PETER HAMMILL

Peter Hammill, as a solo artist or in the band he formed, Van der Graaf Generator, has been a working singer, songwriter and musician for the last fifty-five years. At the age of seventy-five, he is still going strong – though admittedly at a slightly slower pace than in past years.

He has been an influential figure for other artists in many different fields and has explored many different styles of music across a recording career of more than fifty albums. He has always remained a fiercely independent figure and was a pioneer of home recording. For many years he also ran his own independent label, Fie! Records.

Formed in Manchester in 1968, Van der Graaf Generator were a hugely influential band who toured the length and breadth of the UK and Europe. They went through numerous personnel changes, breaking up and reforming several times until finally calling it a day in 1977.

By this time Peter had already released a number of solo albums that set out the template for his solo career. Constantly changing musical and emotional terrain these records  often challenged the nature of song writing and were characterised by his impassioned singing and groundbreaking compositions.

At an early stage Peter had invested in recording equipment and the fact that he owned his own studio allowed him to continue to experiment without being under the thumb of an A & R department. In addition to conventional songwriting he also explored musique concrete and composed for ballet and film.

Throughout the later years of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first Peter toured worldwide, solo and with a variety of small line-ups. In all these formats he was known for the intimacy and intensity of his performance.

In 2004 Van der Graaf Generator recorded a reunion album, “Present”, and in 2005 again began to perform live. Since 2006 they have been a trio and have continued to record and tour. In this period Peter has effectively had two careers, as a solo artist and as a member of the band.

He continues to be an exciting and dynamic performer with an astonishing back catalogue. While he has never a household name his career has been – and continues to be – richly rewarding. For those who know and love his music he is a towering figure.