Terry Edwards has been a mainstay of the British Indie scene since the early 80s, having first made a name for himself with John Peel favourites The Higsons (alongside The Fast Show’s Charlie Higson).

After several top-ten indie singles, a contract with Two-Tone Records and tours of the UK, Europe and America the band split, leaving Edwards to concentrate on the twin career paths of solo artist and session brass-player to the great and the good. His credits include work with Madness, Robyn Hitchcock, Nick Cave, Siouxsie Sioux, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols/Rich Kids), Spiritualized, Julian Cope, PJ Harvey, Tindersticks and many others. More recently he’s been playing with Jerry Dammers’ Spatial AKA, The Blockheads, Faust, Paul Weller and ‘Allo Darling.

Every Indie label worth its salt has at least one act that Edwards has recorded with – Factory, Rough Trade, Mute, Damaged Goods, Creation, Wiiija, Go! Discs, Cherry Red and Perfecto.

Terry regularly plays with Gallon Drunk (he’s been a member since 1993) and Lydia Lunch whom he has worked with for over 12 years and currently collaborates with as Big Sexy Noise (Lunch, Edwards, James Johnston and Ian White).

The diversity of the session work is mirrored in Terry’s solo career – an early flirtation with 50s sax-led Rhythm and Blues in his outfit New York New York, the culmination of which is his soundtrack-style recordings with Butterfield 8, co-founded with Madness bassist Mark Bedford.

Terry Edwards and the Scapegoats introduced the world to what has become known as ‘jazz-punk’ with their mid-nineties albums My Wife Doesn’t Understand Me and I Didn’t Get Where I Am Today. These were precursed by a series of inventive cover version EPs – The Jesus and Mary Chain (trumpet-led instrumentals), The Fall (in ska style with a few members of Madness giving it authenticity), Miles Davis (speed-metal!) and The Cure (hi-life and dance-floor beats).

The untimely death of John Peel inspired an eponymous CD of improvised music which is echoed in recent performances by The Near Jazz Experience (Edwards, Bedford and Simon Charterton). There’s more – commissions by choreographer Charles Linehan, recordings for the BBC’s Psychoville and the stage-piece The Black Rider created by Tom Waits, William Burroughs and Robert Wilson where Terry got to work with the great Mr Waits (2004-6)

2010’s solo album Clich