Jason Dormon (born 2 May 1969) is a British bassist and venue owner. He is most noted for his work in Joeyfat and also for his running of the Tunbridge Wells Forum.

Early life

Dormon was born in Tunbridge Wells and educated at Bethany School.

Music career

In 1991, he formed the

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

collective Joeyfat and spent the early 1990s releasing music with a number of

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

s including

Fierce Panda Fierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass. Fierc ...

, as well as touring with the likes of

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

, China Drum, Jawbox, and

Scarfo Scarfo were a British rock band, formed in Andover, England in 1994, by former art college students Jamie Hince (vocals, guitar), Nick Prior (bass), and Al Saunders (drums). Scarfo was the culmination of several other bands and lineups involving ...

. In 1996, Joeyfat broke up and Dormon went on to form Unhome, alongside Alex Tucker, who were a post-rock hardcore 5-piece. The band released one album, ''A Short History of Houses'', and a split single with Papa M. Unhome split in late 1999 and at this point he formed the band Rebus who played for a few years before splitting. Around 2000 Jason got back together with Joeyfat to play a series of shows to promote ''The Unwilling Astronaut'', a sixteen track collection of studio, live and session work spanning the years 1991 to 1996. They have since remained together, and have been playing gigs at a steady rate and releasing occasional tracks. Their debut thirteen-track album, ''You Can Change People's Lives With Your Mouth / The House of the Fat'' was released on CD, and limited edition vinyl, in 2003 on Unlabel. Also in July 2003, Joeyfat recorded a

Peel Session John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

for BBC Radio 1. This was followed by a 2CD collection of tracks from singles and compilations, ''Ye Bloody Flux'' in 2011, and a second studio album, the double vinyl ''Suit of Lights'' in 2013. Joeyfat recorded a session for Marc Riley on

BBC Radio 6music 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 ...

in June 2017.

The Forum

Dormon's career in music promoting began on 17 May 1988 when, along with a group of friends (including Ian Carvell, Stephen Cookson, David Jarvis and Haydn Wood), they put on The Brilliant Corners at the Rumble Club in Grosvenor Park Rec hall in Tunbridge Wells. The Rumble Club, as a music venue went on to use various premises in the area, including The Watson Hall, Langton, The Hand & Sceptre in Southborough, and the lower floor of the former Winchester pub on Nevill Street, Tunbridge Wells (now the Thorins wine bar). Jason has said that he and his friends put on shows because they were fed up with the cost and travel of going to London to watch bands. In December 1992 Dormon and a group of friends opened Tunbridge Wells Forum as a new music venue in a building on Tunbridge Wells Common which was previously used as a public toilet and a

brass rubbing Brass rubbing was originally a largely British enthusiasm for reproducing onto paper monumental brasses – commemorative brass plaques found in churches, usually originally on the floor, from between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. The ...

centre. It has since hosted a number of acts who have gone on to achieve significant commercial success. In 2010, Dormon was featured in '' The Independents " Happy List", profiling people who make Britain a better place to live. In 2011, Jeremy Pritchard, bassist with the band Everything Everything, named Dormon as the person who has creatively influenced him the most. In 2012, The Forum was named as the ''NME'' Best Small Venue. The Music Venue Trust came into being in 2014 to protect and nurture small independent venues. Dormon was appointed a trustee.

References

External links

Tunbridge Wells Forum websiteJoeyfat myspace page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dormon, Jason Living people Male bass guitarists People from Royal Tunbridge Wells Music promoters British rock bass guitarists Musicians from Royal Tunbridge Wells 1971 births People educated at Bethany School, Goudhurst Musicians from Kent 21st-century English bass guitarists 21st-century British male musicians