Sam Thomas Releases debut album ‘Blind Theatre’ – out 7 October 2013 on Just Music –

Oct 8th Sam Thomas @ 333 Mother, Shoreditch

“Its almost unthinkable that someone can do anything truly new with guitar music anymore, as 60 or 70 years of it has exhausted so many possibilities, but we’ve never heard anything quite like this before. A wonderful introduction”  The Sound Of Confusion

“a wondrous instrumental journey through disparate soundscapes that veer between beautiful electronica and bone crunching post rock’” Goldflake Paint

‘Blind Theatre’ is the startling debut album by 25-year-old London-based studio prodigy Sam Thomas, a panoramic soundscape of moods, emotions and fearsome musical virtuosity. Recorded over a period of four years, the latter two with producer Mark Sutherland, the album presents a multi-hued aural and emotional journey, ebbing and flowing between stretches of pastoral calm and huge, swelling crescendos constructed from soaring walls of guitars and strings. Sam’s symphonic soundscapes touch on anything from blues-rock (Arnold’s Circus), space-funk (‘Ojera’), dubstep (the rusty bass-chain of ‘Gift’) to his beloved 1930s Disney cartoon soundtracks, which underpin the strong element of childhood nostalgia, particularly on the kids’ narrative of ‘I’m Gonna Be A Witch’.

Watch ‘I’m Gonna Be A Witch’:

Sam is equally as capable of setting up evocative mood pieces such as the piano-led ‘Isis’, (inspired by Devon and Cornwall’s rolling terrain) and crashing panorama of ‘North’, a perfect example of his suddenly-unleashed emotional surges being reflected in the music’s innate dynamics and frequent peaks. The ever-skyrocketing climax of ‘Lanterns’ can only be described as an aural Mount Everest, again highlighting the cinematic quality of much of the music (This side will be even more brought out on the next album gestating in his head: “I’d love to do more soundtracks as well as making albums”, he says). “I like big build-ups, starting with something quiet and nice, hopefully beautiful, then going massive and terrifying. I like to shake up people’s moods.”

Sam’s remarkable musical journey began with being born into a musical home environment, his mother a former opera singer. He started by taking percussion lessons at the age of four, finding that its linear notation appealed best to his dyslexic mind, harmonic notation was an issue so Sam had to learn other instruments in his own way, by ear. Percussion led to drum kit and by the time he was a teenager, Sam was teaching himself guitar, piano and bass, playing in his school’s swing band and orchestra. He also played cover versions and ‘very teenager first band type music, recording rough solo albums at home and playing with friends at school.

After leaving school, Sam undertook a commercial music course at the University of Westminster, learning about the music industry but, more importantly, it allowed free access to the establishment’s recording studios, where he continued creating his own music. His grand visions seem to have imbued his self-education and musical ambitions, Sam composed an epic 27 minute track, while continuing to feed his burgeoning heavy rock. By now, his musical tastes had further solidified, headed by his ‘holy trinity’ of Led Zeppelin, Guns ‘n’ Roses and, particularly, mid-period Pink Floyd, his biggest influence.

Armed with his 27 minute composition, he decided to try for a job in the music business, editing the work down into mood-dictated extracts for a demo CD and sending out 200 copies to assorted names. It’s maybe indicative of the old school music industry’s closed shop mindset that saw Sam get just one reply – from studio owner and Barber Shop production company honcho Chris Smith who, intrigued by what he heard, offered unpaid work experience. Fate smiled when, on the pair’s first night out in Camden, they met Just Music’s John Benedict, who was fascinated by Sam’s highly-individual style and gave the green light for an album – first day work experience, second day record deal! John brought in producer Mark Sutherland, and Sam’s original pieces became just the launch-pad for what turned into a studio odyssey and intense labour of love.

Sam insists that the album is best experienced as a whole, working on many emotional levels and dense with fresh discoveries on subsequent airings: a labour of love by a ferocious new talent, where music of the past has been distilled through one talented, relentlessly determined soul into something fresh and rivetingly new.