Music career
In addition to recording albums with No-Man (for record labels such as One Little Indian, Sony/Epic, and Kscope), Bowness has appeared on albums by US artists OSI and David Torn, Italian artists Alice, Saro Cosentino, Fjieri, Nosound and Stefano Panunzi, Norwegian groups White Willow and The Opium Cartel, and others.
In 1994, he recorded an album with Porcupine Tree/Japan/Rain Tree Crow keyboard player Richard Barbieri, called Flame.[2]
Bowness has been a core or occasional member of several other bands. He has sung for German band Centrozoon and British electro-improvisers Darkroom on the more vocal-orientated projects performed and released by each group. He is the lead singer and guitarist for Henry Fool and also sings for Memories of Machines. He was singer (and occasional second guitarist) for Samuel Smiles between 1992 and 2000. Bowness also has a longstanding duo collaboration with Peter Chilvers (with whom he has worked in Samuel Smiles and Henry Fool). This project has so far produced two albums, California, Norfolk (2002) and Modern Ruins (2020).
Bowness's debut solo album, My Hotel Year was released on One Little Indian in 2004. The album made use of Bowness collaborators both old and new, and featured Roger Eno and Hugh Hopper amongst others.
In 2009, Bowness co-wrote and co-produced Talking with Strangers, an album by former Fairport Convention singer, Judy Dyble.
Warm Winter, the debut album by Memories of Machines (a collaboration with Nosound's Giancarlo Erra), was issued on Mascot in April 2011, and the self-titled debut release by Anglo Estonian project Slow Electric was released on Panegyric in October 2011.
Bowness's second solo album Abandoned Dancehall Dreams was released on 23 June 2014 on Inside Out Music. Produced by Bowness and mixed by Steven Wilson, collaborators included Stephen James Bennett. Pat Mastelotto, Colin Edwin and Classical composer Andrew Keeling. Richard Barbieri and Grasscut provided mixes for the bonus disc. Abandoned Dancehall Dreams came out to some of the best reviews of Bowness' career. Receiving positive endorsements from Prog and Classic Rock, the album reached No. 18 in the official UK Rock charts and No. 1 in Prog magazine's July 2014 and August 2014 charts.
A follow-up to Abandoned Dancehall Dreams, Stupid Things That Mean the World, was released on 17 July 2015 on Inside Out Music. Bowness admitted similarities between the two albums, in both the musical approach and artwork, calling it the second part of a new chapter that began with Abandoned Dancehall Dreams.[3] Produced by Bowness and mixed by Bruce Soord, collaborators included Stephen James Bennett, Peter Hammill, Colin Edwin, Phil Manzanera and David Rhodes. The album reached No. 10 in both the official UK Rock and UK Vinyl charts, and No. 1 in Prog magazine's July 2015 and August 2015 charts. In September 2015, Stupid Things That Mean the World was No. 9 in the first ever Official Charts Company Progressive Albums chart.
Tim Bowness's fourth solo album Lost in the Ghost Light - a concept album revolving around the onstage and backstage thoughts of a veteran musician - was released on 17 February 2017 on Inside Out Music. The album garnered very positive reviews from the Rock media - Prog, Powerplay, Classic Rock, Shindig! - as well as in more mainstream publications such as The Daily Express,[4] Mojo and Classic Pop. Produced Tim Bowness with Stephen James Bennett, the album mixed and mastered by Steven Wilson and alongside performances by regular collaborators such as Stephen James Bennett, Bruce Soord, Colin Edwin and Andrew Keeling, featured guest appearances from Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, and ex Camel/Happy The Man keyboard player Kit Watkins. Lost in the Ghost Light reached No.5 in the official UK Rock chart, No.8 in the official UK Progressive chart and won "Album Cover of the Year" at the 2017 Progressive Music Awards.[5]
Flowers at the Scene was released on 1 March 2019 on Inside Out Music. Like its predecessor, the album garnered extremely positive reviews from the Rock media in Britain and Europe, as well as in more mainstream publications such as The Daily Express,[6] Mojo and Classic Pop. Produced by Tim Bowness with Steven Wilson - as No-Man - and Brian Hulse, the album featured guest appearances from Peter Hammill, Kevin Godley, Andy Partridge, Jim Matheos, David Longdon, Colin Edwin, Dylan Howe and others. Flowers at the Scene reached No.5 in both the official UK Rock and UK Progressive charts, No.24 in the official UK Vinyl chart, and No.38 in the official UK Physical sales chart.
Late Night Laments, Bowness's sixth solo album, was released on 28 August 2020 on Inside Out Music. A more intimate and atmospheric work than any of his previous solo albums, guest players included Richard Barbieri, Kavus Torabi and Colin Edwin. The album was mixed by Steven Wilson, mastered by Calum Malcolm, and reached No.45 in the official UK Physical sales chart, No.4 in the UK Progressive charts, and No.56 in the official Scottish chart. The album was No.14 in Prog Magazine's Best Of 2020 critic's list.
Butterfly Mind, Bowness's seventh solo album, was released on 5 August 2022 on Inside Out Music. Seen as the most eclectic and dynamic of his solo releases, high-profile guests such as Ian Anderson, Dave Formula, Peter Hammill, Nick Beggs, (ex-Elbow drummer) Richard Jupp and others contributed to the album. Butterfly Mind generated the most positive reviews of Bowness's career, alongside his highest UK chart placings.
Business
In 2001, Bowness co-founded the online record label and store Burning Shed with Peter Chilvers and Pete Morgan.[7] Originally a label dedicated to producing online, on-demand CDRs of experimental side-projects by the likes of Bass Communion, Hugh Hopper and Roger Eno) it quickly evolved into hosting official online stores for No-Man, Porcupine Tree, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Andy Partridge, Big Big Train, Will Sergeant and many other artists.
Podcast
In May 2020, Bowness launched 'The Album Years', an audio only podcast with his partner in No-Man, Steven Wilson. It was very successful upon release, charting highly all around the world on Apple Podcasts.[8]
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