We're joined by author and musician, CJ Thorpe-Tracey on this week's Sheer Isolation. His loyal fanbase know him better as Chris TT. Over two decades, Chris released ten albums and over a hundred songs. The Huntsman Comes A-Marchin' was frequently covered by Frank Turner in his early days of touring. Chris has now published his first book - Buried …

It's about time we interviewed the man behind Sheer Music on this show! In this episode Jon talks to Kieran... He tells us how he caught the bug for organising and promoting live music, how he's spent close to 20 years supporting Wiltshire's venues and festivals, and also tells us what he's planning to do next! We play a couple of new tunes courtes…

We're playing out Part 2 of our Jimmy Watkins interview this week. Previously, Jimmy was telling us about how he set up the Running Punks - an online community which supports mental health by combining music and running. This week he talks more about his previous incarnations - including his time playing in alt-rock band Future of the Left, and the…

This week on Sheer Isolation we're joined by Mercyful Fate bassist, Becky Baldwin! That is THE Mercyful Fate - the iconic Danish metal 80s band. Originally from Trowbridge, Becky will soon be joining the band as they tour America; filling in for their usual bassist, Joey Vera. She tells us how this once-in-a-lifetime chance came about thanks to her…

Our guest on Sheer Isolation this week competed for Team GB in the 800 metres, and was in Welsh alt-rock band Future of the Left. But those stories will be told another time... This week, Jimmy Watkins is talking to us about a series of YouTube videos he made, and how they led to the creation of a new running club with a difference. Jimmy created R…

Every band needs merch. Corporate events need merch. People love buying merch! Our guest on this week's Sheer Isolation has been making merch for local and international artists for years. Nathan Gregory runs Hartmoor Merchandise from North Wiltshire - primarily printing T-shirts and the like, but if you want a logo put on something, he can help. H…

40 years ago, our guest on this week's Sheer Isolation was hanging out with the likes of The Beach Boys and Tammy Wynette, and writing features for magazines such as Smash Hits! Johnny Black has gone from village life in rural Scotland, to the bustle of London's music industry in the 80s, and now lives among the rolling hills of Wiltshire. In this …

Our guest on this week's Sheer Isolation is a sound and electronics engineer who's travelled the world over four decades designing, operating and repairing some seriously large and expensive sound desks and speakers! These days, Danny Kitainik is the man behind a modest little production company in Wiltshire, Serenity Audio. But Danny was behind ma…

It's not very often you come across a chap who has built his own amphitheatre so he can showcase live music and theatrical performances in his garden. But that's exactly what Dave Hartland has done at the Cotswold Sculpture Park. He's spent nearly three decades turning a field of weeds in the surroundings of the Cotswold Water Park into a unique tr…

Our guest this week on Sheer Isolation has his finger on the pulse of Salisbury's music scene. Thom Belk has been organising music nights in the city for over 15 years. He's currently in charge of the entertainment at Brown Street - a new venue on the site of The Chapel. Thom tells us about their plans for extending Brown Street, and how Salisbury …

Our guest on this week's Sheer Isolation is Oliver Phipps from the Wharf Theatre in Devizes. This historic building next to the Kennet & Avon Canal has been putting on stage shows for decades. It's recently undergone a major refurbishment and is opening it's doors to new audiences, offering more inclusive events and introducing youngsters to the wo…

We're talking to Harry Steele from Unthnkble on this week's Sheer Isolation - a Somerset based production company which specialises in creating music videos. Harry tells us about a recent project he worked on at Mick Jagger's house, and how he's hoping to expand into even larger productions with bigger budgets in years to come. He also tells us how…

Taking upcycling to a whole new level... we're joined on this week's Sheer Isolation by a chap who makes new guitars out of old pianos! Dom Allen from Scavenger Music reclaims materials from deceased uprights that are traded in at the music shop All Instruments in Westbury to save the whole piano going to landfill. He uses the salvaged timber to pr…

Our guest on this week's Sheer Isolation sets out to prove that print media isn't dead, by producing her own community publication. Kat Jones created Pseudonym Magazine after moving to Wiltshire from London, and realizing there was a gap in the market to promote the region's underground arts scene. Her team of volunteers are now working on the nint…

On this week's Sheer Isolation we talk to Phil Moakes from Visual Radio Arts in Devizes. VRA is an independent studio where local musicians and bands can record live sessions of original tracks with both professional quality sound and high definition, multi-camera video. Phil tells us how the session recordings began in the early days of Frome FM, …

Lee Laverack has taken to stages throughout the world, in front of packed venues and stadia for more than a decade, and yet he's never had a chart hit. That's because he's the guy who sets up instruments, mops up spilt beers mid-performance and says those most famous words in the world of rock; "Check One Two". Lee joins us on Sheer Isolation this …

We're joined on Sheer Isolation this week by founder of the Swindon Jazz and Soul Festival, Evie Em-Jay. We spoke to Evie last year when the town's jazz nights were just starting up again following lockdown. April's Jazz and Soul Festival will only be the second time this event has been held. She successfully established it in 2019, and has been fo…

Steampunk chap-hop rap artist and self confessed nerd, Professor Elemental, is joining us on Sheer Isolation this week. The Professor has been recording and touring his quintessentially British rap tracks for over a decade, performing in venues across Europe and the States. His unique music style and on-brand appearance has given rise to an impress…

Joining us on Sheer Isolation this week is Gerry Watkins from the Moonlight Eclipse Project. This newly created community programme aims to support low income families, vulnerable people and the homeless in Cirencester and the south Cotswolds. Gerry has been dedicating his spare time to this and similar good causes for over 20 years, and uses his o…

Calling all musicians who are interested in playing gigs in care homes, schools and hospitals... The charity Live Music Now is looking for new acts to add to their contact list. We're joined by the Director for the South West branch, Sophie Dunn, who tells us more about their work in communities across the country, and how delivering live music to …

On this week's Sheer Isolation we chat with yoga teacher, reggae fan and ex-raver, Marc White. Marc now hosts regular yoga classes in Trowbridge, but he has previously toured the world absorbing different rave and dance music cultures around the globe. He's dusting off his extensive collection of reggae vinyl for a special DJ night in the town in A…

Our guest on this week's Sheer Isolation is the man who came up with the concept of pop-up orchestras, Swindon's very own Shaun Buswell. By approaching strangers in train stations who were carrying instruments, Shaun has successfully formed and created full size orchestras in the UK and Europe. His next performance is happening next month in London…

We've talked to some jokers on these shows before, but this week we are literally joined by a clown. The face of Giffords Circus, Tweedy, is our guest on Sheer Isolation. The Stroud based performers will be touring the south of England from April, clocking up nearly 300 shows in 14 venues. Tweedy has an (uncharacteristic) sensible chat with us abou…

On this week's Sheer Isolation we talk to the Frome DJ Nina Casey (aka Nina LoVe) about her new project to boost interest in learning new music skills. Purple Noise offers workshops and advice to provide experience working in studios, producing music, and lessons in live DJing. They have a fully kitted out recording and rehearsal space in Trowbridg…

Welcome to 2022! We're looking forward to bringing you another year of programming full of tunes, interviews and news from the West of England's music and art scenes. On Sheer Isolation this week we're joined by Bristol based Sound Designer, Joseff Harris. He's the guy to call if you're producing a theatre production and need someone to make bespok…

On Sheer Isolation this week we're joined by a musician, teacher and promoter who's been a consistent part of Cirencester's music scene for four decades. John Parker talks about forming his first college bands in the eighties, his cheeky way of booking gigs in unsuspecting pubs, and how musicians used to get their sound heard before social media. W…

We're joined on Sheer Isolation this week by artist, Callan Milward. As well as being a musical artist with Dorset rockers, Weatherstate, he also dabbles in graphic design - especially creating artwork for gig posters. Callan tells us how he went into art design professionally for a whole month, that Weatherstate are now signed and have a new album…

This week's guest on Sheer Isolation has dedicated her life to creating music videos for local artists, documenting art projects, helping Swindon's school-leavers on their first steps towards a career in media, as well as finding time to work on her own artwork, it's the founder of Magic Torch Productions, Jaime Bullock. We talk to her about how ha…

We're joined on this week's Sheer Isolation by the owner of the Nine Volt Leap recording studio in Melksham; Dominic Bailey-Clay. His small team of friends created the town centre studio space from nothing, and he's now dealing with a steady stream of recording jobs from local and national artists alike. Dominic tells us about the early days of the…

On this week's Sheer Isolation we're joined by actor, stage performer and writer, Flo Espeut-Nickless. Her one-woman show, Destiny, is a semi-autobiographical take of growing up on a Chippenham council estate. She created the show to dispel the stereotype that everyone in Wiltshire is wealthy and well spoken. She's now in talks to adapt Destiny for…

A new community centre has recently opened in the centre of Swindon. Our guest this week is Julian Jones who is part of the Swindon Hub project. The site, which took over the derelict River Island store last month includes a café, exhibition space, workshop areas and a venue hall. Organisers are already planning events including theatre shows, gues…

This week's Sheer Isolation is a fascinating listen for anyone wanting to get into music promotion. We're joined by Tim Orchard from Purr Records - a Bath based promotion and record label during the 2000s. Tim talks about how he first got into music nights at Moles Club in the centre of Bath, how he introduced foreign bands onto the UK scene, and s…

To mark the week when The Village Pump in Trowbridge re-opens for live events, we talk to local folk singer and one of the Pump's restoration volunteers, Rosie Upton, who's been a key player in the success of the venue for five decades. She tells us what the folk club was like in the seventies, how it was reborn nearly 20 years ago, and how the Pum…

Living with autism can be frustrating for yourself and the people around you, especially when young children are involved. This week's guest has played a crucial role in increasing understanding and tolerance of autistic behaviours in schools across the UK. Swindon artist, Sumita Majumdar, is part of the team behind Pablo; a CBeebies series where t…

On Sheer Isolation this week we're joined by property developer, Jonathan Dean. He owns the Innox Mills in Trowbridge - a former sausage factory which is currently a derelict site that sits between the town centre and the train station. He tells us his ambition to bring a 'little piece of Camden' to Wiltshire by including in his redevelopment plans…

Joining us on this week's Sheer Isolation is songwriter and artist, Alan Pettifer. He's launching a new, monthly music night in North Wiltshire which brings together the best components from every folk night, open mic and charity show he's ever performed at. As well as promoting the Crudwell Music Club, he also talks about his time frequenting Germ…

Regular music nights are appearing back on the pub chalkboards as life continues to return to normal. That's music to the ears of this week's guest, Evie Em-Jay, who organises weekly jazz nights in Swindon. She talks to us about how she fell in love with the genre, and how she ended up being Swindon's premier jazz promoter. Her weekly music nights …

We're talking to Mike Williams on this week's Sheer Isolation, who is part of the team behind Corsham's Pound Arts venue. The town centre site includes a 100 seat auditorium for live events, exhibition spaces for artists, rehearsal rooms, workshops and a cafe. Mike explains how the centre has evolved into a community hub, with lots of Corsham's res…

This week's guest on Sheer Isolation is going old-school to help share community successes across the centre of Wiltshire. Ben Parkes is part of the team behind the newly launched Celebrate newspaper in Trowbridge. The idea of the paper is to promote local events, share good news stories and encourage more people to make their home town a more chee…

It was bound to happen eventually! We've turned the spotlight on ourselves for this week's Sheer Isolation. Our very own Jon Ponting explains how we grew from a local radio journalist to presenting and editing your favourite podcast about musicians from the West. He looks back on hosting open mic nights across North Wiltshire and the Cotswolds, hel…

For over two decades, a dedicated team has been working in Chippenham to reach out to marginalised communities and to offer support to the disaffected through music, film, art and sport. Ed Deedigan is the Director of Kandu Arts. He joins us on this week's Sheer Isolation to look back at how the project started, to promote their upcoming music and …

The Trowbridge Village Pump Festival has been a regular event on the summer calendar for decades, but in more recent years the musical line-up took a different turn, a new site meant the festival moved away from it's home town, and the organisers eventually called it a day. But after a successful one-off event in 2018, our guest this week has plans…

Our guest on Sheer Isolation this week has made it his mission to get the West's youngsters engaged with classical, opera and choir music. Adam Laughton is part of the team at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford-on-Avon - a venue which showcases genres of music traditionally considered highbrow, while ensuring performances are fully inclusive, w…

We are joined on this week's Sheer Isolation by Wiltshire's very own Kirsty Clinch. Kirsty is a folk musician who has more recently turned her attention to creating songs for toddlers. Over lockdown she illustrated and authored a children's song book which links to a series of short music videos on YouTube that she also produced. On top of this, sh…

After 63 episodes, this will be the last Sheer Isolation... to be recorded under Covid restrictions! Don't worry... we aren't ready to retire the show just yet! This week our guest is Dan Greeves who has recently set up his own music management business and plans to offer an alternative way for acts to get their music heard. The first band on the P…

On this week's Sheer Isolation we're joined by Sam Robinson, who's part of the team at Marlborough's CD & vinyl shop, Sound Knowledge. As well as the retail side, Sound Knowledge is also known for putting on in-store gigs and has hosted the likes of Ed Sheeran and Everything Everything since the shop was founded in the '90s. We talk about the resur…

There are plans underway to turn a large, unused bandstand in the centre of Trowbridge into an active, outdoor stage for live performances this summer. The project is being led by Sally Snail who has promoted grassroots dance, music and stage shows in Wiltshire for more than two decades through her Starry Eyes project. She joins us on this week's S…

We're joined on this week's Sheer Isolation by musician, model maker and ecologist, Tom Haynes, a.k.a. Grasslands. Tom tells us about how he got to tell off Jeremy Clarkson for wanting to build a pond, and how that ended up featuring on the TV star's new Amazon Prime series; Clarkson's Farm. He also talks about recording sounds in nature which he c…

This week's Sheer Isolation is dedicated to the memory of Dave Young, who passed away last week. Before retiring, Dave was the man behind two of Swindon's most respected music venues - the Victoria and the 12Bar. He had an incredible passion for live music and was a key player in promoting grassroots artists, as well as bringing internationally kno…

We're joined on this week's Sheer Isolation by Tom Mallard from the Riverbank Studios in Chippenham. This community based recording and rehearsal studio offers support to teens through tutoring, reachout programmes, and giving young people a space to work together on musical projects. As if the impact of Covid wasn't bad enough, Riverbank also lost…