John Russell got his first guitar in 1965 while living in Kent and began to play in and around London from 1971 onwards.

He is best known for his work in free improvised music, particularly real-time processing of other musicians’ sound, and he has devised a special computer processing instrument for this work. He has worked with many of the finest improvisers, particularly Evan Parker, with whom he works frequently as a duo partner, in various larger groupings and in the Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble. He also works as a soloist, processing sounds from voice, percussion and home-made instruments.

Maggie Nicols joined London’s legendary Spontaneous Music Ensemble in 1968 as a free improvisation vocalist. She then became active running voice workshops with an involvement in local experimental theatre. She later joined the group Centipede, led by Keith Tippets and in 1977, with musician/composer Lindsay Cooper, formed the remarkable Feminist Improvising Group. She continues performing and recording challenging and beautiful work, in music and theatre, either in collaborations with a range of artists ( Irene Schweitzer, Joelle Leandre, Ken Hyder, Caroline Kraabel) as well as solo.

Maria Sappho is a Puerto Rican American, currently working as an improviser, artist and researcher in the UK. She is a member of the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra (GIO) and founding member of the Noisebringers ensemble (CH/UK). She is a winner of the BBC Radiophophonic Daphne Oram award (2021), Dewar awards (2018) and New Piano Stars Competition (2015). She has worked with a number of large ensembles; International Contemporary Ensemble (US), BBC Scottish symphony orchestra, Australian Art Orchestra, and the Instant Composers Pool (ND).

Marion Treby is involved in the organisation of the Cambridge Folk Club, but has been playing with The Noisy Women for a number of years now.

Mark Browne is a saxophonic symbolic system of soprano and sopranino. His metaphor exists in the terrible deaths of dog-toys, cockpit, Cockshill, Coxhill music Bohman, Bohman, Crow. In the fetishisation of vibrations on copper. His instruments are coerced in a sault-somer of malapert systems. He works within a fine power-mesh that destroys the puritanicaldynamics of accepted sound. A fanatic of disaster. A fastidious amateur of grief. He destabilises both the physical and psychological through his art.

Neil Metcalfe (flute), has been active on the London improvising scene since the 70’s. He has played with, amongst many others: Evan Parker, Roscoe Mitchell, Paul Dunmall, Lol Coxhill and Tony Marsh and was a member of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, considered by many to be the flagship European Improvising Ensemble. His current output includes CDs with Paul Dunmall, Alison Blunt, Hanna Marshall and the Runcible Quintet.

Paul G Smyth is Ireland’s leading improviser where he has played and toured with a.o Charles Gayle, Derek Bailey, Keiji Haino, Evan Parker, Barry Guy and Damo Suzuki. Outside of improvisation, his group The Jimmy Cake was described in The Irish Times as being “the most powerful musical force in Ireland”.