Music

Jessica Law and the Outlaws

Since 2010 I’ve been putting my over-active imagination to good use penning a series of unusual, melodic folk songs, often delving into the the darker side of the genre with an emphasis on setting a scene or telling a story. At the moment, I mainly perform solo, accompanying myself on mandolin, piano or resonator mandolele, and frequently enlisting the help of a band of itinerant musicians (the Outlaws) for studio recordings. My music has variously been described as:

You can keep up to date with upcoming gigs and other musical exploits on my Facebook Page.

The Mechanisms

I’m also a former member of the Steampunk storytelling space pirate collective The Mechanisms, who specialize in space-opera retellings of well-known myths and legends, twisting traditional folk tunes to their own nefarious purposes. Between 2010 and 2015 I provided mandolin, glockenspiel, penny whistle, harmonica and vocals for three albums and numerous live shows, which have been described as follows:

“Great loves and great battles zip by in spectacular set-pieces set to rousing rounds and shanties and encrusted with nice throwaway details” – Time Out

“Ruckus was had, disdain for humankind was entertained, and a massive applause followed. This was an utterly spellbinding performance — not to be missed!” – edfringe review

“Powerful, gripping, and at times humorous, their uniquely twisted brand of space-folk ran the gamut between pathos and fury and at one point had audience members up dancing and stamping.” – The Cutlery Drawer

“Ostensibly folk, but folk run over with a steam-powered bus driven by Homer”– The Ocelot

So far The Mechanisms have released the following albums:

High Noon Over Camelot (2014) is a space-Western reworking of the Arthurian legends, inspired by the Spaghetti Western soundtracks and set on an abandoned space station slowly falling into the sun.

Ulysses Dies at Dawn (2013) is a Film Noir retelling of the Greek myths, played out against the backdrop of a cyberpunk dystopia where death is both illegal and impossible.

Once Upon a Time [in Space] (2012) tells the story of Snow White’s bloody rebellion against the villainous Old King Cole in a space-opera retelling of Grimm’s Fairytales, set to rousing sea-shanties.