Adam Leonard is an English singer-songwriter working mainly in the

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

and

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

fields. His style is often described as

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

and the subject matter of his songs somewhat unconventional. Since his debut album ''How Music Sounds'' in 2003, he has released many EPs, albums and mini-albums on various small labels. Live performances, which have so far been limited to the UK (

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, London and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

) are as intriguing as they are rare. In 2008 he opened for British folk musician

Steve Ashley Steve Frank Ashley (born 9 March 1946) is an English singer-songwriter, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, writer and graphic designer. Ashley is best known as a songwriter and first gained public recognition for his work with his debut s ...

. He regularly collaborates with other musicians, most notably Pat Gubler ( P.G. Six), Ashley Cooke (Pulco), Gareth Davies, and Steven Collins of

The Owl Service ''The Owl Service'' is a low fantasy novel for young adults by Alan Garner, published by Collins in 1967. Set in modern Wales, it is an adaptation of the story of the mythical Welsh woman Blodeuwedd, an "expression of the myth" in the autho ...

, a band for which Leonard provided vocals for their 2010 album ''The View From A Hill''. At the close of 2010, a limited edition album entitled ''Nature Recordings'' was released on vinyl only by the London label The Great Pop Supplement. In 2011, Leonard provided the soundtrack to Claudia Heindel's award-winning independent film, ''Lucky Seven''. In 2012, Nature Recordings was issued on CD by Manchester-based label The Northwestern Series. In 2013 Leonard formed Invaderband, a four-piece "Artrock/Garagerock/Krautrock" group and began gigging locally around Northern Ireland, including a slot at Other Voices in 2014. Occasional solo gigs still took place, including opening for

Nick Harper Nick Harper (born 22 June 1965) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the son of English folk musician Roy Harper. Early life Harper was born in London, England, to the folk singer-songwriter Roy Harper. Nick tells of how he ...

. Leonard was the winner of

UK City of Culture UK City of Culture is a designation given to a city (or a local area from 2025) in the United Kingdom for a period of one calendar year, during which the successful bidder hosts cultural festivities through culture-led regeneration for the ye ...

2013 Resonate Award for Best Song ("My Love"). In 2014, he embarked on the Octopus Project releasing eight albums over an eight-month period. In 2015, Invaderband released two singles ("The Implausible Man" and "Attack of the Pod People"), the latter making the

BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

playlist in December 2015. Invaderband's debut album was released in January 2017. In September 2017, the Invaderband album was shortlisted for the

Northern Ireland Music Prize The Northern Ireland Music Prize awards are the Northern Irish awards for musicians who are friends with the organisers. It is produced by the Oh Yeah Music Centre, and is supported by Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Phonographic Performance ...

In 2018, Leonard released a solo 7" single "Entkommen", on the Polytechnic Youth label, and also collaborated with Irish/French/New York band, Warriors Of The Dystotheque, on the ''I Know You'll Never Die'' EP released by Dublin's Reckless Records. The two main tracks were remixed by

Le Galaxie Le Galaxie were an electronic music band based in Dublin, Ireland. Their debut album ''Laserdisc Nights II'' was released in 2011, followed in 2012 by ''Fade to Forever EP'' and the single "Love System", which was nominated for the Choice Music P ...

and Richard March of

Bentley Rhythm Ace Bentley Rhythm Ace (BRA) are a British electronic music duo formed in Birmingham in 1995, consisting of Mike Stokes and Richard March. Career The band was formed in Birmingham by Richard March, formerly with the group Pop Will Eat Itself, and ...

. In January 2021 a new Invaderband album was announced via invaderband.com. The first single from the album 'I Won't Remember You' was released on March 12 Invaderband's 2nd album "Peter Gabriel" was released September 2021. The sleeve was a painting of

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

Luke Haines Luke Michael Haines (born 7 October 1967) is an English musician, songwriter and author. He has recorded music under various names and with various bands, including The Auteurs, Baader Meinhof and Black Box Recorder. Career ''New Wave'' Haine ...

. The band played the Other Voices festival in November and the album received national radio play in the UK and Ireland, favourable reviews, and ended up in a number of ‘Best albums of 2021’ lists Leonard's solo electronic album "Rendlesham" was released on cassette by The Dark Outside late 2021, and on vinyl by Polytechnic Youth July 2022. The album was reviewed by The Quietus and Fortean Times

Selected discography

*''How Music Sounds'' album, 2003 (Real Wood, RW010) *''How Real Is Real?'' mini-album, 2004 (Apport) *''Sgt. Pepper'' remake, 2005 (joint release by Real Wood/Bottled Music, BOTLP22). *''Leonardism'' album, 2007 (RW021) (Real Wood, RW021) *''It Happened on a Day'' 10" EP, 2007 (Great Pop Supplement, GPS23) *''Dan & Headless Bill'' – REDLIP mini-album, 2008 (Real Wood) – reissued by Folkwit Records, 2011 *''To Give Up You Have To Bloody Start'' Live EP, 2008 (Real Wood, RW023) *''Nature Recordings'' vinyl LP, 2010 (Great Pop Supplement, GPS64) *''The View From A Hill'', with The Owl Service, 2010 (Rif Mountain, RM-004) *''Nature Recordings'' CD album, 2012 (The Northwestern Series, Pendle 01) *''The Man Of Lists'' with Pulco, 2012 (Folkwit Records, f0079) *''Click Click Drone'' EP (by Echoes In Rows), 2013 (Tectona Grandis, TEAK01) *''Songs For Abandoned Tube Stations'' by Relycs, 3-track cassette EP, 2013 (No label) *''Sightings'' EP, as A Farewell To Hexes, 2013 (Tectona Grandis, TEAK02) *''Yesterday, Perhaps'' (Songs Of The Kitchen Cynics) V/A compilation, 2013 (Les Enfants Du Paradiddle, ENF100) *''Octopus Part 1'' download album, 2014 (self-release via bandcamp) *''Octopus Part 2'' download album, 2014 (self-release via bandcamp) *''Octopus Part 3'' download album, 2014 (self-release via bandcamp) *''Octopus Part 4'' download album, 2014 (self-release via bandcamp) *''Octopus Part 5'' download album, 2014 (self-release via bandcamp) *''Octopus Part 6'' download album, 2015 (self-release via bandcamp) *''Octopus Part 7'' download album, 2015 (self-release via bandcamp) *''Octopus Part 8'' download album, 2015 (self-release via bandcamp) * Invaderband ''"The Implausible Man"'' 2 track CD single, 2015 (self-release) * Invaderband ''"Attack of the Pod People"'' 3 track CD single, 2015 (self-release) * ''Last Night I Dreamt Of Hibrihteselle'' with Richard Moult, 2015 (Wild Silence, WS008/WS09) * Invaderband ''"Invaderband"'' – self-titled debut album (LP/CD) (Tectona Grandis, TEAK005LP / TEAK005CD), 2017 * ''Entkommen Parts 1 & 2 -'' 7" single (Polytechnic Youth, PY64), 2018 *''Octopus Part 9'' download album, 2018 (self-release via bandcamp) *''I Know You'll Never Die'' EP with Warriors Of The Dystotheque (Reckless Records, RR38), 2018 *''Things In The Shadows'' EP with Warriors Of The Dystotheque (Glasstone Records), 2019 *''Rooms'' album from United Bible Studies, 2019 (currently unreleased) *''It's Another Christmas'' - single, (self-release via bandcamp) 2019 *''The Isolation Tapes'' V/A compilation (Castles In Space, CIS062MC), 2020 *Invaderband ''"I Won't Remember You"'' single (Tectona Grandis, TEAK09), 2021 *Invaderband ''"Handcuffed Man Shoots Himself"'' single (Tectona Grandis, TEAK10), 2021 *A Farewell To Hexes ''"Rendlesham"'' (TDO Cassettes, TDO042), 2021 *Invaderband ''"Peter Gabriel"'' album (Tectona Grandis, TEAK11), 2021 *Invaderband ''"Cheese Slices"'' single (Tectona Grandis, TEAK14), 2022 *A Farewell To Hexes ''"Rendlesham"'' (Polytchnic Youth, PY160), 2022

References

External links

The Message Tapes - The Music of Adam LeonardInvaderband.comAllMusic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonard, Adam Living people English folk guitarists English rock guitarists English male guitarists English male singer-songwriters 1969 births