It’s been a long time since I posted anything, but working on the principle that if one doesn’t have anything much to say one may just as well say nothing I have opted to stay silent. That’s not to say that I no longer feel strongly about the state of the world, feel a strong connection with other people and care deeply about my creative output, but I have simply felt that over the course of many years I have expressed my opinions too freely on too many topics and not succeeded in changing the narrative on anything much at all. So why now? Glastonbury!

More out of polite curiosity with than any great enthusiasm I tuned in to the first day and found myself dutifully listening to the likes of Texas, Foo Fighters and Elton John. I am not in any way wishing to diminish any of the above, indeed I enjoyed each set, but I was very aware that each was thoroughly comfortable and familiar. I was entertained and even impressed, but not remotely challenged, and that began to cause me a degree of concern when reflecting on myself and my own output. The truth became far less comfortable than the well known tunes on offer from the established artists performing on the Pyramid stage to an audience [myself included] hungry for those big hits and well known songs, cosy and familiar after years and years of singing along and putting on in the background while doing nothing in particular to help pass the time. Had I myself reached a point where I created work designed to make me feel safe and comfortable. Was I pushing myself technically or intellectually any more? Was I challenging myself emotionally, expressing myself truthfully, thinking about my relationship with the world and it’s people?

I have generally been critical of those who have a platform and a willing audience and nothing whatever to say about anything, be that political, religious, social or about the nature of art itself, the techniques they use to construct and present their work. I believe that one needs to get out of one’s comfort zone and challenge oneself a little. That’s not to say that one can’t have a distinct style, consistent themes and threads that run through one’s work, nor that one needs to be conspicuously avant-garde in order to have relevance, but the risk of becoming complacent and simply producing “nice things for nice people” is very real, particularly when recognising the need for a degree of commercial success in order to put bread on the table.

So I guess I’m asking you all to collectively hold my feet to the fire, not to allow me to get away with throwing out work without thought or process, to rush work out without due consideration as to it’s context or quality or to sit quietly in my comfort zone without making any effort to push myself a little further or harder, to explore new possibilities or push my own boundaries and perceptions. I know that I should be careful what I wish for, but I would hate to be remembered as someone who really didn’t have anything to say.