Projects

Name and Shame

My short play 'Name and Shame' is going to be performed in June at the New Wimbledon Theatre Studio in London, as part of a comedy showcase.  

I can't wait to see it brought to life by the team at KeyboredWorks.

Synopsis: When registering the name of her baby daughter, a naive young mum is forced to confront the importance of her choices.

Granada Shuffle

I wrote this Spanish-flavoured instrumental to test out the nylon-string guitar sound that I've just added to my digital studio. 

Tinnes Film Festival

Inspired by its slightly larger cousin held in Cannes, the Tinnes Film Festival is an event in Leeds where aspiring film-makers can screen their latest work.  Organisers Manu and Tom were kind enough to show 'Teamwork', and even arranged a little poster for it.

'Geoff's Log'

As an alternative way of trying out new material, I'm making some short 'animated stand-up' videos under the banner of Geoff's Log.

This one is called 'Aggressive Language', and was featured on Hannah Sackville-Bryant's show on BBC Radios York/Leeds (23/05/2026).

For more, please see the playlist on YouTube.

Teamwork

For my second animation, I wrote some software to automatically animate certain objects (e.g. insects, keys, bubbles and leaves in this case) based on the timing of the notes in the music.

The result is 'Teamwork' - a little video for the piano piece I wrote last year, called 'Fragile'.

Bach To Eleven

JS Bach's music is certainly beautiful, but I also hear plenty of excitement in his musical choices.  So if he was around today, perhaps he'd swap his harpsichord for a Fender Strat and a distortion pedal?

This is my rock-style tribute to the great composer, arranged for two guitars, bass and drums.  It features excerpts from the following pieces:

• Invention No. 8 in F Major

• Chorale - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

• Prelude No. 1

• Chorale No. 1 (Sleeper's Wake)

• Partita in E Major

The animation is my first experiment with Synfig Studio.

Bass Renovations

To start the year, I decided to renovate my bass guitar, slap some new strings on it, and give it a try with my current favourite practice track - 'Canned Heat' by Jamiroquai.

Santiago Bar - Leeds

Stand-up gig number 15 was one of my favourites so far.  It was a chance to try out a mix of older and newer material in front of a small but receptive audience at 'Scratch 'n' Sniff'.

Here's a 2-minute excerpt.

Backyard Comedy Club

Stand-up gig number 12 was a bit of a milestone for me - my first in London, and my first at the renowned Backyard Comedy Club.  

I was one of 14 novice stand-ups taking part in a heat for this year's 'So You Think You're Funny?' competition.  

It was a great experience, and lots of fun watching (and meeting) the other acts.

Conflict Resolution

Stand-up gig number 7 was a return to Santiago Bar in Leeds, to try out another new set.  

As is often the case with new material, some parts worked and some fell flat.  But this section about Conflict Resolution seemed to tickle the audience of 11 fellow-comedians.

So this joke has earned its place in the set, but next time I'll try to be cooler and not thank the audience for the laugh!

Fragile

I've started the year with some composing.  This piece began life as a pop song, but has evolved into a stripped-back piano waltz, called 'Fragile'.

The 'Soft Piano' sound that I'm using has built-in logic which deliberately skews the timing of certain notes.  This is to make the performance sound more human, apparently.  So it's ironic that the human imperfections you can hear are actually artificial!

New York Time

To enter the annual BBC Writers 'Open Call' for scripts, I've written a little rom-com screenplay called 'New York Time'.  Here's the logline:

• A female engineer attempts to charm a troubled colleague, despite only being able to see him for 30 seconds each day in the lift.

It was certainly enjoyable to write.  I guess I'll find out in a few months whether it was enjoyable to read...

Verve Comedy Cellar - Leeds

In September, I thoroughly enjoyed my debut 10-minute slot at the Verve Comedy Cellar.  Despite mucking-up various bits and going completely blank at one point, it seemed to go pretty well!

BBC Radio York

I'm happy to report that on August 17th, I was featured on the BBC Upload Show  with Hannah Sackville-Bryant.

The episode was broadcast on BBC Radios York, Leeds, Humberside and Sheffield.  So nowhere in Yorkshire was safe.

Hannah kindly played an excerpt from 'Stop Blubbing You Wuss' (full version available below).   Click the buttons to hear the excerpt and the interview that followed.

Stop Blubbing You Wuss

This is an audio story about the popular TV ancestry show 'Who Do You Think You Are?'.   A young assistant-producer objects to what he sees as the excessive pseudo-emotion displayed by the celebrity guests.

Welcome To Scotland

This is a short audio story about relocating from Wales to Scotland as a child.  

One Thing Can Lead To Another

This short story was inspired by my early forays into stand-up comedy.   It's completely fictional, though, I hasten to add!

After a gig, a novice comedian is approached by a beautiful young woman.  Will one thing lead to another?

Comedy Photos

All aspiring stand-ups need a photo for promotional posters etc.  And it's obligatory to pull a silly face.  

In this case, I think I've nailed the 'who-are-you-and-what's-that-smell?' look.

(Click the thumbnails for larger versions.)

Chopin on Guitar

Sometimes you get to know a piece of music from TV or film but without having any idea who it's by or what it's called.   I recently discovered that one of my favourite piano pieces is by Frederick Chopin and goes by the snappy title of 'Waltz No .7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 64 No. 2'.

The part that really grabs me is the end of the 'chorus' section, which features a fast ascending run of 19 notes.  The odd thing about it is that some of the notes don't really belong in that key, and so might sound jarring.

But Chopin's cunning choices create a sense of journey towards the final resolving note, and so somehow the notes do all fit, and the resolution (when we get there) is all the more satisfying.

To understand what was going on, I thought I'd try and work out the melody on a guitar.  Here's the result.

Guitar Techniques

For the guitarists out there, this is a little technique for playing fast triplets without having to do much with your fretting hand.

1. Pluck the open A string with a pick.

2. Hammer-on the next note (C#) with your index finger.

3. Pluck the G note on the D string with your middle finger  (since your thumb and forefinger are busy holding the pick).

Start slow.  Repeat, getting faster.  Then move the notes around to vary the arpeggios.  Then switch it all to the D and G strings.

This riff is taken from my instrumental, 'Blue Steal'.  Tap the button to hear the full version.

Bass Practice

You can do more with a guitar than a bass, but bass can be more fun!  

These are my two favourite tracks to practice to at the moment.  The first is 'Dean Town' by Cory Wong (originally by Vulfpeck).  The main riff is a monstrous 45 seconds long, so it's a challenge to learn, but very satisfying when you finally get it right.

The second track is 'Hysteria' by Muse.  This is one where the bass output goes through a distortion effect (a trick also popularised by Royal Blood).

Personally, I think Muse's producers went a bit mad with the amount of distortion on the record (it's on everything, even the vocals), but it's such a clever riff and it's really fun to play.