Adam Leonard (singer-songwriter)

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Adam Leonard
Adam Leonard (centre) playing with Invaderband in 2017.
Adam Leonard (centre) playing with Invaderband in 2017.
Background information
Born (1969-03-27) 27 March 1969 (age 54)
Manchester, England
GenresElectronic music
Folk music
Art rock
Ambient music
Instrument(s)Vocals
Acoustic Guitar
Electric Guitar
Mandolin
Dulcimer
Harmonium
Synthesizer
Keyboards
Percussion
Years active2000–present
LabelsReal Wood
Apport
Bottled Music
The Great Pop Supplement
Folkwit Records
Rif Mountain
The Northwestern Series
Tectona Grandis
Polytechnic Youth
Reckless Records
Glasstone
Castles In Space
The Dark Outside / TDO Cassettes
Bibliotapes
Member ofInvaderband

Adam Leonard (born 27 March 1969) is an English singer-songwriter working mainly in the folk, psychedelic and electronic music fields. His style is often described as lo-fi and the subject matter of his songs somewhat unconventional. Since his debut album How Music Sounds in 2003, he has released many EPs, albums and mini-albums on various small labels. Live performances, which have so far been limited to the UK (Manchester, London and Northern Ireland) are as intriguing as they are rare. In 2008 he opened for British folk musician Steve Ashley. He regularly collaborates with other musicians, most notably Pat Gubler (P.G. Six), Ashley Cooke (Pulco), Gareth Davies, and Steven Collins of The Owl Service, a band for which Leonard provided vocals for their 2010 album The View From A Hill.[1] At the close of 2010, a limited edition album entitled Nature Recordings was released on vinyl only by the London label The Great Pop Supplement.[2] In 2011, Leonard provided the soundtrack to Claudia Heindel's award-winning independent film, Lucky Seven.[3] In 2012, Nature Recordings was issued on CD by Manchester-based label The Northwestern Series.[4]

In 2013 Leonard formed Invaderband, a four-piece "Artrock/Garagerock/Krautrock" group and began gigging locally around Northern Ireland, including a slot at Other Voices in 2014.[5] Occasional solo gigs still took place, including opening for Nick Harper.

Leonard was the winner of UK City of Culture 2013 Resonate Award for Best Song ("My Love").[6]

In 2014, he embarked on the Octopus Project releasing eight albums over an eight-month period. In 2015, Invaderband released two singles ("The Implausible Man" and "Attack of the Pod People"), the latter making the BBC 6 Music playlist in December 2015.[7] Invaderband's debut album was released in January 2017.[8] In September 2017, the Invaderband album was shortlisted for the Northern Ireland Music Prize[9]

In 2018, Leonard released a solo 7" single "Entkommen", on the Polytechnic Youth label,[10] and also collaborated with Irish/French/New York band, Warriors Of The Dystotheque, on the I Know You'll Never Die EP released by Dublin's Reckless Records. The two main tracks were remixed by Le Galaxie and Richard March of Bentley Rhythm Ace.

In January 2021 a new Invaderband album was announced via invaderband.com.[11] The first single from the album 'I Won't Remember You' was released on March 12[12]

Invaderband's 2nd album "Peter Gabriel" was released September 2021. The sleeve was a painting of Peter Gabriel by Luke Haines.[13] The band played the Other Voices[14] festival in November and the album received national radio play in the UK and Ireland, favourable reviews, and ended up in a number of ‘Best albums of 2021’ lists[15]

Leonard's solo electronic album "Rendlesham" was released on cassette by The Dark Outside late 2021, and on vinyl by Polytechnic Youth July 2022. The album was reviewed by The Quietus and Fortean Times[16]

Selected discography[edit]

  • How Music Sounds album, 2003 (Real Wood, RW010)
  • How Real Is Real? mini-album, 2004 (Apport)
  • Sgt. Pepper remake, 2005 (joint release by Real Wood/Bottled Music, BOTLP22).
  • Leonardism album, 2007 (RW021) (Real Wood, RW021)
  • It Happened on a Day 10" EP, 2007 (Great Pop Supplement, GPS23)
  • Dan & Headless Bill – REDLIP mini-album, 2008 (Real Wood) – reissued by Folkwit Records, 2011
  • To Give Up You Have To Bloody Start Live EP, 2008 (Real Wood, RW023)
  • Nature Recordings vinyl LP, 2010 (Great Pop Supplement, GPS64)
  • The View From A Hill, with The Owl Service, 2010 (Rif Mountain, RM-004)
  • Nature Recordings CD album, 2012 (The Northwestern Series, Pendle 01)
  • The Man Of Lists with Pulco, 2012 (Folkwit Records, f0079)
  • Click Click Drone EP (by Echoes In Rows), 2013 (Tectona Grandis, TEAK01)
  • Songs For Abandoned Tube Stations by Relycs, 3-track cassette EP, 2013 (No label)
  • Sightings EP, as A Farewell To Hexes, 2013 (Tectona Grandis, TEAK02)
  • Yesterday, Perhaps (Songs Of The Kitchen Cynics) V/A compilation, 2013 (Les Enfants Du Paradiddle, ENF100) [17]
  • Octopus Part 1 download album, 2014 (self-release via bandcamp)
  • Octopus Part 2 download album, 2014 (self-release via bandcamp)
  • Octopus Part 3 download album, 2014 (self-release via bandcamp)
  • Octopus Part 4 download album, 2014 (self-release via bandcamp)
  • Octopus Part 5 download album, 2014 (self-release via bandcamp)
  • Octopus Part 6 download album, 2015 (self-release via bandcamp)
  • Octopus Part 7 download album, 2015 (self-release via bandcamp)
  • Octopus Part 8 download album, 2015 (self-release via bandcamp)
  • Invaderband "The Implausible Man" 2 track CD single, 2015 (self-release)
  • Invaderband "Attack of the Pod People" 3 track CD single, 2015 (self-release)
  • Last Night I Dreamt Of Hibrihteselle with Richard Moult, 2015 (Wild Silence, WS008/WS09) [18]
  • Invaderband "Invaderband" – self-titled debut album (LP/CD) (Tectona Grandis, TEAK005LP / TEAK005CD), 2017
  • Entkommen Parts 1 & 2 - 7" single (Polytechnic Youth, PY64), 2018
  • Octopus Part 9 download album, 2018 (self-release via bandcamp)
  • I Know You'll Never Die EP with Warriors Of The Dystotheque (Reckless Records, RR38), 2018
  • Things In The Shadows EP with Warriors Of The Dystotheque (Glasstone Records), 2019
  • Rooms album from United Bible Studies, 2019 (currently unreleased)
  • It's Another Christmas - single, (self-release via bandcamp) 2019
  • The Isolation Tapes V/A compilation (Castles In Space, CIS062MC), 2020
  • Invaderband "I Won't Remember You" single (Tectona Grandis, TEAK09), 2021[19]
  • Invaderband "Handcuffed Man Shoots Himself" single (Tectona Grandis, TEAK10), 2021[20]
  • A Farewell To Hexes "Rendlesham" (TDO Cassettes, TDO042), 2021[21]
  • Invaderband "Peter Gabriel" album (Tectona Grandis, TEAK11), 2021[22]
  • Invaderband "Cheese Slices" single (Tectona Grandis, TEAK14), 2022[23]
  • A Farewell To Hexes "Rendlesham" (Polytchnic Youth, PY160), 2022[24]
  • Echoes In Rows 'Click Click Drone' mini-album (Tectona Grandis, TEAK16), 2022 [25]
  • Octopus Part 10 download album (self-release via bandcamp), 2022
  • Adam Leonard 'Dark Dog' 7" single (Western Hemlock, WH002), 2022

[26][27]

References[edit]

  1. ^ The Owl Service – The View From A Hill (2010, CD), retrieved 12 March 2021
  2. ^ "Adam Leonard - Nature Recordings". Discogs. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  3. ^ Lucky Seven (2011) - IMDb, retrieved 12 March 2021
  4. ^ "StackPath". www.folkradio.co.uk. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Invaderband | Other Voices". www.othervoices.ie. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  6. ^ Causes, National Lottery Good. "LOVESONG TO DERRY WOMAN - CITY OF CULTURE'S NO 1 TRACK - News". Lotterygoodcauses.org.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  7. ^ "With Steve Lamacq". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 December 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Invaderband - Invaderband". Norman Records. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  9. ^ "2017". NI Music Prize. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  10. ^ "fancyBox - iframe demo". www.polytechnicyouth.com. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  11. ^ "INVADERBAND". INVADERBAND. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  12. ^ Roy, David (26 February 2021). "Noise Annoys: New music from Invaderband and New Pagans, plus the Open House Festival launch their Court House Sessions". The Irish News. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Invader Band, album review, 'Peter Gabriel'". Dig With It. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Other Voices | About". www.othervoices.ie. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Movers and shakers in our Top 20 albums year". 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2022 – via PressReader.
  16. ^ "The stars above the barren trees". The Message Tapes. 19 September 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  17. ^ Various - Yesterday, Perhaps (Songs Of The Kitchen Cynics), December 2013, retrieved 26 July 2022
  18. ^ Richard Moult - Last Night I Dreamt Of Hibrihteselle, 17 April 2015, retrieved 26 July 2022
  19. ^ "Invaderband Release 'I Won't Remember You'". IMRO. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Invaderband Share Second Single from Second Album". IMRO. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  21. ^ "The Quietus | Features | Spool's Out | Spool's Out: Cassette Reviews For October By Daryl Worthington". The Quietus. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  22. ^ Roy, David (24 September 2021). "Noise Annoys: New music from Invaderband, Mob Wife, Cherym and Gemma Bradley, plus Malojian gig news..." The Irish News. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  23. ^ "Video Premiere: Invaderband - Cheese Slices". The Thin Air. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  24. ^ A Farewell To Hexes - Rendlesham, 18 July 2022, retrieved 26 July 2022
  25. ^ Roy, David (7 October 2022). "Noise Annoys: Alumna, Dutch Schultz, Adam Leonard, Sounds of Belfast and Sounds Collective". The Irish News. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  26. ^ "Adam Leonard". Discogs.com. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  27. ^ "Invaderband". Discogs.com. Retrieved 10 February 2021.

External links[edit]