Thu 12 Oct 19:30pm
**Thomas Truax**
Merging a fevered imagination and solid songwriting with a mad scientist’s brain for weird gadgets, American singer Thomas Truax is a true one-off.
He is known for an array of unique self-made instruments including a motorized drum machine made of bike wheels, spoons and other found items called ‘Mother Superior’ and a souped up Gramophone called ‘The Hornicator’
But don’t let the novelty fool you. He is also a talented guitar player, storyteller, and performer who crafts rich, poetically evocative songs about insects, trees, technology, love, and a lifelong fascination with the Moon. His music evades easy pigeonholing as his songs flit between art rock, post-punk, and a distinctive brand of surreal Americana.
His ten studio LPs include highly-rated covers album ‘Songs From The Films Of David Lynch’.
A new full-length, ‘Dream Catching Songs’, featuring the renowned drummer Budgie (Siouxsie & the Banshees, the Slits, The Creatures) playing along with Mother Superior, has been garnering rave reviews with its poignant, sometimes tender, often raucous songs.
**Kate Arnold**
Kate’s music is based around the hammered dulcimer, plus violin and vocals, using live-looping and real-time electronic effects. Having previously fronted ‘punk baroque’ band Fear of the Forest, she has also worked with Jim Bob (Carter USM), Lindy-Fay Hella of Wardruna (‘Vikings’), cellist Jo Quail, BBC Folk Award winner Lisa Knapp, and Rose McDowall (Strawberry Switchblade).
Kate released her two-part electro-medievalist recording project, Rota Fortunae, in 2020 and 2021 and is now working on a new album. She is also doing a PhD on medieval music, so expect some fairly un-medieval interpretations of songs from the 12th and 13th centuries.