songwriting retreat - October 2022

Back in October 2022, I attended my second Songwriting Retreat, in the stunning Peak District. Unfortunately, circumstances meant that my arrival was delayed, but I was able to have an opportunity to collaborate with some amazing songwriters and immerse myself in music and nature during the remainder of the week.

The event is run by Murray from London Songwriters, who is an experienced lecturer in songwriting techniques, and about a dozen of us enjoyed the opportunity to sing, play and write, resulting in some wonderful friendships and amazing creations.

I've uploaded to Soundcloud a demo of a song I wrote called '50 in 90' - the brief was to write a song based on a story, and I chose a particular historical event: Ansel Keys' study on nutrition during the second world war. There's a brilliant Revisionist History podcast about it, which is where I learned about the experiment and the remarkable results it's had since (although it would never be able to be repeated these days!)

It's pretty much the only music I've written in the last little while, although I've had lots of other things going on...