My name is Wes Chamberlain (born Hugh Chamberlain), I'm 18 years old and I am a solo artist from Devon. I write, produce and record music to then show to the world, but also to let go of feelings or to make my feelings known. I've been playing music since the age of 4 where I first took up piano lessons but became uninterested quickly when I found Old MacDonald to get a bit boring. I really got into music when I was 7 after my parents buying me my first guitar from all places, Lidl, I then took up lessons in classical before switching to electric when getting to secondary school.
I fell in love with Queen and Black Sabbath from a fairly early age, so these inspired my guitar techinque and style but then what really inspired my current style were artists like The Smiths, Gus Dapperton, The Beatles and Mac DeMarco. With my love for 80's music and Indie Pop artists like Gus Dapperton and Boy Pablo, my fascination for synthesis started to grow.
A personal favourite synth of mine is the Roland Juno-106, a classic 80's synthesiser which makes the mouth water due to it's beautiful chorus sounds, D-50's, DX7's, Jupiter 8's, Prophet 5's and JV-1080's are also up there as some of my big loves.
I'm currently studying Commercial Music BA(Hons) at Bath Spa University and I'm getting ready to take bath by storm!
Last year, I released two singles and an EP, Duvet (February 8th), I Didn't Laugh (June 27th) and A Nebulous Vision (August 1st). They explore many feelings I have felt through depression, anxiety and panic over the last few years of my life.
This year I have already released two singles When A Good Man Goes To War (April 9th) and Don't Run (May 14th) which are odes to people around me who face the world with steel shoulder. My new EP came on June 18th called Power & Conflict which focuses on the power of the word and the internal and external conflicts of the day to day world.
I have really been focussing on improved my recording and composing techniques, since I personally felt I behaved deludedly when releasing A Nebulous Vision. I still love the record and I do like the sound. But I could’ve done more yet less, Lockdown 2020 gave me so much time to experiment and in the end I chose not to use guitar amplifiers and go for simpler, 60’s style techniques on drums using only a stereo system. By today’s standards, in my opinion, didn’t hold up.
But ‘A Nebulous Vision’ is still very close to my heart and I adore playing the songs live, particularly ‘Pathetic Fallacy’ which has received the most praise out of the 6.
Power & Conflict, to me, is a delicate, intimate, conversation. I spent the best part of 9 months preparing for this EP. Many people familiar with the United Kingdom’s GCSE English Literature Exam will realise that Power & Conflict is one of the poetic themes you may study. It felt fitting for me to draw back on that. English Literature and English in general has never been my strong subject and for a time I even had a tutor. But I always felt strongest in poetic form. The world we live in is constantly analogised and fascinatingly linked in ways the naked eye cannot see.
I simply love using metaphors, Multiversal Man and Heavy Head On The Belly very much focus on this and I will leave you to decode them.
I have also recently released (date of statement: November 14th 2021) ‘Roaccutane: An Instrumental Story’ or as shown on streaming platforms ‘Roaccutane’. This shows through the language of melody and frequency, how my time came to an end on the medication Roaccutane and how thankful I was to be off it. Because it was one of the hardest times of my 17 years on this planet. Which I understand isn’t much, but everything is relative.
I have also just released last week my first acoustic EP (Try To Take It Slow - Acoustic Versions) which has 6 songs, consisting of old, new and unreleased. I wanted to share an intimate, stripped back, somewhat lazy sound, it’s amateur and I love it for that. There’s no hiding behind a band, it’s me and a guitar. There’s vulnerability that I haven’t shown before, I mess up vocals, I leave weird pauses, I accidentally mute my guitar. But I went in to it telling myself, if I mess up, perfect. If I don’t, I need to imagine there’s guns pointed at me. There’s no better way to show vulnerability than through music. I’m ready for criticism, I’m ready for people to not like it, because I’m not doing it for them. I’m doing it for those who get it. It makes sense to us, whether you are a musician, a sales assistant, a barber, an electrician or an accountant (just to amuse Steady Zee), everyone is vulnerable and that is okay.
As of October 2022, the outreach I have had has elevated hugely and I have been very fortunate to have had some amazing perfoming opportunities in at big venues this year, including Exeter Phoenix, Cavern Club, Yarty Party Festival and Ashburton Arts Centre just to name a few. I'd like to take a moment thank everyone who supported me this year and gave me some incredible opportunities, I really wouldn't be here without the support I have around me.
I fell in love with Queen and Black Sabbath from a fairly early age, so these inspired my guitar techinque and style but then what really inspired my current style were artists like The Smiths, Gus Dapperton, The Beatles and Mac DeMarco. With my love for 80's music and Indie Pop artists like Gus Dapperton and Boy Pablo, my fascination for synthesis started to grow.
A personal favourite synth of mine is the Roland Juno-106, a classic 80's synthesiser which makes the mouth water due to it's beautiful chorus sounds, D-50's, DX7's, Jupiter 8's, Prophet 5's and JV-1080's are also up there as some of my big loves.
I'm currently studying Commercial Music BA(Hons) at Bath Spa University and I'm getting ready to take bath by storm!
Last year, I released two singles and an EP, Duvet (February 8th), I Didn't Laugh (June 27th) and A Nebulous Vision (August 1st). They explore many feelings I have felt through depression, anxiety and panic over the last few years of my life.
This year I have already released two singles When A Good Man Goes To War (April 9th) and Don't Run (May 14th) which are odes to people around me who face the world with steel shoulder. My new EP came on June 18th called Power & Conflict which focuses on the power of the word and the internal and external conflicts of the day to day world.
I have really been focussing on improved my recording and composing techniques, since I personally felt I behaved deludedly when releasing A Nebulous Vision. I still love the record and I do like the sound. But I could’ve done more yet less, Lockdown 2020 gave me so much time to experiment and in the end I chose not to use guitar amplifiers and go for simpler, 60’s style techniques on drums using only a stereo system. By today’s standards, in my opinion, didn’t hold up.
But ‘A Nebulous Vision’ is still very close to my heart and I adore playing the songs live, particularly ‘Pathetic Fallacy’ which has received the most praise out of the 6.
Power & Conflict, to me, is a delicate, intimate, conversation. I spent the best part of 9 months preparing for this EP. Many people familiar with the United Kingdom’s GCSE English Literature Exam will realise that Power & Conflict is one of the poetic themes you may study. It felt fitting for me to draw back on that. English Literature and English in general has never been my strong subject and for a time I even had a tutor. But I always felt strongest in poetic form. The world we live in is constantly analogised and fascinatingly linked in ways the naked eye cannot see.
I simply love using metaphors, Multiversal Man and Heavy Head On The Belly very much focus on this and I will leave you to decode them.
I have also recently released (date of statement: November 14th 2021) ‘Roaccutane: An Instrumental Story’ or as shown on streaming platforms ‘Roaccutane’. This shows through the language of melody and frequency, how my time came to an end on the medication Roaccutane and how thankful I was to be off it. Because it was one of the hardest times of my 17 years on this planet. Which I understand isn’t much, but everything is relative.
I have also just released last week my first acoustic EP (Try To Take It Slow - Acoustic Versions) which has 6 songs, consisting of old, new and unreleased. I wanted to share an intimate, stripped back, somewhat lazy sound, it’s amateur and I love it for that. There’s no hiding behind a band, it’s me and a guitar. There’s vulnerability that I haven’t shown before, I mess up vocals, I leave weird pauses, I accidentally mute my guitar. But I went in to it telling myself, if I mess up, perfect. If I don’t, I need to imagine there’s guns pointed at me. There’s no better way to show vulnerability than through music. I’m ready for criticism, I’m ready for people to not like it, because I’m not doing it for them. I’m doing it for those who get it. It makes sense to us, whether you are a musician, a sales assistant, a barber, an electrician or an accountant (just to amuse Steady Zee), everyone is vulnerable and that is okay.
As of October 2022, the outreach I have had has elevated hugely and I have been very fortunate to have had some amazing perfoming opportunities in at big venues this year, including Exeter Phoenix, Cavern Club, Yarty Party Festival and Ashburton Arts Centre just to name a few. I'd like to take a moment thank everyone who supported me this year and gave me some incredible opportunities, I really wouldn't be here without the support I have around me.