Belfast singer, songwriter, and visual artist Paul Archer talks about his new single and being instinct-led
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PLEASE TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF…
I am a Belfast born singer and songwriter. I am also a visual artist and I paint abstract expressionist “instinct-led” visual works. This approach is carried through into my sonic art which is also feeling and instinct-led.
I am grateful for the blessing on music and music and art creation in my life. My song “Four Minute Mile” from my previous band called The Ghears has been used on movies including the 2007 CBS Hollywood tv movie Aquaman (Mercy Reef) starring Ving Rhames (Mission Impossible), Justin Hartley (The Arrow series) & Lou Diamond Philips (Longmire).
My music has also been placed on movie “A Patch Of Fog” which can be seen via Amazon.
I was privileged to be asked to contribute backing vocals to Snow Patrol’s Eyes Open multi-platinum album and I sang on five songs on that record.
I was born into a musical family and my father played with Van Morrison in his early teenage days. My parents both sang Gospel music and my father wrote, recorded and produced for Gospel groups.
Musically I love everything from Gospel to Indie to Soul to Indian Classical music and my favourite band musically are The Velvet Undergound.
My music journey began in Belfast in the mid-90s with my band Disreali Gears which I started with my brother Iain Archer, a soulful psych-rock experience beloved on the then thriving local scene. One album and a lot of great memories remain. Out of that, the Ghears [sic] emerged (1998–2003, four albums) – a new band, a relocation to England and a sound that incorporated my love of Krautrock (eg. NEU!) locked grooves and my deeply held beliefs in The Logos and the importance of compassion and light with crunching guitars and vocal exploration and harmony..
My band Burning Codes (2008–18, six albums) ended on a high with the album Liberator (2018) and single ‘Loss Leader’, with the valedictory East Anglian line-up of the band widely celebrated as a thrilling live experience.
Returning to Bangor, NI in 2018 for family reasons, I rode out the impasse of Covid and its long-tail damage to the NI live scene with a series of digital singles, including an embryonic version of the song ‘Art’ (2021), I then re-wrote the melody of this song for my current and first ever “Paul Archer” solo album of the same name. This approach had begun my humble homage ‘Belfast (Place of My Soul)’ in 2017 – attributed to Burning Codes but effectively a Paul Archer collaboration with various luminaries of the place where his music began, including ‘Godfather of Punk’ Terri Hooley, Snow Patrol’s ‘Nathan Connolly and Paul’s brother Iain Archer, an award-winning co-writer to the stars.
The current line up for my solo shows varies depending on whether I am playing at home in Ireland or on the mainland or abroad and I often collaborate with other very talented musicians for current live performances. Currently these very talented indviduals include Andy Hawkins, Gary Must, Rick Bleakley, Peter Marshall and Jonny Blair.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW SINGLE ‘FEAR DESTROYER’!?
Fear Destroyer is written in response to how my journey is changing and has moved towards real, tangible freedom from anxiety and fear to faith and belief in a loving higher power which identifies deeply with each of us and wants to heal, nurture, protect and liberate us from fear by means of profound love. This love permeates the sub atomic fabric of everything beyond even the quantum level. This song encapsulates my message to the world of the importance in the belief of one divine Creator who alleviates suffering and offers peace and love.
This song is a joyous explosion of light, love and liberation and becoming spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally whole.
For me I have a personal relationship with the Logos / Jesus Christ and this is incredibly relevant now more than ever for me.
WHICH SONG WOULD YOU SAY SUMS UP YOUR SOUND THE BEST?
I think that, from this new album the song or songs which sum up my sound best are Fear Destroyer and Moving With The Light (which is on the cd & download versions of the new album called “Art”).
HOW DID YOU GET INTO MUSIC?
I grew up in a musical family and music was always all around me. My mother used to sing to us every night from we were babies. I was brought up with my parents singing and playing Gospel music which is powerful and moving to both mind and to soul. We were also brought up with Van Morrison albums as my father used to play with Van when they were very young as I mentioned previously. I think that 60’s soul music is wonderful also (Motown/ Stax Volt…) and then in my mid teens I discovered indie and alternative music and my significant discovery there was The Smiths.
WHAT DOES TYPICAL WRITING AND RECORDING DAY LOOK LIKE?
I write and record demos constantly at home using primarily guitar and vocals on my home recording set up. I then work with trusted friends and producers and I am a solo-collaborative artist. I work frequently with Andy Hawkins who is a sonic genius and I love record often at The Nave Studios over in Leeds in England (Andy is a producer at The Nave). I also work with fellow Belfast producer and again sonic genius Rick Bleakley. And both Andy and Rick are profoundly gifted multi-instrumentalists.
WHAT HAS BEEN THAT HARDEST THING ABOUT YOUR MUSIC JOURNEY SO FAR?
Music (the business side in particular) teaches me resilience and to focus on creating new work and recording this. Some the the most challenging issues are in getting the work out in a way that people
can be effectively introduced to it with so much music already out there but I am delighted that Liberty Music PR who we work with now, are a tremendous “force of nature” and we are very excited about the future going forward!
WHAT'S BEEN THE EASIEST?
I wouldn’t describe anything in this journey as “easy” as such but I have hundreds of songs and more coming constantly. I am so grateful that I have music and visual art in my life and for the rich musical, spiritual and artistic upbringing which I had. My father is also a master level fine artist and has been painting since he was very young. His works are so beautiful.
WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU WEREN'T MAKING MUSIC?
I would definitely be reaching out to people to try to communicate and help others in some way shape or form. I have had the privilege of spending many years working also as a Social Care Professional in the fields of childhood trauma work and mental health Personal Recovery work.
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN?
Follow your heart.
WHAT'S NEXT?
We have a show coming up for the new album in Belfast on 6th September 2025 at The American Bar and then I’m back over to Leeds to The Nave Studios for more recording in November 2025. We are looking to book new shows.
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Photo Dan Donovan