Got a Friend and The Book of Love. Available for bookings.

DAVE GREAVES 2020. Steve’s musical relationship with Dave goes back to school days. They met after 40years at a Hulltruck reunion in 2014 and agreed to do some recording together. The result was a 7 track album called Younger by the Hour. Six of these tracks have now been rereleased by Inbred Records in the USA as part of a two disc compilation. ALBUM: YOUNGER BY THE HOUR, STILL LIFE

JILTED JOHN 2018. 40 years on, the Jilted one put a band together to play for his still devoted fans. The rest of the set drew on his album True Love Stories, an extraordinary wealth of material from the pen of a 19 year old Graham Fellows. Recorded live in Manchester at the Dance Hall, the album was mixed by Steve at Hotel Zulu and features Martyn Barker on drums, Andy Hobson on bass and Steve on guitar. ALBUM: JILTED JOHN LIVE

KING SWAMP 1989-1992. The band formed by bassist Dave Allen and Steve after their departure from Shriekback. The singer was Walter Wray and the guitarists were Dominic Miller and Nick Lashley with Martyn on drums again. King Swamp made two albums for Virgin Records, working closely with Bob Clearmountain on the desk, and toured the US and UK before Dominic’s departure to play with Sting . ALBUMS: KING SWAMP, WISE BLOOD

SHRIEKBACK 1982-88. Post punk art funk outfit that found some success on the college radio scene in the US and that still has a devoted global following. Formed by Barry Andrews, Dave Allen and Carl Marsh they drafted in Martyn to tie down the grooves and went on tour with an expanded lineup that included Steve on keyboards, Wendy and Sarah Partridge on backing vocals and , eventually , Michael Cozzi on guitar. Steve played on only one of their fifteen albums. ALBUM: BIG NIGHT MUSIC VIDEO: JUNGLE OF THE SENSES

THE BUDDHIST HAIRDOS 1980-82. A primitive electro New-Romantic pop effort with Sid and Gillie from Stockwell. Quirky songs. DEMO only

NIGHTDOCTOR 1978-80. A rootsy reggae band playing obscure Studio 1 covers. They toured with Prince Far I and released a couple of singles. Steve was on Hammond organ and the band featured a devastating brass section starring, for a while, the legendary trombonist Vinnie Gordon.

SINGLES: MUSIC LIKE DIRT, PELICAN DUB

WALTER WRAY 2007. Steve worked with King Swamp’s old singer on his song s and a couple of co-writes. This was the beginnings of his production work at HZ Studios. DEMO only.

LILY RAE 2008. Production work with Lily when she was a precocious teenager with a fresh clutch of wry and witty songs. She now fronts indie power pop band Fightmilk .

SINGLE: BAD FILM

FLOK 2016. A collection of chillout tracks brought on by a trip to Ibiza. They patiently wait to be mixed and released. One day soon, you sun-drenched beauties.

SEX SHOW 2018. Steve’s bid for West End glory complete with racy songs and a tacky storyline. A copper-bottomed, velvet-handcuffed smash hit still in development

Poetry

SIMULACRA

GRACE NOTES

Theatre

HULLTRUCK.

WAKEFIELD TRICYCLE THEATRE

THE FOSDYKE SAGA

THE GREAT CAPER

THE DALKEY ARCHIVE

MACBETH

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

TV

SECRET ARMY BBC 1973 Who can forget his moving portrayal of Jean-Claude , Resistance hero tortured to death at the hands of the Gestapo.