Hydroponics is an instrumental plant-inspired folk project created by Pete Wall. Combining the members’ collective backgrounds in folk, classical, jazz, funk, flamenco and pop, the band involves the audience in the joyful ease of four friends and musicians making the music they love. Having played for Celtic Connections and Sofar Sounds in their first year of gigging, Hydroponics are currently working on the release of their debut EP, Don’t Overwater, which will be released in February 2024.
The band played their first live show in December 2022, supporting jazz-fusion band Mahuki, before playing at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (DKOS stage) for Celtic Connections in January 2023. Since then, the band have played various gigs in Edinburgh, including a sold-out Sofar Sounds show and gracing the stage at the recently-opened Patina.
Band Biographies
Pete is a composer, songwriter performer based in Edinburgh. In a band setting, Pete performs with emphasis on complementing the band as a unit, drawing on his experience writing and arranging music of his own. His experience covers a range of styles, though he currently specialises in pop-rock, funk and instrumental folk. With the 9-piece Jimi Get Your Funk On, he is responsible for writing and arranging music for a 3-piece brass section, a duty he also performs for the function band The Amber Lights, transcribing and rearranging covers for weddings and parties. His songwriting experience began when he was 16, when his indie-folk trio Sticks and Stones recorded their debut album with Distilled Records, before playing the music all over Scotland. Since then, he has written singles and EPs with folk-pop band Oceancode, an album with pop-rock band LOLA. He continues to write and release his own solo music, both under Pete Wall, his songwriting output, and his instrumental-folk project, Hydroponics. As he continues to develop in his career, Pete seeks share his music with folk festivals around the UK, as well as using connections in Portugal and Czech Republic and the USA to travel with his music.
David is a freelance musician and producer based in Edinburgh and Glasgow. In his instrumental experience he has developed a thorough understanding of the nuances of style and feel and is experienced in wide range of genres. An interest in composition permeates his musicianship and contributes to his capacity to complement the styles of those he plays with.
Currently an active musician in the live music scene throughout Glasgow and Edinburgh, David is a member of multiple band outfits.These include The Amber Lights function band, performing at venues across the country and on a bi-weekly residency at Stramash in Edinburgh. Terrace court, an R&B/ Pop outfit who have supported Joseph in the Revolver Hotel in Glasgow. Jimi Get Your Funk On who were recently on an international tour. David is also continuing to work with his collaborator Pete Wall in both their solo artist career and Hydroponics acoustic project. This dynamic flourished as a result of a collaborative project LOLA where an album was the product of a case study into the collaborative creative process.
Having started a series of guitar videos over lockdown, David has since developed a strong passion for writing and producing his own tracks. He plans to realise music over the next couple of years after polishing his mixing skills and researching into the marketing strategies of the modern industry. Sync licensing has also been a current research point for David who intends to expand into writing music for TV, film and Video Games.
Angus is a musician from Dumfries working in a wide range of fields. He spent his earlier years as the pianist in the indie-folk trio Sticks and Stones, who released their debut album with Distilled Records in 2014. He went on to pursue an MEng in Electronics with Music at the University of Glasgow – a blend of jazz trumpet performances, sonic art, sound design for the moving image, and electronics design. Subsequently, he co-founded the modular synthesis company Sandavore. The company designs eurorack modules, small synergistic parts of a larger synthesiser, and is currently in the late prototyping stage of their first release. Angus and his partner design each and every module from scratch.
He previously taught trumpet for many years, taking on an array of styles and abilities. In recent years he has recorded vocal works by Scottish choirs. Most recently he was producing and engineering the vocal group Cantus Firmus at the magnificent St Aloysius’ Church in Glasgow.
He has recently returned to his folk roots, working with the acoustic folk group Hydroponics as their pianist. Through this he is hoping to develop his skills in modest and purposeful composition.
Hi! I’m Alex, I’m a freelance bassist from Livingston. I’ve been working in music since 2019, focusing on function work and small-band projects. I’ve been playing electric bass for 10 years and lately I’ve been tackling the upright bass for Hydroponics.
I graduated from Edinburgh Napier with a BA in Popular Music earlier this year and since then I’ve been looking to help friends and colleagues to not only make a living but also contribute to Edinburgh’s culture and music scene. Playing weddings and events has led to me being a very adaptable and groove-based player, but my bass playing is still heavily funk and soul inspired, with a long background of indie and electronic music influences. Playing upright for Hydroponics has required dusting off old chops – a very enriching experience, I’m excited to bring the gorgeous sound of the double bass to more gigs in the future.
Outside of bass playing, I’m a very capable audio engineer with many days logged in the studio. I particularly love working with singer-songwriters and helping to pull the image these artists have in their head out into the DAW. Otherwise, I like working with my hands! I build and paint scale models and enjoy cooking vegan meals for me and my partner.
Pete Wall 