WriteForTheStage

You probably know me more as a playwright than a novelist, and you probably don’t know me as a musician at all.

But I am, indeed, all of these things – I was a musician before I was a writer, and after 25 years of playwriting, I finally released my first novel last year.

So, it’s with great excitement that I announce my new book: Supertonic, published by Cockatoo Books.

What is Supertonic about?

Supertonic isn’t a story about a superhero. The word “supertonic” is a musical term for the second degree of the major (or minor) scale.

And this idea of coming second fits perfectly, because my novel Supertonic is about a faded 90s Madchester rock star who’s fallen on hard times and finds himself hurled back into the limelight.

And he finds his second slice of the fame pie significantly more challenging to navigate than his first. Initially, it’s the music industry has changed beyond recognition, but then he discovers the terrifying fragility of modern fame.

Is Supertonic a comedy?

Yes. My previous novel, Autumn Leaf, was a thriller. I’m a huge thriller fan, so my first instinct was to write a page-turner—an airport novel that keeps people on the edge of their seats. And, according to feedback, people find Autumn Leaf a genuinely exciting page-turner.

Job done.

However, Supertonic is a comedy—more precisely a satire. I took my experience as a songwriter in 90s Manchester, trying to find my way through to my big break, and catapulted it into the industry now. Any similarities to real people in the novel are unintentional!

So, why have I released a single to accompany the launch of Supertonic?

I had an absolute ball writing this book. It was massively fun to follow the hero, Simeon Reeves, and put him through the toughest year of his life, going from zero to becoming the most famous hunted man on the planet.

The final act of the story takes place in Berlin, where he records an album. And it was this phase of the journey that I’ve aimed to capture in music.

Have I written music before?

Good question. And yes, I’ve been writing music for, like, forever. I’ve got a degree in Pop Music & Recording, and I used to be a regular on the Manchester songwriter scene in the 90s, where I was never seen anywhere without my guitar.

But several doomed projects later, and I got fed up with it. And I turned to theatre, where I found a new way to tell stories, and I haven’t looked back since.

However, two years ago, I finally plucked up the courage to release my first album Twenty-Twenty Four, released under my own indie label 1984 Records.

What is MusicByMachines?

MusicByMachines is where I went electronic, and have never looked back since. The name MusicByMachines is inspired by a line in the 80s adaptation of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. However, there’s no AI in MusicByMachines, despite the name.

The album is an exploration of the idea that Orwell wasn’t writing about 1984; he was writing about 2024.

And then, in 2025, I released the follow-up, Filthy Disco—like a night out at the coolest indie disco in town.

One Confession, the first single from the Supertonic EP

Today is the release of both Supertonic the book and the first single from the Supertonic EP, due to release in the autumn.

One Confession was my attempt to recreate the one-chord song that Simeon writes in the novel. And while I didn’t quite manage the one-chord ambition, it’s not far off.

It’s a bit of a new sound for MusicByMachines – but that’s because I’m trying to channel Simeon’s Berlin sessions.

Is this music written by AI?

No. MusicByMachines (and indeed the book Supertonic) is not AI-generated in any way.

Not that I’m averse to working with AI—my back catalogue project, Earwarm, is the first collection of songs from my long back catalogue of songs that I never did anything with and brought to life through Suno.

The songs remained intact—but I worked with Suno to create the recordings.

Where can I read Supertonic and listen to One Confession?

Supertonic is available in paperback and Kindle versions, and available on Amazon. If you’d rather not buy from Amazon, you’ll be able to buy the paperback online from a range of other sellers within the next few weeks.

You can listen to One Confession from any of the music streamers, including Apple Music, YouTube Music, Spotify, and Tidal.

Try a sample of Supertonic

Go back to the book images above, and select Read Sample, and you’ll be able to read the first two-and-a-bit chapters. It’ll give you a good idea what to expect for the rest of the story. It’s a wild ride. I hope you’re willing to give it a go!

Thanks for reading!