Charles Hayward (drummer)

Charles Hayward (born 1951) is an English drummer and was a founding member of the experimental rock groups This Heat and Camberwell Now.

He also played with Mal Dean's Amazing Band, Dolphin Logic, and gigged and recorded with Phil Manzanera in the group Quiet Sun project as well as a short stint with Gong.

He was a session musician on The Raincoats' second album, Odyshape, and on one occasion played drums for the anarchist punk band Crass.

In 1976, Hayward and fellow musician Charles Bullen began practising with bassist Gareth Williams under the name This Heat.

They began to experiment with tape loops, found sounds and keyboards on several sessions (recorded from 1976 to 1978, but not released until 1979).

Finally, in 1979, This Heat released their self-titled debut album.

Since the late 1980s, Hayward has released several solo projects and participated in various collaborations, most notably Massacre with Bill Laswell and Fred Frith.

1981's Deceit marked the final new album from This Heat, Williams leaving just after its release.

While Bullen began working as a studio engineer, Hayward did sessions for Lora Logic, The Raincoats and Everything but the Girl before forming Camberwell Now with bassist Trefor Goronwy and tape manipulator Stephen Rickard.

The trio released 2 eps Meridian, Greenfingers and 1 album The Ghost Trade through the Swiss Recommended label.

When Camberwell Now disbanded in 1987 Hayward embarked on a solo career which has continued to the present day.

He debuted with Survive the Gesture (1987), Skew-whiff (1989) Switch on War (1991) and My Secret Alphabet (with Nick Doyne-Ditmas) in 1993.

Hayward currently lives with his wife and three children, Lewis (b. 1987), Merlin (b. 1992) and Riley (b. 1996).

see also Quiet Sun, This Heat, Camberwell Now, etc...

Three live albums recorded in Japan followed in the late 1990s (released on Japanese label Locus Solus).

Throughout the 1990s up to the present he has initiated a large number of events and performances, including the series Accidents + Emergencies at the Albany Theatre in Deptford; Out of Body Orchestra; music made using sounds from the construction of the new Laban Dance Centre (now the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance), which was choreographed for the institution's official opening; music for a circus (part of the National Theatre's 'Art of Regeneration' initiative); and the full-on installation/performance Anti-Clockwise (with Ashleigh Marsh and David Aylward) for multiple strobes, maze structure of diverse textures, 2 drummers, synthesizers and your nervous system.

Recent developments include the CONTINUITY evenings as part of Camberwell Arts.

Over the past ten years Hayward has developed these attitudes and insights into a wide range of soundwork, both collaboratively and as a solo artist/performer.

These include 30 Minute Snare Drum Roll, Zigzag+Swirl, a solo song set at the drums using a system of controlled chance electronics, a set of songs centred around the piano, collaborations with Laura Cannell, Thurston Moore, Keiji Haino amongst many others.

Recent work with the Islington Mill crew in the project Anonymous Bash has led to new work with many younger players, including Harmergeddon, Data Quack (with Ben Vince, Merlin Nova and Coby Sey) and projects for an array of new record labels including Samarbeta, Care in the Community and Unknown Gods.

He also releases material on his own label Continuity..... His long term relationship with the Albany continues with a twice yearly series of performances, workshops and installation, sound is sound is sound which he curates on behalf of Lewisham Arthouse.

In 1998, he joined Massacre with Fred Frith and Bill Laswell.

In 2003 Abracadabra Information was released and 2011 saw the release of ONE BIG ATOM.

In 2019 Whistling Arrow - a sextet comprising three members of Ex-Easter Island Head, Laura Cannell, André Bosman and Charles Hayward published an album out on 22 November via God Unknown records.

As well as his solo performance, Hayward's recent projects include: