I had a chat with new gothic/synth artist Tyburn Blossom about his music, inspirations and what's next!
Hey, how are you today?
Hello... I always strive to maintain a balanced ego state, to remain stoic and meet the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune with equanimity and poise. So... I am fine, thank you.
How would you describe your own music?
It seems too obvious to reply "Oh it can't be categorised" or something similar, though that is how I feel about it personally. As an independant musician, I am currently doing everything myself, writing, performing, recording and producing, and the sound you hear is just what comes out naturally, rather than something I try to mould into a certain form. However I appreciate that easy descripters are helpful to the uninitiated, so; a churning couldron suffused with political radicalism, existential philosophy, situationist action, Gothic, Glam and New Romantic aesthetics, and a unique blend of post-punk guitar, rock stylings, and synth-pop detachment.
What is your favourite song that you have written?
Some artists find answering this question difficult. I know for certain which ones are not my favourites, so it is relatively easy to decide on contenders for the title. 'Counterpoint', the title track on my debut album, or '(There's No Such Thing As) Too Young To Die' - also on the album - I am very fond of. The former is enjoyable to perform as it has a slower pace than some tracks written before it, and I am increasingly finding that less frentic songs lend themselves much more to the kind of vocal style I am aiming for. The lyrics, too, I like, but people can check these out for themselves. The latter selection just encapsulates the sound I am pursuing better than other songs do, I feel - I've been told it sounds like the 1980's, which is basically the biggest compliment anyone could ever give me.
What is the story behind your newest track 'The Catch Is Better Than The Chase'?
Well now... I don't know if you are fimiliar with 'The Chase Is Better Than The Catch' by Motorhead, but when I first heard that many years ago, my first thought was that, much as I admire Lemmy, the title seemed very cliched. I mean, everyone says that... "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey," etc. etc... So I remember thinking. "one day, I will write a song correcting that assertion." I finally got around to it... and it is not only me being contrary, the lyrics describe my genuine thoughts on the subject. Let's assume Lemmy was referring specifically to pursuits of a carnal nature (which I think is a safe assumption); in these situations, the catch is by definition better than the chase, since if it was not, people would not bother with the 'chase' stage... the reward is always greater than the means of aquiring it, or people would never do anything, and that applies more broadly in life too. Also, I had that synth riff going around my head for a long time, and found that when I combined it with some programmed drums it was crying out for a refrain that fit... I felt that 'The Catch Is Better Than The Chase' did the job.
Who would you say are your musical inspirations?
How long have you got...? There are many... I often think that the great artists of days gone by, such as Jim Morrison of The Doors, had things a lot easier in a number of ways; one of these was that rock music before them was, if not quite a blank slate, certainly less crowded with personas and ideas than it later became.There are so many influences, some more concious than others... I would like to try and avoid mentioning specific people, though I just did above, as I am aware of the folly of inviting people to 'like me for who I like'. I don't want to put words into people's mouths... it should really be for others to tell me who they think I am inspired by, if they feel like it. Essentially, any rock artist from the 1950's to the year 2000 (maybe one or two since then) who wrote original material and understood the importance of visual presentation as well as a cool sound. I am interested in... it's a varied and tortously long list.
I think it's really cool to see someone bringing a style of music that isn't really present at the moment. How did you end up playing this kind of stuff?
Welll firstly, thank you very much for saying so, it is heartening to hear when someone appreciates both the music and the fact that it is somewhat different from much else out there. I suppose the kind of noise Tyburn Blossom makes is what you get when a music obsessive who has been through Mod, glam rock, punk, glam metal, New Romantic, Goth, indie and grunge 'phases', and never really grown out of most of them, decides to finally pursue his vision after realising that not only does it not fit comfortably into any of those genres, but it is probably all the better for not doing so. I have never been part of a specific 'scene', nor had any desire to be... I keep ploughing my own furrow, as it were, and it just so happens that that path is not trodden by many others, if anyone at all.
What would you say is the goal for Tyburn Blossom?
Simply put, be the kind of musical artist I wish still existed. I bemoan the lack of image-conscious, authentically-focused bands and singers ad infinitum to anyone who will listen. So rather than waiting for someone else to take up the mantle of counter-cultural old-school glam-goth-rock as though the millenium never happend, I am doing it myself, and continuing to do so, while everywhere else the lines between real art and manufactured materialist poison continue to be blurred, is my goal.
With the world starting to open up again what are you most excited about being able to do again?
Well that I can answer in one word: travel. Where I am currently based, there have been fewer restrictions on people's freedom to move than in other places, which has suited me very well. However moving between countries, which I used to do a lot, remains difficult and I am not convinced it will entirely return to how it was before, any time soon. If and when it does however, I hope to resume travelling, and touring, as much as possible.
What have you missed most about live shows?
Again, quite easy to answer, without a doubt, the opportunity to meet people who appreciate the music, in person. The internet has many faults in my opinion, and one of them is that there is no substitute for live performance, and I think the best part of live performance is the ability to have genuine and meaningful interaction with those who 'get' what I am doing. Even just the exchange of a few words after a show sums up what it is all about, for me; if someone likes my art and makes the effort to tell me so, that is all the encouragement I would need to continue (if there was ever any chance of me stopping, which there is not, since I play music because I want to; but it is a much-appreciated bonus when others understand what I am saying.)
Do you have anything coming up that you would like to share?
Details of live dates will be posted at www.tyburnblossom.net
and my other profiles as soon as they are confirmed; otherwise, except a couple of new singles, ahead of my second album which I hope to begin work on in the next few weeks, with the aim of recording over the winter and releasing in 2022. In the meantime, the results of Tyburn Blossom's various musical experiments will continue to surface on Youtube and Soundcloud on a regular basis.
Before finishing up I'm gonna ask a few this or that questions:
Night or morning?
It will come as a surprise to no-one that my answer to this is 'Night'. That is of course the expected response, but it is true; not that I do not appreciate the beauty of the dawn but if I did not have to, I probably would never get out of bed before noon ever again. Now, to paraphrase Brandon Lee, "how many more times will one stop and really see the sunrise... Perhaps 20 times," and we all know what happened to him. So, mornings and daylight are important, no doubt. But it is a fact that I am more crepuscular and nocturnal than I am diurnal.
Fiction or nonfiction?
I have a foot in both of these camps. I strongly tend towards fiction, and by that I mean - with a few exceptions perhaps - anything written up until approximately the middle of the last century. The great literature of the past is edifying and intellectually stimulating; on the other hand, to take the bodily - extremity turns of phrase even further, the universe is a fascinating place, even if our corner of it is often a depressing one, so non-fiction does have its moments, I choose fiction.
Social media message or text?
Neither... I recognise the unlikelihood of this happening in the year 2021 or beyond, but what I would choose over either of those is a hand-written letter, prefferably pages and pages long and featuring liberal use of green ink, glued-on pictures of appropriate musical and literary figures, and other personal touches. I lean towards any form on communication that requires participants to go to uncommon lengths rather than just take the easiest option.
Lastly I just want to say thank you for doing this. Is there anything you would like to say for people reading this?
In conclusion, you are very welcome and thank you for taking the time to listen to Tyburn Blossom's music and prepare this interview. Promoting independant musicians and giving them a platform to be heard is a noble endeavour, and I am sure I speak for all of us when I say that what you do is greatly appreciated. To those interested, patient or bored enough to have persisted and read my answers this far I say "haven't you got anything better to do?" But seriously - "without music, life would be a mistake". Tyburn Blossom can help you make the right choice.
Interview by Kayleigh McKenzie
Check out Tyburn Blossom at
