Introducing...
Formed in 2013, The Vaulted Skies is a UK-based four-piece band, performing and recording original music written by James AJ Scott (Vocals and Guitar).
Line-up
James AJ Scott
Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter
James AJ Scott on stage at The Horn in St. Albans, supporting Reeves Gabrels and Lisa Ronson on the 2015 UK tour. Photograph by Rebel Crow Photography
Ben Singleton
Keyboards and Guitars
Ben joined the band as a keyboard player, and features on many recordings in that capacity, many of which he also engineered. In 2016, he moved to guitar duties alongside James.
Ben Singleton shot by Pete Bilk at The Live Music Project, Trestle Arts Base, Halloween 2015.
Andy McFarlane - Bass
Andy on stage at The Fiddler’s Elbow, Camden: 2019. Photo by Paul Hudson.
The long story...
Once described as the lovechild of Robert Smith and Boy George, the beard-afflicted, kohl-eyed singer-songwriter James AJ Scott put The Vaulted Skies together in 2013 to bring peace to the galaxy through a fusion of edgy alternative rock and danceable electronica, shot through with the dynamics of grunge and bouts of epic melancholia.
In his iconic yellow woollen-framed spectacles and badge-emblazoned lab-coat, Doktor Ben Singleton can be found stage-right conducting sonic experiments on a second guitar alongside Scott’s, and the line-up is completed by bassist Andy McFarlane (who joined after answering an ad on a sort of Tinder for musicians), and at the time of writing Mat Hector is filling in on drums. Mat usually plays with household names like Iggy Pop, Grace Jones and Razorlight, but the band used an incantation of questionable moral (and health & safety) standards to conjure him forth from Kent to do their bidding.
Over the years, the band's performance has evolved from what was initially shoegaze level introversion to something altogether more engaging, captivating audiences everywhere from pubs and clubs to large outdoor stages. The team that booked The Vaulted Skies for their first London performance at Brick Lane’s legendary 93 Feet East, reflected:
"The crowd went wild for their set"… "A rocking, huge set - they sure know how to put on a show!"
Career highlights include supporting David Bowie and Cure guitarist Reeves Gabrels on his 2015 UK tour.
Notable mentions…
Joanna Scott
Joanna sang vocals alongside James in previous bands and is to all intents and purposes, a founder member of The Vaulted Skies, having performed under that name with James before the fuller line-up was formed. Joanna remains James' greatest muse and most honest critic, for which he is eternally grateful.
Pete Bilk
Responsible for many of the photographs on this website, Pete Bilk was also James' musical mentor when he first started setting words to music. Quite the renaissance man, Pete also produces other forms of visual art.
Rupert Hobday
Rupert "Roo Hobbers" Hobday was The Vaulted Skies' original wingman guitarist, and played a significant role in realising the sound James was after. He performed live with the band during their first two years on the circuit, and appears on a number of the band's early recordings. Roo returned as a guest bassist to the line-up, to help out on a couple of shows in the Summer of 2019 when the band was between official bass players.
Alex Walker
Alex was in previous bands with James. Before Scott Bradley joined The Vaulted Skies, Alex stepped in to play drums on a number of tracks that feature on The Strange EP.
John Melia & Scott Bradley
John (bass) and Scott (drums) were The Vaulted Skies' rhythm section until 2016. Scott has returned to the line-up on a number of occasions, including the band’s first overseas show in Belgium in 2019.
Jager 'Bom' Bomber
'Bom' has played drums with The Vaulted Skies on a number of important occasions... The first being the band's support slot on David Bowie and Cure guitarist Reeves Gabrels' 2015 UK tour (because Scott Bradley was overseas), and the second being on the 2016 'NO FATE?' EP recording sessions.
Roger Millington
Roger played keyboards for The Vaulted Skies in 2016, contributing to the band's 'NO FATE?' EP, and performing a series of live dates.
Martin Walker
Martin Walker was The Vaulted Skies’ drummer from 2017 to 2018, and gave the band its first taste of gigging with backing tracks and in-ear monitors. He was also instrumental in the band signing to Alya Records for release of the ‘NO FATE?’ EP.
Mat Hector
As the backbone of Iggy Pop’s live band, May is currently igniting stages all over the world with his explosive yet nuanced drumming style and his Hollywood leading man looks. Before The Vaulted Skies was lucky enough to have David join as its official drummer, Mat recorded four songs with the band: ‘Versus Heart’ and ‘The Way You Die’ are streaming now on Soundcloud; at the time of writing, ‘This Crime’ and ‘Excuses For Strangers’ are at different stages of production. Mat’s other credits include stints with Grace Jones and Thomas Dolby.
Ben Richardson
While Karly was otherwise engaged, Ben stepped in to play bass with James and Scott for the band’s first overseas show, at B52 Music Club in Belgium.