The first of two evenings with Drew McDowall opens with a conversation with writer and publisher Mark Pilkington, followed by a performance devoted to the music of Coil, centered on Time Machines, the landmark 1998 album conceived as a tool for time travel through drone and continuous tone. McDowall, a longtime collaborator and member of Coil, brings a rare and intimate perspective to this material.

Presented by Kou Arts, the presenting arm of Kou Records and founding affiliate-in-residence at Blank Forms.

7PM doors / 7:30PM talk / 8:30PM music

$25 general / $15 student (valid ID required at door)

New York-based composer and musician Drew McDowall grew up in Scotland, where he found a home in Glasgow’s rich underground music community. After moving to London, he joined Psychic TV and then became a full-time member of Coil, shaping the group’s later output and contributing heavily to some of their most respected and influential works. He is known for his diverse collaborations, working with Kali Malone, Caterina Barbieri, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, Hiro Kone, Varg, Puce Mary, Shapednoise, Rabit, Elvin Brandhi and LEYA, amongst others. While McDowall has had a strong affinity to electronic music throughout his life, he avoids making music confined to any one genre, and in his most recent works, has used string players, brass, the pipe organ and the harp. He recently released A Thread, Silvered and Trembling (2024), which alchemises laments and tributes to the dead, fusing modal drones with flickering dissonance and plaintive melody.

Mark Pilkington is a writer, and founder and co-director of Strange Attractor Press. He is the author of the book and documentary film ‘Mirage Men’ and ‘Far Out: 101 Strange Tales from Science’s Outer Edge’, and has written internationally for a wide range of newspapers, magazines, anthologies, journals, film box sets and web sites. He’s appeared on TV and film documentaries and speaks regularly on esoteric and fringe culture topics. He also makes electronic music as half of Teleplasmiste and Luminous Foundation, is an occasional curator, and co-runs the Acid Horse music festival near his home in Wiltshire. strangeattractor.co.uk

Drew McDowall: Time Machines (Coil) / Conversation with Mark Pilkington

Drew McDowall: Time Machines (Coil) / Conversation with Mark Pilkington