Satch is a live performer who writes songs as compelling as the voice that sings them. His vulnerable storytelling, lyrical candour, and jazz pop, genre-queer arrangements have garnered stamps of approval from some of the world’s biggest festivals (Glastonbury, Reeperbahn etc.). Hailing from Brighton, this songwriting powerhouse expertly balances insight into the less travelled road of gender dysphoria while highlighting the commonalities of the human experience.
So, Satch, tell us about your new release. What is it about?
It’s called ‘Alchoffeine’, about drinking through dysphoria before trying to pick yourself up again each day. It’s a storytelling narrative over drum n bass beats, of course! A spiral of days whose mornings believe their own lies and whose evenings find respite in the chaotic familiar!
What are your inspirations, as both an artist and songwriter?
As an artist, I find so many styles of music inspiring hence my style being ‘genre queer’. I love Kae Tempest, Loyle Carner, Foy Vance, Bruno Major, James Blake, Kacey Musgraves, and the list goes on, and they’re all so different. As a writer, I feel compelled to tell stories that we don’t often get to hear. I love words, so often, a turn of phrase will generate a concept idea, and I’ll write the song from there, solo or with a co-writer.
What do you mean by genre-queer?
Though I am writing songs through a queer lens, I actually use it as a term to refer to the multitude of styles I’ve drawn upon for the arrangements on the record. I’m obsessed with prosody, which is a term that essentially means the music matches the sentiment of the lyrics. In the same way that our identities are made up of various things, my artist identity has many sonic components. It’s just different contexts for discovering who you are. Pre-transition, I was strictly singing love songs on acoustic guitar. Now, If I have a song about being exhausted and then frustrated waiting for medical treatment, it makes sense for it to be an answerphone lament over minor chords on the piano before evolving into a political, spoken word rant over distorted guitars! If it’s a sexy song, a pop banger! And so on and so forth. It’s like going from black and white to technicolour.
What are your future plans? Is there an album or any live dates coming up?
My debut album comes out in Pride month 2023, with four more singles before then. It explores commonly written-about themes such as sex and religion but through a trans lens as my voice gets deeper. I also have a show at Notting Hill Arts Club on Wednesday, 30th November, and a few tickets are still available on Eventbrite.
Where can people follow you and find your music? @therealsatch on Instagram, @therealsatchofficial on TikTok, or sign up to the mailing list at www.therealsatch.com. You can find Alchoffeine and the previous single Body Language on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you stream.
Tickets to SATCH LIVE at Eventbrite HERE
SATCH LIVE at The Nottinhill Arts Club, Wednesday, 30 November2022, at 7 pm. 21 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JQ
