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Tensheds

In 2016, following the release of his 3rd album, Tensheds was awarded the Discretional Rock Award at a ceremony held at the House Of Lords. The award was presented by rock piano legend Rick Wakeman, who spoke at great length about the similarities between himself and Tensheds – having both hailed from a classical background. It was a crowning achievement that marked ten years since Matt Millership, aka Tensheds, left the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in search of the Rock n Roll dream.

Since then, the world of Tensheds has been anything but ordinary…

His latest album ‘The Dandy Punk Prince’ marks a milestone in his development as an artist. Doing away with all instruments except piano and drums, he set about re-defining the ‘Piano Album’ and in the process created a genre all for himself which he calls ‘21st Century Blues’. Not only had no rock record ever been made with such instrumental limitation, Tensheds instructed his engineer that this must be a hard, gritty, base heavy punk-blues record, oh and that it was to be recorded on his near 200 year old grand piano! Having already set the bar high, Tensheds then moved himself, drummer and engineer into Leicester Square Theatre in Soho for seven nights to record the drums – he wanted the largest space possible but unfortunately his 1835 grand piano was too fragile to move. So following their Seven Nights In Soho, Tensheds and engineer Simon Kitts then relocated to his Sussex Square home in Brighton, turning the entire house into a recording studio to finish the record.

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Tensheds attention to detail and crazy ambitions certainly paid off when the record won critical acclaim across the board from the likes of Classic Rock, MOJO, UNCUT, Maverick, R2, Vive Le Rock, BBC Radio. Praise certainly doesn’t come higher than Liverpool Sound & Vision declaring “A New Spectrum of Music”, well maybe from Penny Black Music “Settle back and inhale his Genius”.

However, Tensheds real magic lies in his live performances. His audacious showmanship and Rachmaninoff style piano skills, deftly delivers a brand of gritty, heavy, edgy blues/punk, which incorporate elements of this classical background.

Honing his craft in the time-honoured tradition, hoboing the road. Most recently touring the UK supporting Beans On Toast, while over the years Tensheds has had the honour of opening for legends; John Mayall, Mick Taylor, Hazel O’Connor, Paul Young, Roger Chapman, Spear Of Destiny, Blockheads, Paul Kelly, and James Burton. Not to mention his touring commitments with Jim Jones And The Righteous Mind as fulltime keyboard player.

Is it any wonder he’s been labelled “Jerry Lee Lewis and Tom Waits’ love child”?

Catch Tensheds at the John Peel Centre, Stowmarket on the 31st January – as part of Independent Venue Week @ the JPC running 29th Jan – 4th Feb. For more information visit johnpeelcentre.com www.tensheds.com

 

 

 

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