Singer, Composer, Musical Director
Nick was born in the shy and retiring village of Cosby in Leicester, and swiftly decided that silence just wasn’t really ‘him’. It took many years for his talent for noise-making to emerge into anything particularly musical, as he was having far too much fun spoiling his sister’s flute practice with loud renditions of ‘Wannabe’.
20 odd years later and Nick is now a professional Musical Director, Composer and Performer working and living in London. Credits this year include vocal coach on new musical ‘BRASS’, winning the UK Theatre Award for Best Production 2014 and musical director on ‘Music Hall Menagerie’ and ‘Sleeping Booty’ at Leicester Square Theatre, ‘6: The Musical’ at London Theatre Workshop, ‘From Up Here’ on UK tour, Antic Disposition’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ and the guiness-world recording breaking smash-hit comic cabaret NewsRevue.
He has a first class degree in Music from the University of Oxford, and a first class masters in Musical Theatre from the University of London. He is currently a visiting coach at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
James Long is an MA hons composer, writer and lyricist who graduated with a BA in music from The
University of York in 2012, and a distinction in his MA Musical Theatre Writing and Composition from Goldsmiths in 2014.
As a composer, James has a particular interest in musical theatre and haswrittenDash of Lime (2012) and Disappearing Wonderful (2014), as well as working on a portfolio of stand-alone songs and pieces, a musical for school choirs, and an alternative pop album with Oliver Howlett. He has also scored films for Eboracum Pictures and stand alone pieces which have been performed at various places including Exeter Cathedral.
James is currently developing Disappearing Wonderful into a fringe, and then two act musical, and developing a new musical, Zoo, with Tom Drayton.
James is also an avid comedy writer, and co-wrote 3 short pilots for the sitcom Those Who Wait in 2012, and has since written a twenty minute stand-up, and the pilot for the sitcom Pushing up Daisy.
James and Oliver have collaborated on many projects in the past, including a long-running radio show, Awkward Laughter, a sitcom, Those Who Wait, and a musical based on Just William. They are still hoping to gain the rights to this in the near future.
Christmas Love Song is our first collaboration to be released to iTunes. Soon, our upcoming album will be the second, see Eight Million Pounds.
Oliver was born in London in 1990. From the age of six, he began to learn the piano and move up the grades. However, afterreceiving a keyboard at the age of 10, he quickly discovered his passion for composition, and began writing a variety of songs using its built-in multi-track system. Throughout his early teens this passion continued, and Oliver continued to compose in many different styles, ranging from solo piano works and pop songs, to orchestral and electronic scores. He also became interested in dance music, becoming an amateur trance DJ.
Oliver passed his grade 8 piano in 2008 and pursued his passion for music and composition, studying at The University Of York for a BA Honours in music. He gained invaluable experience in composition, taking as many projects as possible in this field. In 2012 he wrote, recorded and performed on an album (titled ‘Silhouettes’), as well as workshopping contemporary works for the ensemble Black Hair. Whilst at York, he collaborated with a fellow music student, James Long, forming the company Royola Ltd. Howlett went on to graduate from York with upper second class honours.
Oliver graduated from an MA course in Composition for Film & TV at The University of Bristol with distinction, writing for a variety of styles and for many types of media, drawing on his experience in both the electronic and acoustic realm. His showreel music for established film production company Icon Films was selected to be premiered on their website in summer 2013.
Oliver is currently assisting Oscar-winning film composer, Gabriel Yared.