I play trumpet through effects and run a series of inclusive conscious gigs called Robyn’s Rocket. Inclusive conscious means to think of how to make people in a minority within a space feel welcome. This could be disability, but it could also be age, gender, language, ethnicity, etc. I am supported by creative arts organisation Heart N Soul who believe in the power and talents of people with learning disabilities and autistic people like me.

There’s a worldwide scene of artists with disabilities, but often the nights put on by us or for us don’t seem welcoming to the outside world. This has an impact on how far a band can go because smaller bands rely on widening their fan base and often merch sales to pay for rehearsal room hire, etc. Bands with disabilities may have additional costs for help, transport and more. Aside from the practical issues it means that the wider society does not hear from us directly and the media doesn’t always offer us accessible ways to communicate, so instead people speak for us. How do you know you can be an artist if you never see yourself represented? Nothing about us without us!

Many artists with learning disabilities/autism are on ESA (Employment Support Allowance), a benefit that replaced incapacity benefit here in the UK. The system is difficult to navigate, especially if you get paid for gigs. Some people question why you would need money as you’re getting benefits, so does that mean anything you do should pay back the state? That then creates the question: Should disabled people be expected to do everything for free? Often we are consulted on things like accessibility, but if we are working alongside non-disabled people shouldn’t we be paid the same as them out of principle?

Occasionally you hear of disabled artists like Yayoi Kusama who has shown her work at London Tate, but when you are an artist who just wants to express themselves and be heard, the Tate seems an unreachable goal for many. Things are changing slowly. Tate has recently been working with arts organisations like Heart N Soul and the Bubble Club.

Like many disabled people I was bullied at school. I never knew that trumpets could make experimental music, that people like me could create music and be valued, get gigs and be taken seriously. This is why Robyn’s Rocket at London Dalston’s Cafe Oto is so important to me, because we are not a disabled gig. I wanted to share some of the artists from our scene in this playlist, I've picked people from London and the south east but there are lots of artists like us across the world.

JAMAICA!

JAMAICA! are a band of ever-changing musicians from West London’s 54 The Gate. JAMAICA!’s music goes in many directions like noise and free jazz. They recently played at Robyn’s Rocket and got invited to play Cafe Oto in their own night.

The Carbonators

From Club Soda in Croydon come The Carbonators. Charismatic frontman Adrian writes songs on a range of topics including one about Theresa May called “Bitch”. After playing it live the audience responded with a wide range of slogans like “Fuck Brexit!”. While a song like “Bitch” may not seem important on the surface, it really echoes the frustration many of us feel. Often in the media we are talked about only if we break the law, how much money we cost or if we have been abused.

Lizzie Emeh

Heart N Soul musician Lizzie Emeh is a singer-songwriter. Lizzie has a very direct way of communicating and her song “Those Pills” is about taking back control of her life and the bad effects of taking the anti-psychotic drug Risperidone. I think many people who experience mental health difficulties can relate to her message. It is possible that drugs can affect you in a negative way, but also that the right medication can allow you to contribute to the world around you. “Some studies suggest the rate of mental health problems in people with a learning disability is double that of the general population” – Cooper, 2007; Emerson & Hatton, 2007; NICE, 2016

Daniel Wakeford

Daniel Wakeford is a singer-songwriter from Brighton. He started to get media attention on Channel 4's The Undatables – a show whose commentary in Series 1 I think sounded a bit like a wildlife documentary. Turns out Daniel is pretty dateable as he is now engaged, and his music has found new audiences. Daniel often finds his words come out in the wrong order, but this gives the listener the opportunity to listen carefully, which is something vital to humans if we want to understand each other.

The Fish Police

The Fish Police are singer-songwriter Dean Rodney Jr, Matt Howe on guitar and two of Grace Jones’s rhythm section on bass and drums. After their 2018 SXSW show a radio presenter said that he felt bad for finding the content of the songs funny after learning that two of the band are autistic, but Dean knows he’s funny and he wants people to enjoy their music.

K-Dog

K-Dog is a rapper from South East London who released his latest album on a baseball cap! One thing that artists with learning disabilities are often good at is getting to the point and I think his song “All I See Is Beautiful Girls” describes well how lots of teenagers feel on a night out. When you have a learning disability you are often infantilised, despite being the same age as your peers, and people don’t seem to think that it’s normal for people with learning disabilities and autistic people to feel sexual and romantic attraction.

Bubbaloo

Bubbaloo are from Brighton and fronted by Lee, who sounds like Syd Barrett crossed with a rock ’n’ roll band. He has a way of taking simple words or sounds and turning it into a classic that everyone can join in with. I feel this is important not only for people with learning disabilities/autistic people who may struggle to pick up new words, but also if English isn’t your first language.

Mind The Gap

Finally I’d like to recommend the theatre company Mind The Gap. Their play Zara is based on real life events of a lady with a learning disability having a baby and the process social services go through to decide if a parent is capable or not. The play features a 20ft blow up baby and has been performed around the country – at the Imperial War Museum, among other venues.

Robyn Steward’s releases can be found on her Bandcamp page.