The Art of Being Straightforward: Words are just Words.

Creativity is everywhere and manifests itself in different forms. Martin Creed lives and breathes that concept, showcasing different versions of his genius, through Installations, beats and Lyrics. Art can sometimes be claustrophobic and limited, only allowing people to express themselves through a set of rules, burdening on the artist’s self-expression. Channelling his artistic soul, Creed pushes the creative boundaries by going on tour and sharing his 360° intricate and exciting artistic world.
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After winning the Turner Prize in 2001 with his ‘Work No. 227: The lights going on and off’, Creed manifests his boredom in relation to physical art, as it couldn’t fully contain his creativity.
Starting his career as a musician in 2012, the artist has found in music a stretchy, highly customisable medium he could express his mind with. An anarchic world, free from pressure where feelings and thoughts translate into witty lyrics and defined melodies. Him and his band will perform in London in January 2024, with Keiko Owada on the bass, Karen Hutt on drums and Sita Pieraccini giving a voice to Creed’s trains of thought.

Music doesn’t have to always be incredibly complex. Creed, in fact, rewrites music’s rules, giving it a new purpose. The tracks are impulsive, childlike and effervescent, reshaping and even teasing music’s limits.
The basis defining Creed’s sound is that each thought is valuable and should be expressed without overcomplicating it. If art is nothing but self-expression, then let it easily be just that.

Even if relatively recent, his sound is vintage-inspired and brings with it the electric and nostalgic aura of the 70s. Highly acoustic and incredibly emotionally impactful, The artist notices and curates each factor defining a song. The tracks were conceived through the exciting encounter of vintage nostalgia and modern techniques.

With a fresh perspective, he navigates the musical world with attitude and confidence. The straightforward, purposely repetitive lyrics convey a bold personality, playing with the audience’s emotional response and with vocals.
The artist has fun with keys and tonalities, altering and re-shaping vocals. As he’s constantly challenging rules, the songs become unexpected and engaging. Art is supposed to be fun to create, and Creed’s musical career perfectly describes the outcome of a passionate and enjoyable process. The back and main vocals are light way, carefree, whimsical. Far from the fear of melodic expectation, his career is a true celebration of expressivity.

The sound generates a surreal atmosphere, a space where anything is allowed to be translated into compositions, describing Creed’s mind in detail. Each word in each track means nothing more than its original meaning, as it is sound to truly rule the environment. An environment where spiked words fly through the audience’s heads, bold and clear. For that reason, the live event is, then, a precious opportunity to truly experience the artist’s originality.
The artist wants to create a sense of confusion or even dizziness, leaving the listeners wondering if there’s more to his music below that thick layer of apparent sound simplicity.

Creed has no interest in overcomplicated word plays. He writes, people listen. He managed to incorporate that feeling of curiosity often related to art pieces, in music. Showing how art influences art, his music becomes multidimensional, aiming to always leave the listener wanting to know more.

The band will perform at The Betsey Trotwood, London on Friday The 12th of January.

Tickets are available here.

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