On Sunday 2nd July 2019, Graham Massey's Toolshed will be performing live at the Preston Jazz & Improvisation Festival 2019 (Venue: The New Continental, Preston).

"Graham is a multi-instrument musician, accomplished on keyboards, guitar, drums and Soprano Saxophone and a proponent of experimental jazz-rock. A prolific writer and producer, his rich ability to move between, and blend genres creates a set of wildly free ranging music.

Graham was a founding member of the seminal and internationally successful electronic group 808 State and his collaboration, remixing and production list reads like a “who’s who” of contemporary music from the past 30 years, including the likes of David Bowie, Quincy Jones, Bjork, Goldfrapp, SMD, Primal Scream, YMO and many others.

TOOLSHED started as an electronica club in Manchester’s Northern Quarter of the late 90s, playing host to many of the post rave improvisers such as Autechre, Mathew Herbert, Kieren Hebden & Squarepusher. Graham Massey ran the ‘house‘ band made from a revolving line up of local improvisers invited to jam around his computer and vintage synthesiser collection. Twenty years later the project continues the idea with a line-up of some of the North West’s finest musicians performing a special set to be recorded live."

Ahead of our gig Band on the Wall next Wednesday (18th April) .I have taken a load of BOTW gigs I was involved in over the years and made a mix . I first played there in the late 70s and have seen so many musical heroes play on that stage -its a sort of music church. Looking forward to playing with TOOLShed (Paddy Steer ,Sam Healey & Craig Hanson and excited to hear the band that Denis Jones has assembled for his album launch,It should be special !

Tracklist:

1. Lopetta live BOTW 1996 by Graham Clark /Graham Massey
2. Satellites Are Spinning live BOTW 1999 by Toolshed (Featuring Seaming To)
3. Dirt For 485 live BOTW 1983 by Biting Tongues
4. The Pride Of Dracula live BOTW 1984 by Biting Tongues
5. Rated X live BOTW 2000 by Toolshed
6. Zeros Roared In live BOTW 1984 by Biting Tongues

On Thursday 7th June 2018, The Toolshed Collective will be performing live at the Preston Jazz & Improvisation Festival 2018.

"TOOLSHED started as an electronica club in Manchester’s Northern Quarter in the late 90s,
playing host to many of the post rave improvisers such as Autechre, Mathew Herbert, Kieren Hebden & Squarepusher.

The “house” band, which was directed by 808 State founding member Graham Massey, was made from a revolving line up of local improvisers, invited to jam around his computer and vintage synthesiser collection.

20 years later and Toolshed continues to thrive, on this occasion presenting as a 6 piece, playing an hour-long set together, plus various solo performances and component ensembles including;

Paddy Steer – MCR’s king of the DIY scene. He builds his own synths, makes his own costumes, puts out his own records, drives them to his customer’s doors, etc.
Paddy makes his own unique musical universe by employing every limb and both sides of the brain.

Afrodeutsche - Henrietta Smith-Rolla has been causing a real buzz of late with her solo Techno sets and her improvised acoustic piano soundtracks. Her regular slot on NTS radio is not to be missed.

Skeltr - a duo of Sam Healy (Sax & Keys) and Craig Hanson (Drums).
Their tech jazz debut album Heltr has seen them hit the ground running and playing on many of this year’s Jazz Festival line-ups, both here and in Europe. They are representatives of the young jazz renaissance."

On Wednesday 18th April 2018, Toolshed will be performing live at Denis Jones' album launch at Manchester's Band On The Wall.

Band on the Wall and Now Wave present...
Denis Jones - album launch - 3333 (out now) & Graham Massey's Toolshed

Doors: 8.30pm

14+. U16s to be accompanied by an adult.

Please note the ticket price includes a 50p venue restoration levy

The current line-up features Graham Massey and Paddy Steer being joined by Sam Healey’s exuberant alto sax and the compelling drumming of Craig Hanson.

Tickets

On Tuesday 13th September 2016, Graham Massey's Toolshed (Manchester) vs Konstrukt (Instanbul) will be performing live at The Soup Kitchen in Manchester:

"Toolshed MCR VS Kontrukt Istanbul

You pay £5 for two of the worlds finest exponents of MOOG / TRANSISTOR ORGAN/ELECTRIC SAX/ FAT GUITAR /KICK BOX DRUMS & KUNG FOO BASS in a grand CONTEST .
Knock Out OR 12 ROUNDS. SHOUTOMETER AND FLAGs
THE CORONATION OF THE KINGS OF THE JOYFUL NOISE AWARD 2016
DRESSCODE -GOLD. YOU CAN NOT MISS ."

Click here for Facebook Event Page.

This was cancelled at the last minute due to floods in Manchester.

On Wednesday 27th July 2016, Toolshed will be performing live at The Manchester Jazz Festival 2016 in Manchester:

Hobgoblin Festival Pavilion

Graham Massey guitar, keyboards, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet / Paddy Steer bass, synthesisers / Sam Healey alto saxophone, keyboards / Craig Hanson drums

Originating from Manchester residencies in the late ‘90s and centred around 808 State’s studio, Toolshed is a hub for open-minded musicians. With a history stretching back for over 30 years, their shared vocabulary spans post-punk, techno, free improvisation and more composed pieces. The current reincarnation recruits young jazz players into the mix – a powerhouse of prog-operatics, lost-synth-liberation and homemade instruments.

Time

20.00 (2 x 50 minutes)

Click here for tickets.

On Saturday 15th May 2016, Toolshed will be performing live at Future Sound 2016 in Preston (University of Central Lancashire):

FUTURE SOUND

A weekend of musical innovation with a programme of installations and performances from 24 established and emerging artists including; Graham Massey’s ToolShed, Aziz Ibrahim’s Fret Sector, Matthew Bourne, Mobius Loop and Elizabeth Vince.

Sunday 15 May:

9.00pm

Click here for tickets.

On Friday 11th March 2016, Toolshed will be performing live at The International Festival For Artistic Innovation at Belgrave Hall in Leeds:

Graham Massey’s Toolshed headlines an evening of electronic music including Arthur Keegan-Bole, Frédéric Mathevet, Danny Saul and Si Waite (National Trevor).

Graham Massey & Paddy Steer have had many musical projects together for over 30 years. Biting Tongues (Factory), Homelife (Ninja Tunes), 808 State (ZTT) & Toolshed (Finders Keepers) to name a few. Massey & Steer are both active producers and remixers and Massey's CV reads like a who's who of contemporary music from Björk to Quincy Jones, Aphex Twin to Jon Hassle. If you were to cut this band in half you would find tree rings of UK D.I.Y music scenes from Post Punk, Rave, Improvisation, Jazz, Theatre and Film music.

The current line-up features Sam Healey’s exuberant alto sax and the compelling drumming of Craig Hanson. Steer and Massey play a range of exotic instruments along with bass and guitar.

Andy Votel describes Graham Massey’s Toolshed as follows:

“The music of Graham Massey's mutating Toolshed power house of prog-operatics, lost-synth-liberation and homemade instruments reveals the true multi-faceted backbone of his wider-known classic electronic projects such as 808 state and Biting Tongues. But within this partly improvised, fully inspired congregation of DiY funk, Angular Jazz and heavy psychedelic rock fans of Krautrock and the arkestral manoeuvres of Sun-Ra will draw similarities that have provided the new-psych movement with bands like Goat, Fumaça Preta, Tame Impala and many more. Known to share stages with formations ranging from to 40 to 4 piece Toolshed re-tracks its roots to their first mid-90's live/electronic events where Massey brought plugged-in-punk-funk to the masses with a mutable quartet and a toolbox of foreign adaptors and soldering irons."

Click here for tickets.

Graham Massey and Graham Clark will be performing at "Crispy Ambulance's Subliminal Impulse Revue II" at the Dulcimer in Chorlton on Wednesday 7th October:

"I will be playing a set with Graham Clark at Dulcimer in Chorlton this Wednesday evening as part of Crispy Abulance's Subliminal Impulse Review. GC on electric violin, and me on synths/wind instruments. Tons of other unique music and film showings going on as well."

"When three blokes dressed as wizards take to the District stage things start to get a little weird. When someone remarks one of them used to be in 808 State - of course, THAT Graham Massey - it begins to make sense. Playing a set of improvised, free form jazz that veers from Miles Davis inspired fusions incorporating space rock passages and electronic elements not a million miles away from Sun Ra's more experimental workings. Graham Massey's Toolshed emerge as one of Friday's - if not the entire weekend's - undisputed highlights."

And Damn You, Curfew! had this to say:

"Honourable Friday night mentions also go to Graham Massey’s Toolshed, for bringing a little bit of anarchy (and amazing costumes) into the world of free jazz"

And this from GetIntoThis say this:

"Later on, similarly dressed to impress in golden robes, Toolshed brought yet more madness with the jazz infused sounds getting the crowd dancing. With frantic rhythms and some of the quickest saxophone playing you’re likely the see, the whole set felt on the brink of complete chaos."

And another from GodIsInTheTVZine:

"It then feels entirely logical to spend some time in District in the blissful company of Graham Massey’s Toolshed who look and sound like they are the lost Mancunian disciples of that great free jazz explorer Sun Ra."

On the 5th September 2015, Toolshed will be performing live at Festival Number 6:

Celebrating the label’s tenth year of “Making Global Sound Local” the Finders Keepers record label bring their motto to the masses returning to Festival No 6 with a huge bag of foreign fuzz records and a multilingual live line-up of pocket punk, femme fronted psych, freak funk, homemade synth pop and commune folk for what looks set to be their most exciting prog-ram yet! Curated by label heads Andy Votel and Doug Shipton, the UnMutual Stage is very excited to bring Portuguese/Anglo/Venezuelan/Dutch punk funk powerhouse band Fumaça Preta to the festival who will, throughout the day, find kindred spirits in the arkestral manoeuvres of Graham Massey’s Toolshed (with special guest TBC) and the exciting debut performance from the mythical T.R.A.S.E project (based on a school made synthesiser by a 16-year-old in 1981). The UnMutual line-up also boasts husband and wife wordy punk duo The Lovely Eggs sharing a bill with Cardiff’s fuzzed-out femme fronted sonic tantrum Tender Prey while Welsh language kosmische pop newborns Anelog make their festival debut. Manchester’s very own Una Baines founder of the original The Fall will also bring her communal feminist agit-folk group The Fates to the stage performing songs from her ultra rare 1984 LP Furia in collaboration with members of the Folklore Tapes collective while extra fuzz comes from Liverpool’s dedicated sunshine psych combo The Sundowners. Compered throughout the day by Votel, Shipton and radio DJ veteran Pete Mitchell Finders Keepers promise extra festival surprises including visiting DJ guests, exclusive merchandise and a grassy dance floor crescendo featuring the FK DJs and B-Music regular Chris Geddes (from Belle & Sebastian) “Making Old Records Feel Young”.

In addition to The UnMutual music stage Finders Keepers will also host their audiovisual equivalent on Friday with the Speedlearn Separado! Cinema tent in which Votel and Shipton team up with Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) to screen a giant patchwork of VHS video footage, lost TV and unreleased future freak film classics. loosely based around the 150th anniversary Welsh settlers arriving in Patagonia this multilingual psychedelic cinema programme with be punctuated with live translations, Q&A sessions, half-baked competitions, live rescores and much much less. Being ten at six promises to be the highlight of an eventful year for Finders Keepers Records.

For further details, visit http://festivalnumber6.com/graham-masseys-toolshed/

On the 26th September 2015, Toolshed will be performing live at the Liverpool PsychFest 2015:

Hocus Focus + Celebrating 10 Years of Finders Keepers Records

As long-running bedfellows in the seedy boudoir of Northern psych and cosmic pop, ourselves and FINDERS KEEPERS RECORDS will be further indulging our Mancy-Scouse unison to bring you a special series of outer-national audio visual treats at Liverpool Psych Fest 2015. HOCUS FOCUS will act as an exclusive showcase stage of artists, film and bespoke visuals, while simultaneously celebrating 10 years of Finders Keepers’ acidik archival activities in the same sitting.

Following on from Andy Votel’s eight-hour Turkish-only Anatolian Dynamite DJ set from 2014, and the Finders Keepers heavy psych sound-system combustion event from 2013, the self professed “Accidental World Music Label” brings another pile of foreign fuzz and lost kosmische tomes to tower over the turntables of this year’s festival. But impossibly rare wax isn’t the only thing label founders Doug Shipton and Andy Votel have up there sleeves this year: 2015’s Hocus Focus residence will feature a programme of live activities influenced by the label’s deep vault of psychedelic filmic material including exclusive live re-score performances from Silver Globalist JANE WEAVER, GRAHAM “808 state” MASSEY and his arkhestral Toolshed project, magik volk esper MAGPAHI, and a well-travelled collaborative project between Andy Votel and polish soundtracker ANDRZEJ KORZYNSKI.

Widely respected as one of the most obsessive and prolific re-issue archives of foreign language psych on the planet, fans of Finders Keepers know that their musical good taste also spreads into the realms of cinema, graphic design and live performance and this year at Liverpool Psych Fest the label combines all of these elements to bring you an epic mutant magazine documenting 40 years of experimental noise for the eyes and ears. Japanese/French witchcraft cartoons will share screen space with Finnish/Polish animation, while space-age Polish TV sounds are recycled and regurgitated on a stage full of vintage synths, daisy-chained fuzz-pedals, heavy drums and homemade instruments. From the label that introduced you to the likes of Jean-Claude Vannier, Selda, Yamasuki and endless reels of vintage Lollywood funk and Thai proto-punk, this year’s Hocus Focus stage brings together some of the label’s best experiMENTAL multi-taskers for a night of unrivalled filmic fuzz and celluloid psych.

In the words of the 2015 festival’s Artist In Residence Anton Newcombe: “I can hardly keep up with Finders Keepers – they’re TOO GOOD!”

For further details, visit http://www.liverpoolpsychfest.com/ for Tickets.

Graham has uploaded a lost exotica jam with Tooldshed to Soundcloud:

"Improvisation at Room 101 & overdubs.

Graham Massey, Icarus Wilson Wright, Paddy Steer, Richard Harrison.
Bass Clarinet , Oboe , Clavinet, Vibraphone , Darbuka, Rhodes, SH09, Congas, Shakers, Glockenspiel."

Tooldshed have released "Podcast Number 2" via Graham's Mixcloud:

"Toolshed, an experimental big band from Manchester UK. Includes Graham Massey (808 State), Paddy Steer (Homelife), James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco), Richard Harrison (Spaceheads), Seaming To, Graham Clark (Gong), Dave Walsh , Pat Illingworth , Howard Jacobs and many more."

Toolshed have uploaded a new video to YouTube - "There Comes A Time":

"Toolshed Live at Belfast City Music Hall.
A Tony Williams tune. Seaming To - Vocals and Keyboard"

Tooldshed have released "Podcast Number 1 - Jazz W*** Bol*o*ks" via Graham's Mixcloud:

"TOOLSHED, a musical collective from Manchester UK with a flexible line up.

Podcast one features live recordings from various concerts:

His Last Journey (from Band on the Wall 1999)

(Dave Walsh on Fender Rhodes Piano, Paddy Steer on Double Bass, Graham Massey on Baritone Sax, Seaming To on Clarinet, James Ford on percussion)

Love In Outer Space (from a concert at Shunt London Bridge)

(Seaming To on Vocals ,Graham Massey on Yamaha Organ and Soprano Sax, Howard Jacobs on Percussion, Richard Harrison on Drums, Paddy Steer on Bass Guitar)

There Comes A Time (recorded at Belfast Music Hall)

(Dave Walsh & Richard Harrison on Drums , Howard Jacobs on Bass Clarinet & Congas, Paddy Steer on Bass, Seaming To on Vocals, Graham Massey on Guitar and Graham Clark on Violin)

Rated X (recorded at The Corner House Manchester)

(Dave Walsh & Richard Harrison on Drums, Seaming To on Moog Opus 3, Graham Massey on Vox Jaguar Organ, Paddy Steer on Bass, Howard Jacobs on Congas)