PRESS BIOGRAPHY

PRESS BIOGRAPHY: October is a British musician and recording artist. Known purely by her first name, October began her recording career as a solo artist, playing all instruments. October produced her first music video in 2006 with Whirlwind Films for her song Ulterior Motives. She is a regular on the festival scene and has played 9 stages at Glastonbury Festival over 3 years.

Since then she has played with several bands including Steve Harley’s Cockney Rebel. October has toured solo acoustic in countries such as Australia and in Europe. She now plays as part of a talented 3 piece band featuring Steve Wellbelove on drums, with Ben Hatwell and October alternately playing the electric, acoustic and bass guitars throughout their set. Steve and Ben bring with them their experience of touring with the likes of INXS and The Kooks. October fronts the band with her uniquly warm yet powerful vocal.

October’s music has become closely linked with the surf scene through playing festivals such as Boardmasters and has been featured in publications including Surf Girl several times. October also writes music for film, with her new song Free Your Soul being set to feature in the upcoming Corduroy Films movie Lost & Found.

"October Set To Rock The Nation" The Guardian

"Enrapturing" Music Week

"One hugely talented lady with a very very distinctive voice" BBC Radio

"Hotly tipped" Sound Nation

Members of October and of course October herself are available for interviews and live acoustic performances on air. Wide experience of live BBC radio sessions. For tunes, lyrics, events and all media related info please explore this website

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FULL BIOGRAPHY

"Electrifyingly arousing, sharply perceptive, and all round outstanding material from this fresh new talent... Hotly tipped singer songwriter ‘October’ shows a musical depth and maturity beyond her years" (Glastonbury Festival).

October’s relentless touring has brought her a loyal fan base and reviews that describe "well crafted poetry, excellent guitar and distinctive vocals". Whether she's playing to a vast audience at Lisebergshallen Arena, or a cosy crowd at Ronnie Scott's, "you are drawn in to her world of passion and intimacy". Dubbed by the press as a "Melodic Rock Lady with a big future", 2011 is proving to be a very exciting year for October.

"Her lyrics are complimented by guitar playing that most male guitarists would be jealous of. She can rock out one moment and then in the next song play such sensitive fingerstyle guitar". (Guitarist Magazine).

As a child, October would often stay after school when the teachers had left, so she could "go wild on the drum kit and get away with it!". As well as percussion, she also began teaching herself the piano and "anything I could find in the music room cupboard! I’ve only ever had four music lessons in my life and they were on the double bass. The teacher wasn't particularly inspiring though. She wanted me to sit and play with a bow, and I wanted to stand up and swing it round and play filthy jazz!". The next instrument October set her sights on was the electric guitar.

Sadly the love affair with her precious red guitar lasted no more than about 18 months though after her mother rendered it useless. For the next few years October explored many other avenues, even trying out Sports Science and Law, but mostly what she calls “generally mis-spending my youth!”. When asked why, she said she felt a lot of it had to do with the effects of being taken into foster care at such a difficult age. Although she insists it was listening to music that got her through this time, it was more than five years before October even thought about playing again.

"I had to call a plumber one day. Having been left borassic by the bill, it occurred to me that I should learn how to plumb! So I went for a course interview at my nearest reputable college. Whilst sitting in the waiting room browsing the prospectus, I noticed a new Music Technology course. It boasted teaching everything from studio recording to management and music law to film making. I was called into my plumbing interview where I announced my uncontrollable urge to pursue my true dream! They looked at me like I was a complete fruit loop, but thankfully knew I meant it. I was taken to the course leader, only to find out that all the places had been filled. The tutor asked me my name. ‘Oh my God' he said. ‘With a name like that you are meant to be a rock star!’. He somehow managed to pull a few strings and enrolled me onto the course that day. I literally started playing the guitar again that afternoon when my best friend bought me my first acoustic guitar to celebrate, and hey presto, it's my whole life now” she says with a beaming smile.

This critical change in direction and subsequent move to the music college in Surrey reignited her enthusiasm for music and began her career. Just as naturally as she did when she wrote her first song at the age of five, October began again to write songs that reflected upon her life and experiences. Again, staying hours after everyone else had left for the day, she took advantage of the facilities and self recorded her first demo, playing all the instruments as well. She sent out three copies. The very next afternoon October started to receive phone calls and was subsequently booked for her first festival, along with four live television appearances on the Musician’s Channel.

"The next massive turning point for me was accidentally buying my first proper guitar! Being a complete guitar nerd, I spotted a 1972 Gibson SG in a shop window going for a somewhat surprising price. It had an unusually slim neck and felt fabulous to play, even with my 'ickle girly hands. Totally unable to afford it but equally unable to pass it by, I nabbed it. I was so over excited it even lay in the bed beside me for several nights! One day, unable to wait, I hopped out of the bath to try to play a riff I was hearing in my head. Slowly, the guitar turned from brown to milky white! After exhausting all the local luthiers, the same course tutor once again changed my life by giving me his ticket to a Gibson guitar surgery that was on tour in the area. At this, I was told it was the fact that I had got out of the bath and played the guitar naked, not even having the patience to dry off with a towel that had had that bizarre effect on the near 40 year old lacquer! I travelled over a hundred miles to take it to their guitar surgery workshop in Suffolk to get it restored, and well, never came back!"

It was there that October began to train and work as a Luthier, also ghost writing for Europe’s leading guitar magazine. She began playing gigs up to 8 times a week, steadily gaining live experience. During this time she developed many close working relationships with established musicians. Her dearest mentors were from the likes of Frank Zappa's band, Cockney Rebel and Suzi Quatro's band. They played festivals and recorded together several times. Cockney Rebel featured as October's band for her best known song 'Ulterior Motives'. Her playing style and live performances matured and developed greatly during this period, encouraging October to travel around the UK performing solo, and in the summer playing some of the UK's most popular festivals including Glastonbury, three years in a row.

The next turn in her career was when she suddenly became paralysed. She was wrongly diagnosed with MS and told she had two weeks to live. "I lay there unable to communicate properly, thinking about all the things I wish I could have done. Three months later the blithering idiots discharged me. In a wheel chair, but definitely alive! Slowly and with gargantuan effort I came to walk again. The first thing I did was take up surfing!". This took October's life down her most inspiring path yet. The ocean and her relationship with Mother Nature have become very dear to her, and her experience of living through something she was told she wouldn't seems to have given her a sense of zen and developed her sense of humour even more. "I particularly love playing at Surf events. To bring my two passions together is my wildest dream. Surfgirl magazine and Quicksilver have been particularly supportive. I'm super stoked".

Since then she's performed live sessions on BBC radio including Radio One, and played all over the world, including a comprehensive tour of Australia, and Europe. Based in London, October regularly plays all the popular music haunts, touring in between.

Explore the website for music, videos, blogs, galleries, competitions and tour dates.