A topsy-turvy 24 hrs Sun–Mon this week: all sorts of family fun @campkindling including my first go on silks. I actually managed to get upside down 🙃 Then a @hackneycolliery set and a micro-collab with good buddy @djyodauk — before less than 24 hrs later being on stage at @the_globe for my first show there since 2021. Trumpet, pump organ, even a bowed cymbal cameo. Somewhere in the middle, I even squeezed in a bit of podcast work… As ever, absurdly grateful that this is technically “work.” I mean, come ON. Silly. #originofthepieces #hackneycollieryband #livemusic #composerlife #trumpetplayer #campkindling #shakespearesglobe

Some time off with the family, but straight back into it next week with @hackneycolliery show @campkindling and then my first shows @the_globe since 2021, so this is what every morning looks like! Practice mute in, shedding by bushes groaning with blackberries as the family finishes breakfast (of said blackberries) in our little wild camping spot, then late nights doing a little admin, podcast and composition work on my freshly solar-charged laptop as the fire embers die and the owls start chatting. Always incredibly grateful to do what I do, but, as I talked about way back in episode 2 of the podcast, holidays can be challenging times for musicians! Still though, having a great time drinking local ales, sleeping under the stars and thinking about what I want to do next after a madly busy few months. #originofthepieces #trumpetlife

This is a live ambient set made entirely from the sound of conch and triton shells. No synths, no samples — just breath, delay, and some real-time processing courtesy of: 🎛 @ableton Push 3 🌀 @somasynths Cosmos 🪶 @beetlecrab.audio Tempera 🎚 Zoom L6 Part of Shellectronica — my ongoing project turning ancient instruments into something vaguely electronic. 📺 Full set now on YouTube 🎧 Headphones recommended Also: yes, that is a silver mannequin torso in the background. I didn’t bring it. It was just there. #shellectronica #ambientmusic #soundbath #granularprocessing #tempera #cosmos #push3 #conchmusic

Very belated @latitudefest roundup… A fantastic weekend, courtesy of @robinince1969 and @thecosmicshamblesnetwork whose work made it feel like the early days of Latitude again, in all the best ways. Really enjoyed my show with @lintottchris ahead of our little tour in the autumn, cutting up shells live on stage in order to talk about how music technology moves human creative expression forwards at the Nine Lessons show, and a bonus podcast interview with the legendary @jakkojakszyk - deep dive into prog and Jakko’s amazing life and work coming soon. Plus the perfect combo of family fun with kids, and dispatching kids to my very accommodating parents on the Saturday night so that @jocaird and I could have some very rare time together, including a surprise @officialfatboyslim gig on @samuelapley ‘s amazing organ sculpture in the woods. Also, by far my favourite musical discovery of the weekend were the incredible @lambrinigirlz who brought some much needed attitude to the musical line up. Absolutely amazing set! Proper punk. Proper showbiz. Those folks really know what they’re doing. First time doing anything more than a hit n run set at Latitude for maybe 14 years?! Seems impossible. But a delight to be back, catching up with friends old and new. MORE PLEASE #originofthepieces #latitudefestival

Sylvia Young — a towering figure in British theatre — passed away yesterday. Her daughter, the brilliant @frances_ruffelle joined me live at @wiltonsmusichall for a Eurovision-themed special of Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces, and shared this beautifully personal story. From getting her Equity card at 5 to helping Sylvia raise funds to save Wilton’s with Roy Hudd, Spike Milligan and a group of school kids cutting a vinyl — it’s a touching, funny and heartfelt glimpse into a theatrical legacy. 🎙 Clip from Episode 27: Eurovision Special with Frances Ruffelle #SylviaYoung #FrancesRuffelle #WiltonsMusicHall #TheatreLegacy #MusicalTheatre #BritishTheatre #OriginOfThePieces #EurovisionSpecial

Classic routing for my little tour of the ‘tudes based festivals this week. @altitudefestival_ in Devon with @molotovjukeboxofficial tonight, then all weekend @latitudefest with @thecosmicshamblesnetwork all weekend. And these journey times are a lie - took 7 hrs door to door for this first leg to Devon today… #altitudefestival #latitudefestival #mileage

“When we hear music, it’s not just one part of the brain lighting up — it lights up many. Rhythm, movement, memory, lyrics, emotion… they all fire independently. So even when dementia disconnects those pathways, music can trick the brain into working as a whole again.” - @kclou_25 From Episode 28 of Origin of the Pieces — listen on your podcast app, or watch on YouTube or Spotify. Full episode link in bio Music in Dementia resource: nhslothian.scot/artspsychotherapies/music-in-dementia #musictherapy #dementiacare #musicandmemory #neuroscience #originofthepieces #stevepretty #musicandthebrain

Ever considered turning your own body into a musical instrument? In this clip from Episode 27, composer and artist Jonathan Enser — aka @mattersunknown from @nubiyantwist — talks about how, after losing his leg, he went through a long process to get it back from the hospital… and is now working on turning part of the bone into a flute. Yep. It’s currently in a freezer at his parents’ house. It’s surreal, yes — but also thoughtful, moving, and very funny. The full episode includes a wide-ranging chat about creativity, identity, and the barriers still faced by musicians with disabilities — especially around venue access and representation. Episode 28 drops tomorrow. 🎧 #originofthepieces #mattersunknown #nubiyantwist #composerlife #boneflute #creativeprocess #accessibilityinmusic #musicianwithadisability #unexpectedinstruments #musicpodcast

Another phenomenal few days, this time in Edinburgh and Newcastle. I spent every night I was in Edinburgh at one of my favourite places in the world, @thejazzbar and toasted its legendary founder and one of my all time heroes Bill Kyle with a delicious Caol Ila single malt each night. He introduced me to this incredible whisky, but more than that, he had a profound and lasting effect on my career, and that of many, many musicians in Scotland and beyond. What a legacy! I was in edinburgh at the invitation of my friend @nicole.cassandra.smit who asked if I’d like to come up and join her for her @edinburgh_jazz show, and bring a couple of my @hackneycolliery buddies (Nicole appears on our latest album, on the track Resounding, which we wrote together). To which I obviously said YES PLEASE. I had an absolute blast playing with friends old and new. Oh, Edinburgh, my heart ❤️ Then to Newcastle for a @bollywoodbrassband gig for @gemartsuk and @northernprideuk It was very damp, but another wonderful city and a lot of fun. Plus I got to see my friend #kimmcguinness ‘s name plastered all over town for the first time since she was elected Mayor of the North East last year, which was fun! Once again returning home full of gratitude for such a fun, varied and interesting musical life. #livemusic #jazzmusician #edinburghjazz

Absolutely sensational rollercoaster few days. Photos in reverse order: MONDAY: collaborative session with @brainaud.io @tomhainesmusic for a (currently) secret new TV project SUNDAY: hour long conch bath (!) set at 10am SATURDAY: improvised live score for the original Nosferatu (1922), @molotovjukeboxofficial set, Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces live podcast recording (all at the absolutely incredible @alsofestival - one of my favourite weekends of the summer for the past 3 years and counting) FRIDAY: Ocean Songs performance with @soniccollaborations @goatgirlofficial @colinriley_composer @nic.pendlebury @kate.dornan1 and choir National Maritime Museum @royalmuseumsgreenwich THURSDAY: final World Music Big Band gig of the summer @fabwick A very hectic few days, but as ever, feel spectacularly lucky to be doing such varied, engaging, fascinating and collaborative musical work with so many brilliant people! #composer #composersofinstagram #alsofestival #originofthepieces

Access to music doesn’t start when the gig begins — it starts with how people even get there. Jono Enser (@mattersunknown / @nubiyantwist) shares what “access” really means as a disabled performer: 🚫 A broken bus ramp. 🎧 A venue that’s too loud. 🚪 A door that’s too heavy. All these things can stop someone before a single note is played. And with the government pushing through changes to PIP and Universal Credit, it’s a good time to ask who gets left out — and why. 🎧 Also: yes, there’s an instrument story in here you’re absolutely not ready for. #accessibility #disabledaccess #pip #universalcredit #nubiyantwist #mattersunknown #originofthepieces #unexpectedinstruments #musicforall

Back by popular demand: my latest unboxing video! This time using an actual stone to help me unbox a 3D printed replica of a stone age bone flute. Just like my ancient ancestors would have done when DPD delivered them something. I’ve been obsessed with these ancient bone flutes since my very first iteration of Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces - way back at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2010! 15 years later, I finally got one. Can I play it? Absolutely not. Those cavemen had some chops! Time to get shedding... And by chance, I'm currently working on a composition project which this will be the perfect addition to! #boneflute #prehistoricmusic #unboxingfail #musicnerd #flutefail #originofthepieces

Maybe you know what acid house sounds like. But have you ever wondered why? In this clip from the latest episode of Steve Pretty On the Origin of the Pieces, I’m noodling on a Roland TB-303 — the little silver box that accidentally helped invent a genre. Designed (allegedly) for hotel lobbies… and repurposed into dancefloor chaos. Episode 26 features the brilliant @jeremydeller — fresh from our Acid Brass gig with @thelisteningproject_ — talking about protest music, brass bands, and how musical genres are shaped by their tools. 🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts 📺 Watch on YouTube or Spotify 🔗 Link in bio #originofthepieces #TB303 #acidhouse #acidbrass #jeremydeller #thelisteningproject #musicpodcast #electronicmusic #musictech #brassband #musichistory

Throwback to last week and this sweet setup in such a beautiful location for @firstlightlowestoft This was a rehearsal for the world premiere of the @soniccollaborations Ocean Songs project which was an absolute delight! We’re performing the work in full @royalmuseumsgreenwich on 11th July. Roll up! It’s going to be a very special night! @beetlecrab.audio @monettetrumpets @ableton

Finally got around to posting something about the most extraordinary weekend. I was once again artist in residence at the incredible @firstlightlowestoft I didn’t think it was possible to have a more jam-packed or varied time than last year, but I was wrong… Seven wildly different performances across the festival, interspersed with rehearsals, soundchecks and a lot of running around trying to remember which instrument or bit of tech I was supposed to be holding at any given moment. No space for it all here, but: From the world premiere of Ocean Songs — a new album-length work themed around the ocean (inspired by and featuring the voice of @helen_czerski ), with @colinriley_composer, @nic.pendlebury and Lottie from @goatgirlband (ably assisted by katedornan) to an intimate duet of electronica-tinged vocals, trumpet and shells with @veeralummi From taking the brilliant World Music Big Band to a festival stage for the first time since I took over as MD to an hour-long chat about the physics, biology and sociology of underwater sound with the endlessly brilliant Richard Sabin from @natural_history_museum (coming soon to the podcast and an article in @divemagazine); From a dawn set on the beach welcoming in the sunrise with shells, trumpet and electronics to closing the main stage with my great lunatic friends @molotovjukeboxofficial Every experience was more creatively satisfying, interesting and just plain fun than I could have dared hope. Huge thanks to all the amazing people who make First Light happen — an extraordinary team of staff and volunteers creating something genuinely special in a part of the world that doesn’t often get this kind of cultural joy. We’re already plotting next year… See you on the beach 🌊 #firstlightfestival #originofthepieces #livemusic #musicandscience #underwatersound #festivalhighlights #musicfestivaluk #composerlife #creativecollaboration #lowestoft #marinescience #soundart #oceaninspired #musicpodcast

🎙 Just had a lovely chat with BBC Radio Suffolk about something a bit different — not trumpeting, shells or composing this time, but whale earwax, underwater microphones, and how sound travels in the sea. Turns out, underwater, sound is everything. It travels much further than light, so for many marine animals, it’s how they communicate, navigate, and survive. At this year’s @firstlightlowestoft I’ll be diving into all of this (sometimes almost literally) with Richard Sabin from the @natural_history_museum He’s bringing along a cast of whale earwax, I’m bringing a tank of water, an underwater microphone underwater speakers, and some specially-composed music — and we’ll explore what the ocean really sounds like, and how that’s changing. It’s one of seven gigs and events I’m part of at First Light this year — and this one will also be recorded live for my podcast Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces. Shaping up to be something pretty special. #FirstLightFestival #OriginOfThePieces #UnderwaterSound #WhaleSong #MarineLife #SonicCuriosity #BBCSuffolk

Knitting in the front row 🧶—then cheering like it’s a rave. In this week’s episode, I chat with @jeremydeller about Acid Brass, where brass bands swap bandstands for acid‑house euphoria. Tonight it’s live at @earthackney ! But first, dive into the podcast to hear why that old lady knitting was the inspiration for this nearly 30-year long project! 🎧 Full episode linked in bio. @jackjonescurates @thelisteningprojectofficial #AcidBrass #Podcast #LiveTonight #MusicStorytelling #originofthepieces

Very excited to be working with incredible musicians @nic.pendlebury @colinriley_composer @goatgirlofficial on this fascinating and ambitious project of ocean-themed music, all held together by the amazing logistical support of @kate.dornan1 Premiering @firstlightlowestoft on 22nd June, then heading to the brand new Ocean Court at the @royalmuseumsgreenwich National Maritime Museum on 11th July. It’s been a joy to work on so far, and can’t wait to share this new music with you. Roll up! #ocean #worldoceansday #nationalmaritimemuseum #newmusic

Very happy to be doing a FREE family friendly show at the @britishlibrary this Saturday afternoon. See you there! And good luck shushing us, librarians…

It’s that time of year again when I make a heartfelt (and slightly wheezy) plea to festivals: please, please, please site your generators further from the stage. On stage last night the diesel fumes were intense—proper headache territory—and I was only up there for 90 minutes. Imagine the sound and lights crew next to it for 12 hours straight. I know site layouts are complicated, but this feels like a pretty basic ask for the health of everyone working hard to make the magic happen. #festivalproduction #musicianhealth #dieselfumes #stagemanager #crewlife #livemusicindustry #festivalsetup #livemusic

Hello. I am Steve Pretty.