Biog

info@projectadorno.net

Early Years

It started, ironically, with a poem called "Shallow Circles". The poem became a song which eventually became the title piece to an "album" (or at least a rag-bag collection of songs haphazardly recorded in the bedroom) and also spawned other artistic ventures, namely a series of paintings. Inevitably, there was a lot of teen angst coming through in the early work as we scribbled down bad but intimate poetry and strummed hopelessly on acoustic guitars, groping for impossible chord changes. In those early days we generally ended up sitting around with guitars on our laps debating and philosophising - often was the case that not a note was played.

This was all a million light years away from what Project Adorno was to become. Nevertheless it was an essential part of the process. Back then we had a plethora of pseudonyms, the most memorable being "the Keynotes". Influences were variable, one day we wanted to be The The or Sonic Youth, another, the Beatles or Frankie Goes To Hollywood. But, ultimately it didn't really matter. What was important was the drive to create and get the "stuff" out!

The first realisation was that anybody could do it. We couldn't play any instruments proficiently, but at the time that seemed less important than the ideas, enthusiasm and energy. To us, at that point, it was all about the shock of the new. No doubt just the same for generations before and since! "Shallow circles" was the first coherent piece of work, the first thing that at least had an air of completeness to it. It included songs such as "All things must change" (still a favourite), and our anti-Gulf war songs imaginatively titled "No more war (parts 1 and 2)" - oh yes, we were political as well!

The Shallow Circles Painting Series:

The paintings were more a tableaux - graphic representations of the songs and their subject matter. The one that started it off - the initial "shallow circles" painting (3rd from left above), was in fact painted on a concrete paving slab.

"Shallow Cirlces" remains unreleased (as it should be), which of course seemed a travesty at the time. With the world largely ignoring our first "masterpiece" we continued undeterred. Back to the creative workshop, like Rhubarb knocking around in his shed, we finally emerged with "Society's World", another collection of songs, which were, if anything, more highly charged and politicised than the first. (Teen angst turning outwards, where the first had been inward). If this one wouldn't do it....

Still from the Keynotes film "No Need To Wrorry"

Of course, it didn't. At least not at the micro level. But looking at the larger picture, Project Adorno simply would not have happened without these haphazard, crude fumblings. Well, that's one justification anyway.

There was still a long way to go of course. Christmas ‘93 and the "December Days" EP - fashioned under formidable time constraints and hand delivered to "the lucky ones" (various friends and acquaintances) at midnight, as Christmas eve turned to day.

SM, drummer for the day. Note the
"No more war" T-shirt

"Band" rehearsals (for non-existent gigs) began to take place in a nearby church hall - the natural reverb was amazing - something Phil Spector could only dream of. Here we contrived the "No need to worry" film and the aborted live album "Seeing red, feeling blue" (the "abortion" being integral to the recording - it wouldn't have happened otherwise).

Matt Johnson, on the bridge to nowhere and everywhere.....

Many of the songs from these early "albums" eventually turned up in a slightly less chaotic form on the final "No need to worry" soundtrack. And yes, this film does exist in a slightly physical sense (we remain eternally grateful to camera man, Ed). Furthermore, we can be justly proud of it (though difficult to watch by those involved) and the songs too, remakes of "Shallow circles", "All things must change", "Coping", "Romantic sense of place" and "Society's world" - as well as newer ones written specifically for the film which showed a certain maturity: "Memories of now", "Day off", "Heat of the moment", "Waiting in vain". Good times...

They're all out there now, living some sort of half life, waiting to be re-recorded at any rate.

So where did the inspiration come from and what exactly was our sound? Matt Johnson's "Burning blue soul" LP was one major well spring - or more accurately, the inner sleeve with its hand written lyrics. As for "Our sound", this is probably best summed up in the poem "The Other Ones" (1999) which reveals that we were in fact striving to be "the Morcambe and Wise of the pop world scene".

Note Oscar (pictured far left), always the "third Keynote"

"The other ones" (poem-song) is in a sense a summation of this period (and later) written from afar. It brings us neatly back to where we started - from a poem to a poem with something "other" in-between. The memories remain sweet.

"Time it was, and what a time it was, A time of innocence, a time of confidences Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph, Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you" Paul Simon

And what did we actually sound like? Two songs from this period featuring images from the "No Need To Worry" film can be accessed here:
All Things Must Change
Memories of Now

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