Conor Morrissey

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At the end of April [2024].  So I'm still quite new here but I love it so far.  I lived in Melbourne pretty much all my life and I thought it was the right time in my life to have an adventure and try to see more of the world. I've gone on short holidays before but it's very different living somewhere for an extended time, making friends here, finding work, playing music.  Music is definitely a big reason I am in London.  The night I arrived I went to Ronnie Scott's upstairs and was certain this is the right place to be.  There's such a broad and diverse music scene here and I think it's well valued by the city as a whole. I'm hoping to play as much as I can while I'm here.

Come and see them at CHEEKY FEST on THURS 29TH AUGUST - get your tickets on Eventbrite NOW

Rupert; So far, how would you compare / relate your musical experience of Melbourne with London?  Which part of London are you in?

Ooh good question. Melbourne has a really good music scene as well. There's a bit more RnB & soul here but otherwise the vibes are actually not too dissimilar, although everything here is just on a bigger scale. 

Honestly the biggest difference is that I had a car in Australia, so it was easy to take my keyboard to gigs. The one I bought here is super heavy and I haven't actually taken it out yet but I'm kind of dreading taking it on the tube.  So far I've got away with using the house keyboard/piano at a lot of places - even played a few open mics borrowing people's guitar! (which I'm not great at).  I'm in Whitechapel, which I love.

What were you allowed to do, work-wise, when you arrived?  Did you plan on Staying here permanently or was it more of a case of que sera sera?

I'm here on a youth mobility scheme visa, which will last for two years. I can work, which I need to because it is definitely more expensive here than back home. I think que sera sera is probably about right. There's certainly no return date in mind. I don't know that I expect to be here permanently but certainly this is where my life is right now and I want to see where it all goes.

Come and see Conor at CHEEKY FEST on THURS 29TH AUGUST - get your tickets on Eventbrite NOW

I'm currently working as a teacher's assistant in primary schools.  For the last few years in Melbourne I produced a podcast for the AFL (the major league that plays our Australian code of football).  I'd love to find some work like that in the media while I'm here but being a TA is great too.

Rupert; I work in a primary school too, though not in the classroom.  I'm a 'dinner lady' and 'playworker' at the after school club.  Do you work at one school or at different ones / through aan agency?

Conor; Oh, nice! Yeah I've been doing a lot of outdoor supervision stuff too. A different challenge, you get all the year sixes playing very intense games of football.  I'm employed by an agency at the moment, so they send me to different places (although some I've spent a few weeks at).  I think there will be many more long-term positions available in September at the beginning of the new school year.

Rupert; The after school club I work at has had high staff turnover over the last year.  One person left to concentrate on being a TA at the school.  Temp / agency workers, a few school staff members working when they can.  I've now been there the 2nd longest after the manager and I started in Jan '22.

Rupert; So your Piano Talent is stronger than your guitar?  How, why, when did you learn to play piano?

Conor; Yes, chalk and cheese.  I've played piano forever, since I started school. I've always loved it.  I did lots of classical exams as I grew up but I always loved playing rock most of all, trying to imitate Elton John as a kid, and some of my other favourite artists.

Rupert; I started piano lessons when I was 5 or 6, went on to do grades (2, 5, 6, 7) through various teachers then did a music degree.  I haven't played much for years now, though still do sometimes.  I saw Elton John @ Wembley around 22 years ago.  Why did you start playing piano?

Conor; I don't really remember exactly, I was also 5 at the time.  I think my parents were keen for me and my siblings all to learn instruments at least for a little while.  We had a piano in the house and I was always interested in it.

Which music taught you the most?  Which music gave you the understanding / belief that you could make your own?  What's been your experience of music education in/out of school?  Any teachers been particularly inspiring / helpful?

Well I mentioned Elton John, his music has probably the biggest inspiration.  But I'm a funny mix of influences; classical piano, I did jazz drumming for years at school, I love Irish folk music.  I played double bass for about 8 years through school too, mostly in orchestras etc. I think they've all contributed in making me the musician I currently am.

My piano teacher for about 15 years was a man named Andrew Rostas.  He was phenomenal;  I think I would've had immature lazy moments as a teenager where I mightn't have committed properly but he was very good at managing me through times like that, maintinaing my love for what I was doing and keeping me improving all the time.  My parents were both so supportive too and made it very easy for me to focus on, and value, music.

My primary school hosted these little soirees. The first performances I ever did were playing and singing Candle in the wind, or Saturday night's alright for fighting [both Elton John], or for crying out loud by Meatloaf as an 8 or 9 year old.  I'm probably not a brilliant singer but I love writing songs, and someone has to sing them, might as well be me.

It's interesting.  My solo career is definitely my priority.  It's the most important thing for me musically, to be able to express myself and that's easiest to do writing and singing and playing my own songs.  But I joined a band last year which had its own singer and front man, and I really loved just being one part of the machine.  Connecting to those musicians was wonderful too.

I've been writing songs for a while, maybe since I was about 15.  Before that I still liked to create little melodies and chord patterns.  I first got serious about trying to record in 2021.  I went to a studio to record a bunch of songs.  I only released one of those, and then last year I did an EP which I was really proud of.  I'd love to try to record a bit more while I'm here and hopefully do another release.

I've never written a Song (bar setting some words to music for an assignment at uni) but loved playing round with chords / patterns.  I recorded songs with a band I was (drummer) in around 12 years ago through a small London label, but nothing came of it.

I always encourage people to if the musical urge is there. It's better to write the worst song in the world than not write one I think. I've come pretty close a couple of times, to the worst song in the world.

Definite hints of EJ.  I'm also thinking of Tim Minchin

Ah thanks! Yeah I love Tim Minchin

Restraint.  For a long time, probably thanks to my struggles with Beethoven and Mozart, my attitude was just "the harder and more complex, the better". Being in a band helped me learn how to temper myself from just playing the most difficult thing manageable, and focus on what sounds best

Less is more. If it sounds good with just your voice & (a piano), then it's a good song. 

Yeah absolutely

I only bought my keyboard last week, so I haven't really been able to write. I've got a notebook so I've been trying to come up with some lyrics but it's definitely too soon to answer that question at this stage.

One of the songs on the EP is called "Don't You Let Me Let You Go".  It's very sad.  A breakup song (technically pre-breakup denial, but it's obvious both people badly need to move on).  I think that one took the most songwriting "skill".  It's got some creative chords in the left hand, melodies in the right hand, it's quite wordy. So to get it all to come together without being a mess took a while. 

By comparison, the next song on the EP, "Lift Off", was very simple in the writing.  It's hopeful, optimistic and about the excitement of starting something new. A simple concept and piano part, and then an improvised solo at the end over two repeating chords. But it leaves just as much room for emotion and expression, which is what it's all about

My favourite story behind a song is one called "A Very Melbourne Story". We have a really extensive tram network in Melbourne which is quite synonymous with the city.  We love them but they're slightly imperfect and do break down sometimes.  A friend met his girlfriend on a tram that had broken down. Everyone else got off and they just stayed there chatting.  I couldn't imagine a more "Melbourne" story and was very happy to write my image of that into a song.  It was a lot of fun

Music is my passion.  It's very easy for me, whatever happens in my life, knowing I have music to go back to.  Whether I ever achieve commercial success or not is kind of irrelevant.  Mum tells a story of me as a 2 & 3 year old drumming on bins and things like that in public places.  There's always a song stuck in my head. Music is very innate to me I think.

Yes absolutely! Music is critical in my ability to express and release emotions, make sense of what's happening, and wind me up, calm me down or anything else

I don't love positing on social media and I found that most of my engagements were on instagram so I just focused my energy on that when I had to.

Come and see Conor at CHEEKY FEST on THURS 29TH AUGUST - get your tickets on Eventbrite NOW