Richard Dawson (musician)

Dawson grew up in Newcastle and became interested in singing as a child, attempting to emulate American singers such as Faith No More's Mike Patton. The music for this project is long-form ambient drone music, without vocals. The albums The Glass Trunk (2013) and Nothing Important (2014) feature collaborations with harpist Rhodri Davies, who Dawson describes as "somewhat of a kindred spirit". Dawson and Davies have since also released records as the band Hen Ogledd, and Dawson has also released solo material pseudonymously under the name "Eyeballs". Dawson has also performed in the groups Hot Fog with Mike Vest (Bong), Moon with Ben Jones and Sarah Sullivan (Jazzfinger), and played a handful of shows on guitar with Khunnt. ==Instruments==

Dawson writes and records on a Baby Taylor guitar that he has owned since his twenties, noting: "Every song I've written since my twenties has been written on that. We're sort of bound. I'm very familiar with it and it is with me." Dawson no longer tours with the guitar after a series of accidents befell the instrument: "There was a minor earthquake in the UK and I'd forgotten I'd put it on the floor, and I stood on it, but it was still playable. The second time I was drunk and I totally caved it in, but it still made a sound of sorts. I thought, 'Well, I'll just play the songs the same, the spirit will still be there even if it sounds terrible.' Then [singer-songwriter] Nev Clay stood on it and totally broke it – it was my fault. A luthier Nigel Forster put a beautiful curved top on it, and it was vastly improved. Then the neck snapped on the first day of the Peasant tour." Since Nothing Important, Dawson has played his guitars through a Fender and an Orange amplifier in series. He also used synthesized sounds from an iOS application, ThumbJam, and played saxophone despite having only a rudimentary knowledge of the instrument. ==Lyrics and themes==

Lyrically, Dawson's material deals with dark subjects such as death. For The Glass Trunk, he searched the Tyne and Wear Archives catalogue for "death" and took inspiration from old news stories involving murder and bodily harm. The track "The Vile Stuff" from Nothing Important describes a continuous narrative of events, including one where Dawson pierced his hand with a screwdriver attempting to crack a coconut shell while on a school trip. ==Discography==

Studio albums • Richard Dawson Sings Songs and Plays Guitar (2005) • The Magic Bridge (2011) • The Glass Trunk (2013) • Nothing Important (2014) • Peasant (2017) • 2020 (2019) • Henki (2021) (with Circle) • The Ruby Cord (2022) • End of the Middle (2025) Compilations • Republic of Geordieland (2020) As Eye Balls • Europa (2008) • The Roof of The World (2008) • Sea of William Henry Smyth (2008) • Seal-Skin Satellite (2008) • The Invisible Castle (2009) • The Quest (2009) • Thief of Men (2009) • Treasure (2009) • Eyeballs/Gareth Hardwick split (2009) • Eyeballs/White Dwarf Spiral split (2009) with Hen Ogledd • Dawson-Davies: Hen Ogledd with Rhodri Davies (2013) • Bronze by Hen Ogledd (Richard Dawson, Rhodri Davies and Dawn Bothwell) (2016) • Mogic by Hen Ogledd (Richard Dawson, Rhodri Davies, Dawn Bothwell, Sally Pilkington, Will Guthrie) (2018) • Free Humans by Hen Ogledd (Richard Dawson, Rhodri Davies, Dawn Bothwell and Sally Pilkington) (2020) • No Wood Accepted (EP) by Hen Ogledd (Richard Dawson, Rhodri Davies, Dawn Bothwell and Sally Pilkington) (2021) Collaborations • Dawson May Jazzfinger Clay with Nev Clay, Ally May and Jazzfinger (2009) • Moon — Diseasing Rock Who with Ben Jones and Sarah Sullivan (2011) Additionally, over 80 short-form releases with Sally Pilkington as Bulbils since 2020. Soundtracks • Motherland (2008) Appearances • Stick In The Wheel presents From Here: English Folk Field Recordings Volume 2 (2019) • The Sky Was A Mouth Again (2025) ==References==