Hiya Alex Wonder, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Thanks for joining us today… Tell us bit about where you are from and how you got into music?
Hi, thanks for having me. I’m currently sitting in my home project studio in South London. Actually Equilibrial distance from where David Jones was born and David Bowie grew up (Thats the same person by the way :p). However my childhood was in a typical standard English town in Kent, that while providing the world with Jagger and Richards 30 years previous, was not astoundingly within any mega music or art scene, of which I was longing to belong to in my later teen years. I got offered a job as an assistant recording engineer at 18, with a classical record company in the capital city 20 miles away, and that eventually catapulted me in the direction of the interesting weirdos, curious outcasts, and incredibly creative minds that were butterflying around the real industry.
Before that, I had picked up guitar for the 2nd time around about 13 years old, and set about attempting to not only conquer my crippling shyness but also reflect introvertness into songs that likely had their beginnings as a therapy tool to express what was going on inside my little head. I reckon i woulda been the very last kid you would have picked out from 200 children in my school year, to not only eventually go on and regularly perform on stages around the country, but also to get paid money to do so! Throughout most of my early twenties, I kinda felt like i was almost conning venues, promoters, audiences! when i realised people were actually connecting with my songs or enjoying the performances, then that started to shake off the imposter syndrome, thankfully!
What’s the live music scene like in (London) right now?
I think that away from the medium to large venues and acts who have legions of fans, generally much of the underground music scene which we’re a part of, relies on how the bars/clubs/events/festivals are doing with their own business models as well as the economics of the country.
People have been saying for many years, that more and more live music venues are closeing down – sometimes through new resident noise complaints or the new generation not wanting to consume alcohol, or the burgeoning business rates bestowed upon them – there’s a whole load of politics involved in it all of course, but overall it has had a detrimental effect. However, i’ve always been quite resourceful in finding opportunities, and im happy to say there is at least lots of free underground art parties within my eclectic city, which although not always as financially rewarding, does always create fantastic friendships with others creatives, potential new music jobs, and draw new fans alike.
Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Tom Monks, another south London based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who I know, has just released his first album, so I recently went to his band’s premiere gig at The Pelton Arms in Greenwich, and although not really having an easily accessible CD player myself, I wanted to buy a copy on CD to support him, having listened to it first online. I told him afterwards that I could clearly hear all of his influences – many of which are mine too- but without it sounding like he was ripping anybody off in particular, nor plagiarizing any specific songs.
That might come across as a bit of an underhand compliment, but I actually believe it to be a huge accolade, as it’s very rare for me to listen to a new pop/rock album these days and not feel like i’ve heard it all before. His stuff has a sort of charming odd-pop wave to it, which seemingly has arrangements or production styles, drawn from every past decade of contemporary music, and yet you still feel it was released in 2026. Class!
Do you think its easy to become a victim of our surrounds sometimes?
Yes, and there’s many different contexts that could be attributed to myself. One obvious one, would be the cliched ‘small fish in a big pond’ syndrome that many artists in cities experience, let alone in London with 9 million heads in total. I do recall playing many a gig within small towns or even villages years ago, where audience members would come up to me, genuinely suggesting enthusiastically I would have a chance of winning TV’s X Factor and that it would change my life, if I applied.
It did instill with me some confidence, however I was also wise to the fact that these local people dont see that many talented musicians every day or week, on their doorstep. Yes i could have had a very strong supportive fanbase in certain regions, which I would have benefited from in some respects, however the trade off would have been that it quite possibly could have been a dead end road with no versatility or growth, and the same ole faces every week! So in that respect, I understand why they believed the only road to success (or making comfortable money) through music, is to feature on nationwide TV talent shows – there is or at least was, before the advent of online streaming and remote working, no other route to that, if you didn’t live in or near a big city.
What are your ambitions for the band?
I still have an 11/12 track album, i’ve been sitting on for longer than i’d like to count. It’s almost my life’s work if you like, and i’m incredibly proud of the songs, the sentiments behind them as well as their recordings. Perhaps the pressure i’ve put on myself for it not to be a flop, has been the largest hurdle in me releasing it.
However Chrissy, my long term pal and original drummer with The Wonderland, has been assisting me with mixing the tracks in my studio recently, so its back…on…track…again! I have attempted to mix and master it myself a few times in the past, but i felt like I had hit the proverbial brick wall. Although I used to do so much autonomously, I learnt a while ago that a neutral pair of ears, and somebody you trust, is incredibly important, to prevent you going insane with your own work.
Whats your favourite social media platform to use and why?
I’m on most of them aside from X (not a fan of Elon’s ethics, nor purely text based platforms), Insta stories seems to have the most reach within my followers, rather the standard posts and reels, i’ve found. But TikTok, as everybody likely knows by now has sort of become king for waving your banner to attract strangers.
I did a handful of live streams in the winter, and I will do more again, but to be completely honest, I hate finishing a performance to complete silence, and then looking up to see if i can spot any handclap emojis from the viewers. Feels so cringe! I’m an old school live show fan myself, and so in-person events are still the best way to watch me and the chance to catch the whole band….which can occasionally number 8 people on stage!
Whats your thoughts on AI generated music?
As mentioned before, I am a professional music producer and recording engineer, having worked in various capacities with both award-winning established and also young fledgling artists, I started self-crafting at home alone, from the age of 14, with shoddy hifi microphones and 4 track cassette tape machines, before enlisting at a music college which opened my eyes, ears and brain to professional recording technique and gear.
It took me many many years, and unthinkable hours, to learn why instruments, DAWs, arrangements, performances, mixes or masters didn’t sound right. and then adapting it to sounding great. or at least passable. haha. So understandably, i feel criminally robbed, when im told that people are releasing music these days, who are not trained in being a musician nor an audio producer engineer. Some are apparently actually having real success. I guess that gives them more time to be a digital marketer for content. As that’s all I see them as.
What’s currently in your ears and on rotation at the moment?
The Violent Femmes, Sorrell Nation, Olivia Dean.
What was your worst experience on stage? Any funny stories to share?
Oh god. so many. I could release a “Greatest Shits” compilation video, if they were all captured! My very first ‘official’ performance at a school talent show when I was 14, featured myself and a drummer just. We performed 2 Stereophonics songs – who i was a huge fan of at the time. I’ve tried to suppress it, but the 8 painfully long minutes on stage involved my guitar going wildly out of tune mid song, my FX processor losing power twice resulting in just a solo drum kit accompanying my vocals for the last 30 seconds, and once finished, I bolted off stage red faced with guitar still hung around me, only for the audience to point out in a collective scream that all of my equipment was still plugged in- so i had an abundance of cables, FX pedals and a large Fender guitar amp that weighed more than me, all following the petrified kid off stage in haste, presumably in their own shared technological embarrassment. haha.
Other notable stage invasions include a slightly merry, but welcomed, Kai Stephens from Hard-Fi jumping up with us at an outdoor party stage to share the vocals with me on a cover of “Lady, hear me tonight”, and many years ago when I played a quieter intimate acoustic solo show around the age of 22, a drunken woman twice my age (unwelcomed) at the back of the room slowly – over the course of 10 minutes – started increasingly singing along (louder than me in places) and maneuvering her way close towards the stage, eventually ending in a provocative pole dancing around my mic stand, that I sat behind, trying not to flinch whilst performing sombre, heartfelt songs. I had hoped the song would move people emotionally, but not like that! The manager swiftly kicked her out, after 2 warnings. But I could have done with her as a fan now, as my music genre has evolved into also having some sexually evocative lyrics – particularly “Spectrum of Light” and “Diggin for you”, on the new EP.
What can you tell us about this new EP release?
The “Laugh or Death”EP is named after one of the featured tracks, which was originally released a year and a half ago. The title is obviously a play on words of the famous, extreme saying ‘Life and Death’. A reminder that life without lightheartedness, can result in dark instrusive thoughts, that could even lead to worse. And that song in particular, speaks of some difficult mental health states that I have experienced, as well as an advocation for Psilocybin to be legalised, as I believe it to be more powerful than doctor prescribed anit-depressents.
Micro-dosing of that particular fungi, can uplift the soul, mindset, productivity and cognition. I’ve seen and heard the evidence of it myself. Some people have a chemical imbalance, if you like, that almost requires it to function – especially in the winter months, and if it can instill a few giggles and laughs too, that makes it a VERY powerful tool, that could save the NHS and society as a whole, an absolute tonne each year. preach over.
The final song on the EP – MIni Catastrophes, was first born through some electronic music explorational warfare I pursued for fun, years ago. The instrumental beat sat on my computer for a while, and i had no idea what to do with it to bring it to completion. How can i possibly sing like i usually do over something odd like this? do i invite a seasoned rapper MC to jump on?? Eventually I thought fuck it, im gonna don a snap back and high tops, get into character mode as a mischevious young lad roaming around in London… but I did create the storyline (if there even is one) and character on an actual young talented rapper i produced for and befreinded around 12 years previously, and tried to take mild influence from what I learnt from his cheeky in-your-face, rapping style. Im in no way comparing our talents in that field. I dont consider myself a rapper at all.
However, i wanted to push myself into writing a 32 bar, and spitting some lines. its something i had always wanted to do, having admired others around me for years. It was a fun endeavour, and my full band have started mashing up “Mini Catastrophes” on stage, with the instrumental of the old Grange Hill TV show theme tune. Im always up for doing something a little out of the norm. Or ‘Fuck Shit Up’, as Jflow would have said.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
if curious as to what Alex and the Wonderland may sound like live in concert, we’re very VERY different compared to these EP recordings. It’s more organic, includes taste of world music vibes, and with live instruments – the members which include Marc Corbett on bass and John Barry on Keys, bring their own unique stamp to the parts. it brings a new dimension.
We regularly perform around London, with dates always announced on Instagram and TikTok posts (do give us a follow!) and on the website www.alexandthewonderland.com. Festivals this summer, confirmed so far include Small World Fest in Kent on 23rd May, Wickham Fest in Hampshire on 31st July and Victorious Fest in Hampshire on 28th August. See y’all, over a rainbow hopefully!
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