Tim Bowness (born 29 November 1963) is an English singer and songwriter primarily known for his work as part of the band No-Man, a long-term project formed in 1987 with

Porcupine Tree Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became ...

Steven Wilson Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corrosi ...

Music career

In addition to recording albums with No-Man (for

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

s such as One Little Indian, Sony/Epic, and Kscope), Bowness has appeared on albums by US artists OSI and

David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...

, Italian artists

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

, Saro Cosentino, Fjieri, Nosound and Stefano Panunzi, Norwegian groups White Willow and The Opium Cartel, and others. In 1994, he recorded an album with

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

/ Rain Tree Crow keyboard player

Richard Barbieri Richard Barbieri (born 30 November 1957) is an English musician, composer and sound designer. Originally a member of new wave band Japan (and their brief 1989–1991 reincarnation as Rain Tree Crow), he became the keyboard player in the prog ...

, called ''

Flame A flame () is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction made in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density, they are then considered plasm ...

''. Bowness has been a core or occasional member of several other bands. He has sung for German band Centrozoon and British electro-improvisers

Darkroom A darkroom is used to process photographic film, make Photographic printing, prints and carry out other associated tasks. It is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light-sensitive photographic materials, including ...

on the more vocal-orientated projects performed and released by each group. He is the lead singer and guitarist for Henry Fool and also sings for Memories of Machines. He was singer (and occasional second guitarist) for Samuel Smiles between 1992 and 2000. Bowness also has a longstanding duo collaboration with Peter Chilvers (with whom he has worked in Samuel Smiles and Henry Fool). This project has so far produced two albums, ''California, Norfolk'' (2002) and ''Modern Ruins'' (2020). Bowness's debut solo album, ''My Hotel Year'' was released on One Little Indian in 2004. The album made use of Bowness collaborators both old and new, and featured

Roger Eno Roger Paul Eugene Eno (born 29 April 1959) is an English ambient music composer. He is the younger brother of Brian Eno. Early life and education Roger Paul Eugene Eno began euphonium lessons when he was 12 years old, and entered Colchester In ...

and

Hugh Hopper Hugh Colin Hopper (29 April 1945 – 7 June 2009) was a British progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and other bands. Biography Early career Starting i ...

amongst others. In 2009, Bowness co-wrote and co-produced '' Talking with Strangers'', an album by former

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English British folk rock, folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson (musician), Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Marti ...

singer, Judy Dyble. ''Warm Winter'', the debut album by Memories of Machines (a collaboration with Nosound's Giancarlo Erra), was issued on Mascot in April 2011, and the self-titled debut release by Anglo Estonian project Slow Electric was released on

Panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of - ' ...

in October 2011. Bowness's second solo album '' Abandoned Dancehall Dreams'' was released on 23 June 2014 on

Inside Out Music Inside Out Music is a German progressive rock record label originally based in Kleve, North Rhine-Westphalia, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles. In 2009, it formed a partnership with Cen ...

. Produced by Bowness and mixed by Steven Wilson, collaborators included Stephen James Bennett. Pat Mastelotto, Colin Edwin and Classical composer Andrew Keeling.

and Grasscut provided mixes for the bonus disc. ''Abandoned Dancehall Dreams'' came out to some of the best reviews of Bowness' career. Receiving positive endorsements from Prog and

Classic Rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

, the album reached No. 18 in the official UK Rock charts and No. 1 in Prog magazine's July 2014 and August 2014 charts. A follow-up to ''Abandoned Dancehall Dreams'', '' Stupid Things That Mean the World'', was released on 17 July 2015 on Inside Out Music. Bowness admitted similarities between the two albums, in both the musical approach and artwork, calling it the second part of a new chapter that began with ''Abandoned Dancehall Dreams''. Produced by Bowness and mixed by Bruce Soord, collaborators included Stephen James Bennett,

Peter Hammill Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill (born 5 November 1948) is an English musician and recording artist. He was a founder member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Best known as a singer-songwriter, he also plays guitar and piano and ...

, Colin Edwin, Phil Manzanera and David Rhodes. The album reached No. 10 in both the official UK Rock and UK Vinyl charts, and No. 1 in Prog magazine's July 2015 and August 2015 charts. In September 2015, '' Stupid Things That Mean the World'' was No. 9 in the first ever

Official Charts Company The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...

Progressive Albums chart. Tim Bowness's fourth solo album '' Lost in the Ghost Light'' - a concept album revolving around the onstage and backstage thoughts of a veteran musician - was released on 17 February 2017 on

. The album garnered very positive reviews from the Rock media - Prog, Powerplay,

, Shindig! - as well as in more mainstream publications such as The Daily Express, Mojo and

Classic Pop Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

. Produced Tim Bowness with Stephen James Bennett, the album mixed and mastered by Steven Wilson and alongside performances by regular collaborators such as Stephen James Bennett, Bruce Soord, Colin Edwin and Andrew Keeling, featured guest appearances from Jethro Tull's

Ian Anderson Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician best known for being the chief vocalist, Flute, flautist, and acoustic guitarist of the British rock band Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist who also p ...

, and ex Camel/Happy The Man keyboard player Kit Watkins. ''Lost in the Ghost Light'' reached No.5 in the official UK Rock chart, No.8 in the official UK Progressive chart and won "Album Cover of the Year" at the 2017 Progressive Music Awards. '' Flowers at the Scene'' was released on 1 March 2019 on

. Like its predecessor, the album garnered extremely positive reviews from the Rock media in Britain and Europe, as well as in more mainstream publications such as The Daily Express, Mojo and

. Produced by Tim Bowness with

- as No-Man - and Brian Hulse, the album featured guest appearances from

Kevin Godley Kevin Michael Godley (born 7 October 1945) is an English singer-songwriter, drummer and music video director. He was a singer and drummer of the art rock band 10cc and later was part of collaboration duo Godley & Creme with Lol Creme. Early ...

Andy Partridge Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and record producer best known for co-founding the band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writing a ...

, Jim Matheos, David Longdon, Colin Edwin,

Dylan Howe Dylan Lee Howe (born 4 August 1969) is an English drummer, bandleader, session musician and composer. The son of guitarist Steve Howe (musician), Steve Howe with whom he has sometimes collaborated, Dylan is also noted for his work with rock ba ...

and others. ''Flowers at the Scene'' reached No.5 in both the official UK Rock and UK Progressive charts, No.24 in the official UK Vinyl chart, and No.38 in the official UK Physical sales chart. '' Late Night Laments'', Bowness's sixth solo album, was released on 28 August 2020 on

. A more intimate and atmospheric work than any of his previous solo albums, guest players included

, Kavus Torabi and Colin Edwin. The album was mixed by

, mastered by Calum Malcolm, and reached No.45 in the official UK Physical sales chart, No.4 in the UK Progressive charts, and No.56 in the official Scottish chart. The album was No.14 in Prog Magazine's Best Of 2020 critic's list. '' Butterfly Mind'', Bowness's seventh solo album, was released on 5 August 2022 on

. Seen as the most eclectic and dynamic of his solo releases, high-profile guests such as

, Dave Formula,

, Nick Beggs, (ex-

Elbow The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...

drummer) Richard Jupp and others contributed to the album. Butterfly Mind generated the most positive reviews of Bowness's career, alongside his highest UK chart placings. To promote the record he played a series of concerts with Peter Chilvers and Matt Stevens (of The Fierce and the Dead). He released the Powder Dry album in 2024 and played the Winters End Festival with a band consisting of Andy Edwards (musician), John Jowitt, Matt Stevens (of The Fierce and the Dead) and Rob Groucutt.

Business

In 2001, Bowness co-founded the

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...

and store Burning Shed with Peter Chilvers and Pete Morgan. Originally a label dedicated to producing online, on-demand CDRs of experimental side-projects by the likes of

Bass Communion Bass Communion is a solo project of English musician Steven Wilson, best known for his lead role in the rock band Porcupine Tree. Records released under the name Bass Communion are in an ambient or electronic vein—lengthy, drone-heavy compo ...

and

) it quickly evolved into hosting official online stores for No-Man,

, Jethro Tull,

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

Big Big Train Big Big Train are an English progressive rock band formed in Bournemouth in 1990. The current line-up includes band founder Gregory Spawton (bass, guitars and keyboards), along with Nick D'Virgilio (drums, vocals, guitars and keyboards), Rikar ...

, Will Sergeant and many other artists.

The Album Years

In May 2020, Bowness launched 'The Album Years', an audio-only podcast with his partner in No-Man, Steven Wilson. It was very successful upon release, charting highly all around the world on Apple Podcasts. Starting in March 2024 new video episodes of the podcast were recorded and released.

Charting songs and albums

Select discography (Outside No-Man)

Solo albums

*''My Hotel Year'' (One Little Indian, 2004) – Debut solo album *'' Abandoned Dancehall Dreams'' (

, 2014) – 2nd solo album *'' Stupid Things That Mean the World'' (Inside Out Music, 2015) – 3rd solo album *'' Lost in the Ghost Light'' (Inside Out Music, 2017) – 4th solo album *''Songs from the Ghost Light'' (Burning Shed, 2017) – Lost in the Ghost Light companion release featuring outtakes, remixes and live performances. *'' Flowers at the Scene'' (Inside Out Music, 2019) – 5th solo album *''Late Night Laments'' (Inside Out Music, 2020) – 6th solo album *''Butterfly Mind'' (Inside Out Music, 2022) – 7th solo album *''Powder Dry '' (KSCOPE, 2024) – 8th solo album

With Peter Chilvers

*''California, Norfolk'' (Burning Shed, 2002) – with Peter Chilvers *''Slow Electric'' (Burning Shed, 2010) – as Slow Electric - with Peter Chilvers, UMA (Robert Jüjendal, Aleksei Saks) and Tony Levin *''Modern Ruins'' (Burning Shed, 2020) – with Peter Chilvers

With Plenty

* ''It Could Be Home'' (2018) * ''Enough'' (2021)

Other albums

*''

'' (One Little Indian, 1994) – with

*''Ones And Zeros'' (Voiceprint, 1997) – with Saro Cosentino (guest vocals on one track) *'' Viaggio in Italia'' (NuN Entertainment, 2003) – with

(guest vocals on two tracks) *'' The Scent of Crash and Burn'' EP (Burning Shed, 2003) – with centrozoon *'' Never Trust the Way You Are'' (Resonancer, 2004) – with centrozoon *''Duality'' (Holy Records, 2008) – with Rajna (guests on three tracks) *'' Lightdark'' (Kscope, 2008) – with Nosound (guest vocals on one track) *''

Blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood is com ...

'' (Inside Out, 2009) – with OSI (guest vocals on one track) *'' Talking with Strangers'' (FixIt, 2009) with Judy Dyble (guest vocals throughout the album, co-written & co-produced by Bowness) *" Fjieri: "Endless"", (Forward Music Italy, 2009) - with Stefano Panunzi, Nicola Lori, Mick Karn, Richard Barbieri, Gavin Harrison, Nicola Alesini, Andrea Chimenti *" A Rose (Stefano Panunzi album)" (Emerald Recordings, ER-CD 01/09, 2009) - with Mick Karn, Thomas Leer, Giancarlo Erra, Theo Travis, Robby Aceto, Fabio Fraschini, Markus Reuter, Andrea Chimenti *'' Warm Winter'' (Mascot, 2011) – with Giancarlo Erra (as Memories of Machines) *" Fjieri: "Words Are All We Have", (Emerald Recordings, ER-CD 02/15, 2015) - with Stefano Panunzi, Jakko Jakszyk, Gavin Harrison, Nicola Lori *''Skyscraper Souls'' (Cherry Red, 2017) – with

Geoff Downes Geoffrey Downes (born 25 August 1952) is an English keyboardist who gained fame as a member of the new wave group the Buggles with Trevor Horn, the progressive rock band Yes, and the supergroup Asia. Born in Stockport, Downes moved to Lond ...

& Chris Braide (guests on one track) *''UBIK'' (Sweet Hole, 2022) – with Sweet Hole (guests on as UBIK voice on some tracks)

References

External links

Tim Bowness official websiteNo-Man official websiteNo-Man "A Confession"Burning Shed
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowness, Tim 1963 births Living people English male songwriters English male singers One Little Independent Records artists People from Stockton Heath OSI (band) members Inside Out Music artists No-Man members Henry Fool (band) members Musicians from Warrington