i am now through the eye of the needle
flakebelly is an enigmatic songsmith from The Orkney Islands, blurring the boundaries between indie rock and acoustic folk-jazz. His music has a unique blend of various beautifully harmonized genres that create a distinct sound and capture the soul.
His journey as a musician began in the early 1980s in England. As a child, he mimed to The Beatles and 50's Rock 'n' Roll mix cassettes with a tennis racket. Watching himself in the reflection of his parent's microwave, he dreamed of creating music that would evoke emotions in his listeners. At the age of 15, he picked up a guitar and has been playing ever since.
flakebelly's music has always been about experimenting with new sounds and pushing at the margins of traditional genres. He seamlessly blends jazzy pianos, soaring high-end vocals, and sizzling blues guitar riffs to frame his introspective, poetic lyrics. His music can be acoustic, drawing from the well of traditional finger-picked styles of the British Isles. Still, it can also be electric, allowing funky drumming, chugging bass guitar, and his more indie-rock and psychedelic affectations to shine.
In 2020, flakebelly released his debut album, 'Rotten!' in a lo-fidelity, home-recorded format, showcasing his diverse range of musical styles. After a string of singles, offering him more opportunities to explore and evolve his sound, he published an acoustic indie-folk EP, 'Behaviours' in 2022. With his new full-length album 'Apprentice Green' slated for release in late 2023, flakebelly has returned to his experimental, psychedelic roots with a clutch of mind-bending missives first demoed around 2003, when he was still a short-trousered wee nipper.
Recently, flakebelly moved to a distant Scottish island and built a small home studio, where he is currently learning to self-record, mix and master his ever-evolving catalogue of songs. His music is a reflection of his unique personality, and his journey as a musician continues to inspire others to experiment and explore their creative potential.
