Thomas White (musician)

Thomas White
Born (1984-04-30) 30 April 1984
Brighton, England
Genres Classical, pop, psychedelic, rock, folk
Instruments Vocals, guitar, drums, keyboard, violin, Clarinet
Years active 2001–present
Labels DB Records
BMG
Truck Records
Better Looking Records
Rough Trade Records
Drift Records
Fat Cat Records
Cooking Vinyl
Bleeding Heart Recordings
Associated acts The Electric Soft Parade
Brakes
Restlesslist
Website electricsoftparade.co.uk

Thomas White (born 30 April 1984) is a Brighton, England-based songwriter, singer, musician, producer and visual artist. Educated at Davigdor Infants, Somerhill Juniors and Hove Park schools, he began learning the piano at the age of 5, picking up the violin a year later and teaching himself guitar, drums and clarinet in his early teens. White formed his first band (Fixed Ascent, later The Feltro Media) at the age of 13, with his brother, Alex, and school-friend Alistair Gavan (later of Diomedes, Sparrow and Villareal). He signed his first record deal (with DB Records) whilst still 16 and studying for his GCSEs.

Along with his brother, Alex, he forms the nucleus of psych-pop band The Electric Soft Parade. To date, they have released four albums and a six-track EP. He also contributes vocals and guitar to cult Brighton super-group Brakes, and drums and bass to Restlesslist and Clowns respectively.

In 10 years of playing professionally, Thomas has performed in over 20 countries across the globe, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Australia, Egypt, Canada, United States and Turkey.

Besides performing solo and in his own groups, White regularly appears as a session player for, among others, Patrick Wolf, British Sea Power, Levellers and Sparks.

"I Dream of Black"

June 2008 saw the release of his debut solo album, I Dream of Black.[1] Recorded entirely on cassette four-track, the album was considered extremely lo-fi by both fans and critics alike.

"The Maximalist"

A follow-up, 'The Maximalist' (Cooking Vinyl) arrived in March 2010. Whilst still played, recorded and mixed by Thomas himself, the album features a markedly more complex, hi-fi sound, and a sleeve designed by the American artist, Keith Boadwee.[2] The album was released to generally positive reviews, with Uncut magazine awarding four stars, stating:

"The Maximalist opens the dam of ostensibly conflicting styles and releases the deluge in all its' crazily self-confident, so-wrong-it's-right glory. White fuses elements of The Who, Chicago, My Bloody Valentine, Queens Of The Stone Age, Badalamenti and Badfinger, which is not just a feat of cut-and-paste engineering, but also proof of his verve, vivid imagination and fervent love of music."

Tour dates to support the album have varied from full-on rock shows with a five-piece band, intimate cabaret performances, often featuring a number of cover versions ("I'll See You in My Dreams" and "You Can Have Him (I Don't Want Him)", among others) to festival dates with an expanded 13-piece line-up, featuring a choir dressed in psychedelic robes.

"Yalla!"

On 26 March 2011, Thomas streamed his third solo album for free via YouTube. Entitled 'Yalla!" (Egyptian Arabic for 'let's go') the album was written and recorded over two weeks in the small town of Dahab, South Sinai. Featuring only acoustic guitar and vocal, the album details the limbo at the end of a long relationship compared to that of moving to a foreign country, making myriad references to the sea, shorelines, water, the sun, colours, the weather, travel and nature. All accompanying videos feature footage taken in Brighton, Dahab and Cairo. "Yalla!" was released physically in the UK and digitally worldwide by Bleeding Heart Recordings in March 2012.[3]

Selected discography (1997–2010)

Albums

Fixed Ascent
The Feltro Media
The Electric Soft Parade
Brakes
Restlesslist
Thomas White
Patrick Wolf
Milk And Biscuits

Singles

The Electric Soft Parade
Brakes
Restlesslist
Thomas White
Patrick Wolf

References

  1. ↑ Driftrecords.co.uk
  2. ↑ Cookingvinyl.com
  3. ↑ Frost Magazine review


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