Graham Graham Beck
strangeness in the ordinary
About me...
HELLO, & WELCOME TO MY WEBSITE!
NEW ALBUM RELEASE! 13th OCTOBER - 'MISH MASH THRASH CRASH'. 13 tracks of unmitigated pleasure (but what you make of it, well...). It will be available on Bandcamp (CD & download), & other digital platforms (for download/streaming only).
QUOTES:
"Captain Beefheart, Half Man Half Biscuit & Frank Sidebottom, all rolled into one." - (TOM ROBINSON - Musician & former BBC 6 MUSIC presenter)
'If Neil Hannon was replaced in the Divine Comedy by Frank Sidebottom this is what it might have sounded like.' - {MORE ABOUT THE DEVIL - blogger for emerging talent - GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL)
"The Man Of Heads." - (as named by the great ARTHUR BROWN - The Crazy World Of...)
My 13th SOLO ALBUM, MISH MASH THRASH CRASH, is due out 13th October 2026. Meanwhile, the last album, 'IT'S NICE TO BE NICHE' (released 13th October 2024), can be bought via the online shop ('Buy' button), CD version (with FREE digital download), or just the download at a VERY reasonable price! Here's a direct Bandcamp link: https://grahambeck.bandcamp.com/album/its-nice-to-... My stage act blurs the boundaries between music, visual performance & comedy. The songs bring out the 'strangeness' in 'the ordinary', & the even-stranger in the extra-ordinary. Just one man, one voice & his home keyboard (with auto-accompaniment)...& possibly a sampler. A few stage props might also feature. I write songs about the small, but important, things in life - such as biscuits, cake, failing at school swimming lessons, mistaken identities, Batman, a multi-legged chicken, flying saucers... The tunes can be quite catchy (in an odd way), & range from New Wave, post-Punk, Art Pop, Jazz, through to Latin American & even Big Band/Vaudeville! I am predictably unpredictable, family-friendly & entertaining (so I've been told). I have been described as 'Surrealist Punk-Pop Cabaret', someone who 'subverts the ordinary', a mature punk & 'Art Performance'. Influences are: Frank Sidebottom, Bonzo Dog, Yello, Dave Brubeck, The Tubes, Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven, Devo, Max Wall, Jake Thackray & Arthur Brown. There are more...
Gigs coming up...
2026:
- OCTOBER 9th - live session (promoting the new album) on THE FOX'S DEN SHOW (VIXEN 101FM). 9pm - midnight.
- OCTOBER 10th - private function, Hull.
- OCTOBER 11th - private house event, Hull.
- OCTOBER 14th - WRECKING BALL (groundfloor stage), HULL. A small & intimate 'Album launch' gig of MISH MASH THRASH CRASH. Songs from the album, plus a few 'old favourites'. Less stage props, more music! (Doors open 6pm) 7-9pm. Tickets (only £5) available via link: https://wreckingballarts.com/products/graham-graha...
2027:
- MAY 15th - MOJO'S MUSIC CAFE, Scarborough (N. Yorkshire) - 3:00pm, with a 'Cafe Society' sort-of set.
In the meantime, I shall be busily working on new songs - for the next album - & projects (plus a possible autobiography!). Please get in touch if you'd like me to play - for any events, including private functions, small festivals, big festivals, street performance, house/garden, garden shed, concerts, cafes, village fetes, supermarket openings...
MORE QUOTES from Tom Robinson - (Musician & former BBC6 MUSIC presenter):
- "Mr. Beck is a visual performance artist, songwriter, soundscapist, synth twiddler & architect of extravagant onstage theatrics, & I'm a long-standing fan of his work."
- "I can't believe more people haven't played him on the radio!"
PLEASE NOTE: I am my very own tribute band.
Albums & other stuff...
Songs have been broadcast on BBC6 Music, by TOM ROBINSON, BBC INTRODUCING & BBC RADIO HUMBERSIDE (including other regional radio shows around the country). They've also been featured on the BBC6 MUSIC MIXTAPE, with 'I Saw A Flying Saucer' having been Tom Robinson's 'Tip Of The Week'! Yes, I WAS on ITV's BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT, two years running (2018 & 2019). Video evidence is available (alas)! There's also a (very) short documentary about me, that appeared on BBC NEWS Online (& BBC's LOOK NORTH) the other year. Here's the link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-humber-50323032/cardboard-box-heads-transformed-my-confidence?SThisFB&fbclid=IwAR02jhpi2aCbTJAffKl16gbmXbOb4-05JR9JonQT6UHSKFDFFgE9xenbtHs My first solo album, 'A BATHFUL OF NASTURTIUMS' (2013) through to 'IT'S NICE TO BE NICHE' (OCT. 2024), can all be bought via the 'Buy' tab, CDs & digital downloads (at ridiculously low prices) on my Bandcamp.com online shop https://grahambeck.bandcamp.com/ - as well as all the major digital platforms (iTunes, Amazon Music etc.). Other merchandise is available at gigs, including badges, keyrings, fridge magnets, postcards, t-shirts (can be posted - please email me if interested), mugs, & of course CD albums, plus other merchandise on it's way.
