Amateur Ornithologist
... is Tyneside pop culture obsessive Daniel Clifford. With a brain that stores snippets of old comics, adverts and TV, Daniel channels these into the weird pop music and visuals of Amateur Ornithologist. Amateur Ornithologist has earned comparisons to Django Django, Field Music and Dent May due to melodic instrumentation, lush harmonies and nostalgic vibes.
Daniel is neurodivergent, which causes awkward social interactions. He aims to express himself articulately through music and create moments of understanding for people like him.
Indie label Harbourmaster Recordings plan Amateur Ornithologist releases throughout 2022, building on 2021’s debut album Birdwatching, which received support from BBC Introducing, NARC magazine and a host of blogs.
Amateur Ornithologist is ..?
I'm Daniel Clifford, a neurodivergent artist from Tyneside in North East England. I've started to say it's "weird pop music from my weird pop brain" because it feels like I channel all of the music, advert jingles, design and films I've seen in my life into this new wave-tinged pop music and the videos, covers and photos that surround it.
I'm putting a band together at the moment so if everything works out Amateur Ornithologist will expand from one person to six or seven before the year's over...
Who inspired you to make music in general?
The mixtapes we listened to on car journeys as a kid played a massive part in making me want to make music. Classic stuff like The Beatles, Beach Boys, David Bowie, Roxy Music and early rock'n'roll and doo-wop.
But in my teens it was seeing local bands like The Futureheads, Field Music, Golden Virgins and Bubble Project - relatable people I'd see down the shops or in local bars making this amazing music and getting played on Radio 1
Your latest release "I Told A Lie" creates an amazing post-punk atmosphere, what's the song about?
Thank you! It's about masking autism and anxiety traits to get through the day and fit in. That's a self-preservation impulse of neurodivergent people, to pretend to be like everyone else. But, in the long-run, it massively backfires and causes us more harm.
What was in your opinion the last "big thing/artist/band/event ..." in music history?
BTS? Tik-Tok? Maybe big name 60s/70s artists taking their music off Spotify. Although the world moves so quickly that seems to have been forgotten already.
You are from Gateshead, how would you describe the music scene there?
I live in Gateshead at the moment but I'm from South Shields, which is on the mouth of the River Tyne while Gateshead is further inland along the river.
The Tyneside and North East music scene is really healthy at the moment - lots of exciting artists like Albert Smith, Hannah Robinson, Holiday in Tokyo and Madeleine Smyth putting out great music, but clearly with the potential to keep growing.
We also have Harbourmaster, the producer I work with, who is supporting a whole range of artists to get their music recorded and released.
Do you remember your first ever self written song?
I used to be in a band with Harbourmaster and the first proper song I'll have written would have been with him. Either a theme tune for the comics I was making or a Libertines rip-off ode to the homeless people of our town.
But my first solo song would have been one called Calamity Daniel James. Not a good song, but I like the title so I'll recycle that at some point.
What’s next for you?
I'm releasing two more singles after I Told A Lie; one in July and then another in September. Things seem to be coming together at the moment, which is really exciting. Hopefully these singles will keep the momentum going. And then gigs when the band is properly sorted. Lots of gigs!
Photo credits:
Jenny Rohde
