Steven Wilson

Steven Wilson has spent three decades proving that independence and ambition can sit together. Born in Kingston upon Thames and raised in Hemel Hempstead, he taught himself composition, production and engineering, and plays guitar, keyboards, bass, autoharp, hammered dulcimer and flute as the music demands. His sound has travelled through pop, psychedelia, progressive rock and electronics, and his live shows pair quadraphonic sound with elaborate visuals. The roots lie in two records his parents gave each other one Christmas: Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon and Donna Summer's Love to Love You Baby.

In 1987 he started both Porcupine Tree, first conceived as a psychedelic pastiche with his friend Malcolm Stocks, and No-Man, which became an art-pop partnership with Tim Bowness. Before that came Altamont, Karma and Pride of Passion. Further groups followed, among them Blackfield and Storm Corrosion, and he has released eight solo albums since 2008. He has earned six Grammy nominations, and has remixed classic records into stereo, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos editions. In 2017 The Daily Telegraph called him probably the most successful British artist you've never heard of.