Hello patrons,

Welcome to 2023! It’s funny to be starting the year by looking back on the last one. But Maya Angelou once said, “You can’t really know where you are going until you know where you’ve been.”

Last year I composed the score for Look Mum, No Hands!, a tender tale of friendship and growing up, a coming-of-age story about two friends testing their own boundaries, co-produced by Daryl & Co. and Mimbre. After a country-wide tour, they’ve released a trailer for the show here. As soon as more dates are announced, I’ll let you know.

The footage – shot on location at Docklands & Greenwich Festival in August 2022 – is taken from the show’s beginning. The opening number needed to capture the thrill and excitement of the protagonists meeting, and the push and pull of their boundary-testing. It also needed to capture the audience’s attention and bring them into the show’s world. So, through conversation with Daryl and Lina, I choose a light texture of airy synth pads, pillowy bass synths and bright piano, propelled along by a fast, 4/4 tempo.

Also listen out for a rhythmic sample of co-director, Daryl Beeton’s wheelchair and some chopped-up samples of a Greek baglama: an instrument I received as a gift in Christmas 2021, reminiscent of a mandolin. When I hear it, I picture the shimmering heat of the beach and the coast, something I associate with childhood, holidays, and play. I took it to the induction day of Music Patron, when I first met the other composers back in March 2022.

Watching this trailer, I also think about the earliest sketch of this track I made, and the journey it went on. Could it be good material to share with you? Let me know your thoughts!