Outsider Music Live
Outsider Music Live is a group made up of people who took part in our projects and wanted to work together beyond the funded sessions or past the course of care they received from the health system. Self organised, where individuals who had a history of mental health would gather and share their life experiences, which were painful and hard to express. They could come together as peers and support each other, creating new music where their stories could be given relevance and new life to move forward and begin to heal.
We meet weekly at Higher Potential in Brent studios and have a monthly residency at The Antwerp Arms in Tottenham. You can follow us at our website and eventbrite, new members ad collaboration are always welcome!
Outsider Music Originals: https://www.outsidermusicoriginals.com/
Outsider Music Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/outsider-music-60799436593
Meet the Musicians
These are a few of our group members, you can find out about our motivations, influences and check out our music online below
Vicky
Born in London, my favourite music comes from female artists.
My music is a look back into the past at the people and experiences in my life, All my songs are about my personal experiences, I've tried to steer clear of making negative songs but some songs have undertones of sadness.
I'm now working with Outsider music to bring my music to life in studio quality.
I use GarageBand to create my backing tracks. I have been disabled since 2011, lost my memory and power of speech in 2002.
I make music for fun not for fame I hope you will enjoy my music, you can listen to my first album here: https://victoryvibes2.bandcamp.com/
Mary G
I grew up in Ireland and always loved music but was starved for anything aside from country and western, show bands would roll into town and everyone would go to these events and I was into something different - R&B, Blues, Rock and Roll - at my first opportunity I cycled 14 miles to get a coach to the Talk of the Town in Galway by myself to see Skid Row. I would listen to radio Caroline and other pirates in secret as my parents wouldn't allow it, I’d read the NME cover to cover and realised I needed to move to London, In in 1971, I had the opportunity to train as a nurse at St Anthony's hospital in surrey and finally had the chance to see the music I loved and excited me, My world was opened to witnessing Tamla Motown acts, Bob Marley, The Who, Thin Lizzy,
I never made music until I joined OM, Outsider Music made a connection to me - I’ve always felt like an outsider, the most insulting thing anyone ever said to me was that I’m “sensible”. I was given my name down for every religious order at careers day and was pushed to be a nun, even when I was in London I had that idea and music overtook my life. I wanted to be a drummer in a rock band - people thought I was cuckoo!
I never thought I could write music, despite it being like oxygen for me. When I’m at a concert ,it’s a soul connection, I can connect with anyone there, it’s universal and spiritual experience, I want to be immersed in it.
The music I make now , helps me, It’s given me such confidence - rather than being a spectator I’m now part of it, I feel I’m a performer and I see OM as informing and entertaining, it’s helping break stigma of mental illness - it’s helping people move away from the purely medical model and shows us as unique, humane and compassionate. It’s given me the freedom to be myself, I feel accepted totally and no longer need to put on a mask - like The Who’s song, I can be “the real me”.
Mary's music can be found on bandcamp here:
Chris
My name is Chris Hickman
I originally come from Stourbridge Worcestershire now part of the West Midlands moved to London in 1991.
I travelled around Europe a couple of times cycling when back in London I was involved in a Road Traffic accident, not my fault.
I was in a coma hospitalised for one month with a server head injury from that day it changed my life.
I'm 65 this march I've known Jon Hall for well over ten years he came to Headway North London to seek out if anyone could sing or play any instrument, I said I dj and sing occasionally. When I was younger around the age of 8 in a local pub for Christmas songs. It's taken me 23 years to recover, I still have minor issues and need help with technology but pulling through the trauma it's still ongoing now I sing with OM Group and go under the name Trav' man.
You can hear Chris' music here: