John Callaghan (musician)

John Callaghan (born 2 September 1969[1]) is a British musician, writer, and performance artist.[2]

John Callaghan wearing a transparent bowler hat, lit up by neon lights
John Callaghan

His 1998 track "I'm Not Comfortable Inside My Mind" aired during MTV's Chill Out Zone in 1999,[3] and later featured in a Guardian round-up of songs about gender in October 2015.[4] It was featured on WarpVision, a 2004 compilation album released by Warp.[5] The B-side, "Give Me Some Air", played on the John Peel show on BBC Radio 1.

Formerly with Warp,[6] he is signed to independent music label Antigen Records.[7] He is also part of the electronic act Eccentronic with Miss Hypnotique (Susi O'Neill),[8] and has released a number of transport-themed songs including a song parodying the Edinburgh Trams.[9]

He has worked as a producer and director for a number of musicians including Professor Elemental, Paul Vickers, Lee Ashcroft and Namtao. His 2010 single "Once More with Feeling" was released with a knitted cover.[10]

He has contributed a number of Doctor Who-themed tracks to the Wife in Space podcast. He provided music for a limited edition EP 'The Raves of Androzani', including "The Ballad of The Raston Warrior Robot" which was played in a BBC Radio Tees feature.

He regularly performs live and is sometimes known for his "eccentric"[11] and "frenetic energy".[12][13] In 2009 he performed on the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square as part of Antony Gormley's One & Other Project.[14]

Discography edit

Albums edit

  • Newsreal (1990)
  • Oddments (1991)
  • Nesh (2001)
  • Every Kiss Takes A Minute Off Your Life / Guidance (2004)
  • Won't Lovers Revolt Now? (2005)
  • Dance Music Extras (2005)
  • It Might Never Happen (2005)
  • John Callaghan's Cortical Charabanc (2019)
  • Come On Bass, We've Got Work To Do (2020)
  • If Every Day Were Like This One (2020)

References edit

  1. ^ "John Callaghan - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music". BBC. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  2. ^ "Wellcome Library Western Manuscripts and Archives catalogue". archives.wellcome.ac.uk. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  3. ^ "MTV's Chill Out Zone - PLAYLISTS". www.mtv-chilloutzone.com. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  4. ^ BlackCombe (2015-10-01). "Readers recommend: songs about being a man or woman - results". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  5. ^ "Various Artists - Warp Vision (The Videos". UNCUT. 2004-09-30. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  6. ^ "WARP". warp.net. Archived from the original on 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  7. ^ "John Callaghan Archives". antigen records. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  8. ^ synthhead (2004-07-20). "Hypnotique: Mistress of the Theremin". Synthtopia. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  9. ^ "Video: Duo record Edinburgh tram parody song". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  10. ^ Kent, Benedict (2010-08-10). "DIY label Antigen continues to stray from the norm". BBC Online. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  11. ^ "Eccentric and Artful Pop: Paul Levy talks to John Callaghan about John Callaghan's Cabaret Electro". FringeReview. 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  12. ^ "John Callaghan's Cabaret Electro". Broadway Baby. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  13. ^ Nordberg, Lucy. "A Life Beyond The Fringe". To Do List. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  14. ^ "Archived: One and Other participants - John Callaghan". Archived from the original on 2010-02-23. Retrieved 2020-07-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)