Simon Bookish is the stage name of Leo Chadburn,
a British musician and composer known for his work in experimental, electronic, pop, and classical music. His music has been broadcast on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
,
BBC Radio 3,
BBC Radio 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 ...
, and
Resonance FM
Resonance 104.4 FM is a London based non-profit community radio station specialising in the arts run by the London Musicians' Collective (LMC). The station is staffed by four permanent staff members, including programme controller Ed Baxter and ...
. Originally from
Coalville
Coalville is an industrial town in the district of North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England, with a population at the 2011 census of 34,575. It lies on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Tr ...
, Leicestershire,
he moved to London and trained at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...
from 1997 to 2001.
Work as Simon Bookish
To date, Chadburn has released three solo albums under the name Simon Bookish. The first two, ''Unfair/Funfair'' (2006) and ''Trainwreck/Raincheck'' (2007), combined his voice with synthesizers and laptop computers. His use of spoken word on ''Trainwreck/Raincheck'' and in live performances drew comparisons with "
Bowie and
Baudrillard
Jean Baudrillard ( , , ; 27 July 1929 – 6 March 2007) was a French sociologist, philosopher and poet with interest in cultural studies. He is best known for his analyses of media, contemporary culture, and technological communication, as w ...
,
Burroughs and
Byrne '
Byrne (also O'Byrne) is an Irish surname. It is derived from the Gaelic ''Ó Broin'' or ''Ó Beirn''.
There are two Irish surnames which have Byrne as their English spelling; the most common comes from Ó Broin, which refers to the Leinster-b ...
".
His third album, ''Everything/Everything'' (2008) featured an ensemble of brass instruments, saxophones,
Farfisa
Farfisa (Fabbriche Riunite di Fisarmoniche) is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy, founded in 1946. The company manufactured a series of compact electronic organs in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Compact, FAST, Professio ...
organ, piano, and harp. Chadburn describes this album as "a big band
song cycle
A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online''
The songs are either for solo voice ...
about science and information".
Chadburn's most recent release as Simon Bookish was ''Red and Blue EP'' (2015), an experimental piece based on correspondence between
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
and
Ronald Reagan.
He has provided remixes of songs for bands and artists such as
Grizzly Bear,
Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I.
Fr ...
,
The Organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
,
Owen Pallett
Michael James Owen Pallett (born September 7, 1979) is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist. Under their erstwhile moniker of Final Fantasy, Pallett won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album '' He Poos Clouds''. Palle ...
,
Seb Rochford
Sebastian Rochford is a British drummer and composer. He has recorded and released music as leader of the British band Polar Bear, as Kutcha Butcha and as part of numerous collaborations.
Early life
Rochford was born in Aberdeen and has a large ...
, and
Late of the Pier.
He has also contributed tracks to the compilation albums ''Worried Noodles'' (2007),
a compilation of songs with lyrics by artist
David Shrigley
David John Shrigley (born 17 September 1968) is a British visual artist. He lived and worked in Glasgow, Scotland for 27 years before moving to Brighton, England in 2015.
Early life and education
Shrigley was born 17 September 1968 in Maccles ...
,
and ''The Wall Re-built!'' (2010), which celebrated the 30th anniversary of
Pink Floyd's ''
The Wall
''The Wall'' is the eleventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest/EMI and Columbia/ CBS Records. It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded rock star whose eventual self-imp ...
'', for ''
Mojo Magazine
''Mojo'' is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer. Following the success of the magazine '' Q'', publishers Emap were looking for a title that would cater for the bur ...
''.
Work as Leo Chadburn
Classical works
Chadburn has written a number of works for classical music groups. These include ''Unison: Things Are Getting Worse'' for a large ensemble of pianists,
''X Chairman Maos'', written for the ensemble
Apartment House and performed at the
De La Warr Pavilion
The De La Warr Pavilion is a grade I listed building, located on the seafront at Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex, on the south coast of England.
The Modernist and International Style building was designed by the architects Erich Mendelsohn and S ...
to coincide with their
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...
exhibition in 2011,
and ''Five Loops for the Bathyscaphe'' (2018), commissioned by the
Britten Sinfonia.
His string quartet, ''The Indistinguishables'' was written for the Canadian quartet
Quatuor Bozzini and performed at the 2014
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (also known by the acronym HCMF, stylised since 2006 as the lowercase hcmf//) is a new music festival held annually in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. Since its foundation in 1978, it has feature ...
.
A performance by the quartet at Milton Court (
Guildhall School of Music) in March 2019 with Gemma Saunders as narrator was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in September 2019. His piece for chamber ensemble, ''Freezywater'', commissioned by the
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...
, won a 2016
British Composer Award.
Chadburn was nominated for a second British Composer Award the following year, for his choral piece ''Affix Stamp Here,'' written for the vocal ensemble EXAUDI.
Chadburn is currently an associate composer of the
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...
,
who performed his piece ''Brown Leather Sofa'' in 2013.
Albums (as Leo Chadburn)
Chadburn has released two albums under his own name, ''Epigram / Microgram'' (2013), an instrumental album which utilises the
Casio CZ-101
is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing corporation headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Its products include calculators, mobile phones, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and analogue and digital watches. It w ...
synthesizer as its only sound source, and ''The Subject / The Object'' (2020), which comprises two 20-minute long tracks of spoken word
stream of consciousness
In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. The term was coined by Daniel Oliver in 1840 in ''First L ...
and
drone music
Drone music, drone-based music, or simply drone, is a minimalist genre that emphasizes the use of sustained sounds, notes, or tone clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harm ...
.
Collaborations
Chadburn has collaborated on a number of projects with visual artists.
In 2009, he wrote the score for
Richard Grayson's video installation ''The Golden Space City of God'' (exhibited at
Matt's Gallery
Matt's Gallery is a contemporary art gallery currently located in Nine Elms at 6 Charles Clowes Walk, London, SW11 7AN. Its director, Robin Klassnik OBE, opened the gallery in 1979 in his studio on Martello Street, before moving premises to Coppe ...
, London and
Artpace
Artpace is a non-profit contemporary art gallery located in San Antonio, Texas, United States, founded by Linda Pace. Artpace opened its doors in 1995, and focuses on the artistic process. Occupying the space of a former Hudson automobile dealers ...
, San Antonio), which featured a choir shot on location in Texas singing cult religious texts.
In 2012, he collaborated with the artist Tanya Axford on a piece entitled ''The Path Made by a Boat in Sound (Three Down)'' for the
Whitstable
Whitstable () is a town on the north coast of Kent adjoining the convergence of the Swale Estuary and the Greater Thames Estuary in southeastern England, north of Canterbury and west of Herne Bay. The 2011 Census reported a population of ...
Biennale,
and with video artist Jennet Thomas, on her work ''School of Change'', a "sci-fi musical film", again exhibited at Matt's Gallery.
He went on to work with the conceptual artist
Cerith Wyn Evans
Cerith Wyn Evans (born 1958 in Llanelli) is a Welsh conceptual artist, sculptor and film-maker. In 2018 he won the £30,000 Hepworth Prize for Sculpture.
Early life and education
The son of Sulwyn and Myfanwy Evans, Evans was born in Llanelli. ...
on a choral work for performance at the
Irish Museum of Modern Art
The Irish Museum of Modern Art ( ga, Áras Nua-Ealaíne na hÉireann) also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art. Located in Kilmainham, Dublin, the Museum pr ...
in 2013, based on
Samuel Beckett's prose text ''Imagination Dead Imagine''.
Chadburn has also written music for the theatre, working with the
Royal National Theatre on a new musical score for their 2007 production of ''
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
''The Caucasian Chalk Circle'' (german: Der kaukasische Kreidekreis) is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a ...
'', in which he also played the part of "The Singer".
As a performer, he has contributed to the albums of
Leafcutter John,
Max de Wardener
Max de Wardener is a British composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist known for his scores for film and television and his work in jazz, classical, world and electronic music.
Career
Since graduating from York University and the Guildhall Scho ...
,
Patrick Wolf
Patrick Wolf (born Patrick Denis Apps; 30 June 1983) is an English singer-songwriter from South London. Wolf uses a wide variety of instruments in his music, most commonly the ukulele, piano, and viola. He is known for combining electronic samp ...
,
Serafina Steer
Serafina Steer (born 30 April 1982) is an English harpist, pianist, singer and songwriter.
Early life and education
Steer is the daughter of composer Michael Maxwell Steer and stage designer Deirdre Clancy. She started learning the harp at ...
and
Saint Etienne, credited with recorders, bass clarinet and vocals.
He is also credited as a producer on classical percussionis
Joby Burgess album ''24 Lies Per Second'' (2013).
He has occasionally performed works by other experimental composers, including
John Cage,
Gavin Bryars
Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, avant-garde, and experimental music.
Early life and career
Born on 16 January 1943 in ...
,
Christopher Fox,
Frederic Rzewski
Frederic Anthony Rzewski ( ; April 13, 1938 – June 26, 2021) was an American composer and pianist, considered to be one of the most important American composer-pianists of his time. His major compositions, which often incorporate social an ...
(whose piece ''Coming Together'' he presented at the first London Contemporary Music Festival in 2013)
and
Jennifer Walshe
Jennifer Walshe (born 1 June 1974) is an Irish composer, vocalist and artist.
Biography
Jennifer Walshe was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1974. She studied composition with John Maxwell Geddes at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, ...
(whose work he performed at the 2017 London Contemporary Music Festival). Alongside actor Gemma Saunders, Chadburn recorded a spoken word version of artist
On Kawara
was a Japanese conceptual artist who lived in New York City from 1965. He took part in many solo and group exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale in 1976.
Early life
Kawara was born in Kariya, Japan on December 24, 1932. After graduating fro ...
's twenty volume book, ''One Million Years'' ''
ast and Future'' which was released as a limited edition four CD set.
Writing and curation
In addition to his work as a musician, Chadburn has written reviews and articles about classical and pop music for ''
The Quietus
''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics.
Content
''The Quietu ...
'', ''
Frieze
In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...
'', the ''
New Statesman
The ''New Statesman'' is a British Political magazine, political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney Webb, Sidney and Beatrice ...
,'' and ''
The Wire
''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...
''.
He is the curator of the public concert series and the Summer festival at
City, University of London
City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...
.
Discography
Albums as Simon Bookish
*''Unfair / Funfair'' (2006, Use Your Teeth)
*''Trainwreck / Raincheck'' (2007, Use Your Teeth)
*''Everything / Everything'' (2008,
Tomlab
Tomlab is a German record label based in Köln. It has released works by bands such as The Books, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Deerhoof, Thee Oh Sees, Les Georges Leningrad, and acts associated with Blocks Recording Club, such as Fi ...
)
Albums as Leo Chadburn
*''Epigram / Microgram'' (2013, Library of Nothing)
*''The Subject / The Object'' (2020, Library of Nothing)
*''Slower / Talker'' (2021, Library of Nothing)
Selected notated works
*''ANTICLOCK'' (2019) for ensemble (nine players). Premiered at Cafe OTO, London.
*''Five Loops for the Bathyscaphe'' (2018) for
piano trio
A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music. The term can also refer to a group of m ...
and recorded voices for the Britten Sinfonia
* ''Affix Stamp Here'' (2016) for voices,
analogue synthesizers and projections
* ''Freezywater'' (2016) for piano, reed organ, strings, percussion and pre-recorded voices
* ''The Indistinguishables'' (2014) for string quartet and pre-recorded voices
* ''Vapour Descriptors'' (2014) for two pianos
* ''Brown Leather Sofa'' (2013) for large orchestra
* ''X Chairman Maos'' (2011) for voice and amplified ensemble
References
External links
Official websiteSimon Bookish on SoundCloud
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bookish, Simon
Living people
British experimental musicians
1978 births
21st-century British composers