The Bleeding Obvious

"A rabbit-hole of genres" is just one of the phrases used to describe the music of The Bleeding Obvious: the monicker of British musician, composer and producer Jessica Rowbottom. A former chorister at Wakefield Cathedral, Jessica principally plays piano and keyboard but her skills also encompass accordion, guitar and drums as well as a variety of home-built and circuit-bent electronic devices. Her style encompasses everything from acoustic piano to orchestral soundscapes and soulful funk-pop - the music is emotional, reflective, joyful, frequently dark, sometimes funny, almost autobiographical in places. Her internationally acclaimed self-titled debut album The Bleeding Obvious was released in November 2016; opening track "Splendid!" garnered favourable radio play from the likes of BBC Radio 2 alongside commercial radio stations. The album featured over 50 singers and musicians from around the world as well as a small orchestra assembled specifically for the occasion. Throughout 2017-2018 Jessica toured her one-woman musical cabaret Rainbow Heart exploring the coming-out process for LGBTQIA+ people through music, spoken word and comedy. Tour dates included Brighton, Nottingham, Birmingham, Leeds, York, Bristol and Manchester and the show was part of Pride In London Festival 2018. The recorded album itself includes talking-heads segments alongside more traditional songs; almost a hundred people of varying sexualities and gender identities were interviewed to form the work. It also inspired an EP of remixes from the first two albums titled Spectrum - her first release with a live band. The Bleeding Obvious has also been touring new work taking her LGBTQ+ repertoire to Prides nationwide, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, L Fest lesbian festival in Wales, headlining the LGBT+ Pride Picnic in London's Victoria Park on the 50th anniversary of the first Big Gay Out, Faversham Fringe, Hull Comedy Festival, and performing a sold-out show at Cadogan Hall London with Europe's longest-running LGBTQ+ choir The Pink Singers.