Timothy Lewis – best known by the stage name Thighpaulsandra – is a Welsh
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...
musician and multi-instrumentalist, known mostly for performing on synthesizers and
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
s. He began his career working with
Julian Cope in the late 1980s, becoming a member of Cope's touring band. A collaboration with Cope in 1993 followed, forming the experimental duo Queen Elizabeth. In 1997, former Cope guitarist Mike Mooney invited Thighpaulsandra to fill in for the departing
Kate Radley
Kate Radley (born 19 February 1967) is an English keyboard player, best known for her work with the British rock band Spiritualized. She was a member during the time period which saw the release of the ''Lazer Guided Melodies'', '' Pure Phase'' ...
on a
Spiritualized
Spiritualized (stylised as Spiritualized®) are an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Jason Pierce (often known as J. Spaceman), formerly of Spacemen 3. After several line up-changes, in 1999, the band centered on Pi ...
tour, and he remained with the band until early 2008. In 1998, Lewis also became a member of the experimental band
Coil. He has subsequently released several solo albums under the Thighpaulsandra moniker.
Lewis currently performs and records as part of URUK with Massimo Pupillo (of Italian band
Zu) and UUUU, a band also featuring Valentina Magaletti and
Wire
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is c ...
members
Graham Lewis
Graham Lewis (born Edward Graham Lewis, 22 February 1953) is an English musician.
Lewis is the bassist with punk rock/post-punk band Wire, a band formed in 1976.
Biography
On Wire's first studio album Graham Lewis was credited as ''Lewis''; ...
and
Matthew Simms
Matthew Simms is an English guitarist best known for his work with the band Wire.
Simms formed the band It Hugs Back with schoolmates Paul Michael, Jack Theedom and Will Blackaby. Their debut album, ''Inside Your Guitar'', was released in 2009 ...
. He has also been playing with
The Charlatans'
Tim Burgess since 2020, as part of Burgess' solo backing band.
Career
Beginning his career in the early 1980s with the
hair metal band Temper Temper, he next became the house engineer and studio manager at Loco Studios near
Newport. It was here that he first met Julian Cope and, as they bonded over a shared love of
krautrock
Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments ...
, Thighpaulsandra was invited to contribute synthesizers to Cope's
Def American
American Recordings (formerly Def American Recordings) is an American record label headed by producer Rick Rubin. The label has featured artists such as Slayer, the Black Crowes, ZZ Top, Danzig, Trouble, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, The Mother H ...
albums ''Autogeddon'', ''20 Mothers'', ''Interpreter'', and ''Rite
2''.
In 1997, he joined the band
Spiritualized
Spiritualized (stylised as Spiritualized®) are an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Jason Pierce (often known as J. Spaceman), formerly of Spacemen 3. After several line up-changes, in 1999, the band centered on Pi ...
for a US tour and survived the cuts made to the band shortly thereafter. Thighpaulsandra can be heard on the records ''Live at the Albert Hall'', ''Let It Come Down'', ''Amazing Grace'' and ''Songs in A&E''.
Thighpaulsandra also collaborated with Spiritualized's
Jason Pierce
Jason Andrew Pierce (born 19 November 1965 in Rugby) is an English musician. Currently the frontman and sole permanent member of the band Spiritualized, he previously co-fronted the alternative rock band Spacemen 3 with Peter Kember from 1982 ...
on the 2008 soundtrack to the Harmony Korine film ''
Mister Lonely
''Mister Lonely'' is a 2007 comedy film directed by Harmony Korine and co-written with his brother Avi Korine. It features an ensemble cast of international actors, including Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Denis Lavant, Werner Herzog, James Fox, A ...
''.
In 1998 he began working with
Coil with
Peter Christopherson and
John Balance
Geoffrey Nigel Laurence Rushton (16 February 1962 – 13 November 2004), better known under the pseudonyms John Balance or the later variation Jhonn Balance, was an English musician, occultist, artist and poet.
He was best known as a co-founde ...
, and performed on ''
Astral Disaster'', ''
Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 1'' and ''
Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 2
''Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 2'' (written as ''Musick to Play in the Dark²'' on the packaging) is a studio album by Coil (band), Coil that was released in September 2000. It was the second of two albums attributed purely to a style called "m ...
''. Thighpaulsandra was largely responsible for convincing Christopherson and Balance to perform live for the first time in over a decade, first appearing at the Julian Cope curated Cornucopea festival at the
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...
in 2000.
Thighpaulsandra is currently working on upcoming Coil re-releases.
His first three solo releases came out via the Coil label,
Eskaton
Eskaton is a defunct vanity record label created by Coil, exclusively for albums put out by the group and their friends. Its brother labels are Threshold House and Chalice.
The record label is often associated with the symbol of the "Chaos ...
.
John Balance
Geoffrey Nigel Laurence Rushton (16 February 1962 – 13 November 2004), better known under the pseudonyms John Balance or the later variation Jhonn Balance, was an English musician, occultist, artist and poet.
He was best known as a co-founde ...
provided vocals for Thighpaulsandra's first release ''
Some Head EP'', and
Peter Christopherson designed the artwork for the ''I, Thighpaulsandra'' double album and for the following "Double Vulgar" albums.
The artwork for the ''Double Vulgar'' album caused some controversy with several printers not willing to reproduce the controversial imagery.
''Double Vulgar II'' was delayed, possibly for the same reason, along with the passing of friend and colleague
John Balance
Geoffrey Nigel Laurence Rushton (16 February 1962 – 13 November 2004), better known under the pseudonyms John Balance or the later variation Jhonn Balance, was an English musician, occultist, artist and poet.
He was best known as a co-founde ...
in 2004.
Since leaving Spiritualized in 2008 Thighpaulsandra has worked with
Elizabeth Fraser on her forthcoming solo album and was part of her group for a series of live shows at the Royal Festival Hall in 2012 as part of the
Meltdown Festival.
In September 2013 he joined Wire on their UK and European tours playing keyboards.
After a hiatus from solo work, Thighpaulsandra released ''
The Golden Communion'' in 2015.
In 2016 and 2017 respectively he began recording and touring with Massimo Pupillo (of Italian band
Zu) as Uruk and Valentina Magaletti and
Graham Lewis
Graham Lewis (born Edward Graham Lewis, 22 February 1953) is an English musician.
Lewis is the bassist with punk rock/post-punk band Wire, a band formed in 1976.
Biography
On Wire's first studio album Graham Lewis was credited as ''Lewis''; ...
and
Matthew Simns as UUUU.
Uruk have released two albums, ''I Leave A Silver Trail through Blackness'' in 2017 and ''Mysterium Coniunctionis'' in 2018.
UUUU's first release, entitled ''UUUU'' is a full-length album released in 2017 and their second, an EP entitled ''UUUU-EP'', was released in 2018.
From 2020 Thighpaulsandra has been playing with
Tim Burgess.
Thighpaulsandra is currently working on a new Laniakea album with
Daniel O'Sullivan and Massimo Pupillo.
From August 2021 to November 2021 Thighpaulsandra has been playing live with veteran psychedelic rockers
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
.
Discography
*''
Some Head EP'' – (2000)
*''
I, Thighpaulsandra
''I, Thighpaulsandra'' is the debut album by Thighpaulsandra. ''I'' showcased Thighpaulsandra's interests in krautrock, experimental and industrial music and featured his only single to date, " Michel Publicity Window". Closing song "Beneath the ...
'' – (2001)
*''
The Michel Publicity Window E.P.'' – (2001)
*''
Double Vulgar'' – (2003)
*''
Rape Scene'' – (2004)
*''
Double Vulgar II'' – (2005)
*''
Chamber Music
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...
'' – (2005)
*''
The Lepore Extrusion'' – (2006)
*''
The Clisto E.P.'' – (2007)
*''
The Golden Communion'' – (2015)
*''Practical Electronics With Thighpaulsandra'' – (2019)
Compilation appearances
*"Heaven Lies About Us in Our Infancy" on ''
Brain in the Wire
''Brain in the Wire'' is a compilation by Brainwashed Recordings, which is a collection of mostly rare, unreleased alternate versions of songs by many influential groups that Brainwashed's website promotes hosting for. The first CDs of the set ...
'' (2002)
*"Christ's Teeth" on ''
...It Just Is'' (2005)
*"Star Malloy" on ''
Not Alone'' (2006)
*"Am Smear Challenger" on ''
Brainwaves
Neural oscillations, or brainwaves, are rhythmic or repetitive patterns of neural activity in the central nervous system. Neural tissue can generate oscillatory activity in many ways, driven either by mechanisms within individual neurons or by ...
'' (2006)
Remixes
*"At the Crossroads Motel" on
Cadaverous Condition
Cadaverous Condition are an extreme metal band from Austria, founded in 1990 by René Kramer and Wolfgang Weiss.
Their style ranges from old school death metal to acoustic guitar songs with typical death metal growl vocals the band themselves de ...
: ''Destroying the Night Sky'' (2008)
*"Moses (Thighpaulsandra Remix)" on
Elizabeth Fraser: ''Moses'' (2009)
with Coil
*''
Astral Disaster (1999)''
*''
Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 1 (1999)''
*''
Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 2 (2000)''
*''
Coil Presents Time Machines (2000)''
*''
Queens of the Circulating Library (2000)''
*''
Constant Shallowness Leads to Evil (2000)''
*''
Live One (2003)''
*''
Live Two (2003)''
*''
Live Four (2003)''
*''
Megalithomania! (2003)''
*''
The Key to Joy is Disobedience (2003)''
*''
Black Antlers (2004)''
*''
Selvaggina, Go Back into the Woods (2004)''
*''
ANS (2004)''
*''
The Ape of Naples (2005)''
with Spiritualized
*''
The Abbey Road EP (1998)''
*''
Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997 (1998)''
*''
Stop Your Crying (2001)''
*''
Let It Come Down (2001)''
*''Out of Sight (2001)''
*''
Do It All Over Again (2002)''
*''
Amazing Grace (2003)''
*''
She Kissed Me (2003)''
*''
Cheapster (2004)''
*''
Songs in A&E (2008)''
with Julian Cope
*''
Autogeddon (1994)''
*''
Paranormal in the West Country''
*''
20 Mothers (1995)''
*''Ambulence''
*''
I Come From Another Planet, Baby''
*''
Interpreter (1996)''
*''
Planetary Sit-In''
*''
Propheteering''
*''
Odin (1999)''
*''
An Audience with Julian Cope''
*''
Rite Now (2002)''
*"
Love Peace & Fuck (2001)"
with Queen Elizabeth
*''
Queen Elizabeth''
*''
QE2: Elizabeth Vagina''
*''
Queen Elizabeth Hall - Live''
with The Waterboys
*''
A Rock in the Weary Land (2000)''
with Cyclobe
*''
The Visitors''
*''
Angry Eelectric Finger Part Two: Paraparaparallelogramattica''
*''
Wounded Galaxies Tap at the Window''
with Uruk
*''
I Leave A Silver Trail Through Blackness''
*''
Mysterium Coniunctionis ''The Collected Works of C. G. Jung'' (german: Gesammelte Werke) is a book series containing the first collected edition, in English translation, of the major writings of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung.
The twenty volumes, including a Bibliog ...
''
with UUUU
*''
UUUU''
*''
UUUU-EP''
with Daniel O'Sullivan
*''
Folly (O Genesis)''
with Tim Burgess
*''
I Love The New Sky (2020)''
References
External links
Official Site
{{Authority control
Living people
The Waterboys members
British experimental musicians
Welsh keyboardists
1958 births
Coil (band) members
Spiritualized members