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"From Genesis and Pink Floyd to Muse, with hints of King Crimson and Allan Holdsworth in between: an intoxicating blend of post-Rock, progressive Rock and electronic experimentation." - Bangor Music

"They are astonishing." - BBC Introducing

FFO: Genesis, Pink Floyd, Prefab Sprout, Talking Heads, Kate Bush, Tears For Fears, The Cure, Death Cab For Cutie, Arcade Fire, It Bites

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Colonel Dax is a Wrexham-based alternative rock/multimedia project built around the songwriting, production and filmmaking of Tom Hughes. Full disclosure: it's Tom writing this, so let's do away with all the 3rd-person shtick. Hiya.

The first Dax album The White Room Sessions was released in 2016, accompanied by an experimental music video for The Changing Man. Filmed over a 1-year period, the video attained viral popularity and to date has amassed over 6 million views worldwide. The initial head-shave for the music video raised over £750 for Macmillan Cancer Care, and the proceeds from 2018 single I'm Just a Man (With a Moustache) were all (and continue to be) donated to CALM and the Movember Foundation; two important mental health charities.

The second Colonel Dax album thisisnotadream, released in 2022, features SoundCloud’s New & Hot chart-maker I Weave You Loom. The album’s 8-part title-track won Bangor University's Parry Williams Composition Prize in 2017.

Funky, Proggy, ever-so-slightly Emo, and somewhere in the vicinity of Rock, Colonel Dax songs are about confusion, animals, dreams and strange places; some are puzzles, some are absolutely stupid, and at least one of them is 27 minutes long. The general modus operandi (how 'bout that Latin, huh?) of Dax is that I dream up the music, perform and record it in my house, ask my pal Billy Evans to whack guitar solos wherever they're needed, and then drive myself nuts for weeks mixing, making the accompanying video and releasing it all. It's all very DIY and homemade (given that the budget is invariably sub-zero), but I like it like that. I think.

Colonel Dax songs enjoy regular appearances on local radio stations and have featured on several BBC Introducing broadcasts. When they need to be performed, they're performed by a stonking live band - in fact, 2024 saw the debut of a brand new live line-up, featuring Hendrix-esque guitar, Bonham-esque drums, and the occasional pair of trumpets. We've performed multiple slots at our hometown's FOCUS Wales Festival and are prolific performers in the local pub scene.

My 2023 double A-side single Listening to the Cure / Citalopram is an exploration of the double-edged nature of taking care of your mental health. It was released in June 2023 and features two striking music videos.

Late 2023 release, Amherst Chimes, was written in Massachusetts, Canada and Alaska (where the video was also filmed). It is a celebration of the small moments in life where you are separated from your troubles and fears, for no matter how short a time.

The most recent Colonel Dax release, She Pretends She Pretends, went from 0 to complete in about 6 hours. Its existence is a complete accident; it became stuck in my head during a period where I decided to withdraw from society a little bit (after coming off my meds). The video features Carrie from Campfire Social (as well as every other member of CS and Pillow Fort), and a whole host of other people. It's one of my favourite things I've ever made. Give it a look.

Upcoming releases include the singles No Turkey, CONTENT CREATOR, Lovely to See You X, and Cathedrals; and the albums Waiting Room, '539, end, Set, The Party and Homeless. Get cracking, Tom. I mean, me.

Visit the Colonel Dax Linktree to access our social media accounts, music, videos, and get in touch!