Benjamin Shaw (musician)


Benjamin Shaw is an English-Canadian musician and artist based in Melbourne, Australia. He has recorded for a number of different labels but is a mainstay of Audio Antihero records. He also uses the monickers of Guppy and Megadead.
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Biography

Benjamin Shaw released his debut EP "I Got the Pox, the Pox is What I Got" in October 2009 on Audio Antihero which saw airplay from BBC 6 Music on the Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe, Steve Lamacq, Jon Holmes and Tom Robinson shows and positive reviews from publications such as The Skinny, The 405, The Music Fix, This Is Fake DIY, Clash Music and The Line of Best Fit who remarked "If you think you've heard the like of Benjamin Shaw before, think again. TLOBF recommended.".
In October 2011 it was announced on sites like Drowned in Sound, Bearded and This Is Fake DIY that he would be releasing first album, There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet. He began promoting the album with a series of sessions for the likes of The Fly, The 405, This Is Fake DIY, Triple R, The Line Of Best Fit, Dandelion Radio and Resonance FM.
The debut LP There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet was released on 21 November to positive reviews. Drowned in Sound called it "superb," Clash Music remarked that Shaw was "an outcast, a loner, a maverick and a freak. All of these are compliments," The Line of Best Fit claimed "you wouldn't want everyone to sound to like Benjamin Shaw but I'm delighted someone does," Is This Music? awarded it 4/5 and called it "one of the better records of the year" and MusicOMH gave it 4/5 and hailed it as a "truly special album." Album tracks "The Birds Chirp & The Sun Shines" and "Interview" were given multiple plays on the Tom Ravenscroft and Gideon Coe BBC 6 Music shows, as were the album's first single "Somewhere Over the M6" and its B-side "Pig".
Shaw has played around the UK, Europe and Australia with artists such as Darren Hayman, Tom Paley, Jack Hayter, Neil Pennycook, Extradition Order, Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences, Runaround Kids, Little Red and The Owl Service. Shaw has also seen endorsements from Nic Dalton of The Lemonheads.
During a radio interview on 12 August 2012, Audio Antihero founder Jamie Halliday revealed that Benjamin Shaw was working on new material for a future release with the label. The first piece of new material to surface was the "T'ra F'now" instrumental on the Audio Antihero produced "HΓΌsker Doo-wop" Charity EP to raise money to repair damages to independent music organisations in New York following Hurricane Sandy. Shaw followed up his contribution to this charity EP with "This Christmas," a collaborative Christmas single with Fighting Kites to raise money for Shelter, Shaw also directed the music video. The single benefited from critical praise from online press and radio and saw support from Tom Robinson, Bush Radio, Jon Solomon's WPRB show and Rolling Stone.
On 14 January, it was announced that Benjamin Shaw would releasing a new instrumental record entitled Summer in the Box Room on the Glass Reservoir label in February 2013. Two tracks from the record were premiered by Robert Rotifer on 4FM and GoldFlakePaint praised it as a "special kind of dour musical genius." Tom Ravenscroft also aired tracks from the release on his BBC Radio 6 Music show. During this time, Shaw would sometimes perform live with Neil Debnam and Kay Ishikawa as Benjamin Shaw Band.
Alternating between labels and self-releasing his new music, Shaw issued Goodbye, Cagoule World in 2014, the instrumental Guppy in 2015, One Day We'll Laugh At All This under the name Guppy, and Megadead in 2018, which initially premiered on The Alternative. Shaw then adopted the Megadead name for a number of releases.
In 2025, Shaw announced a trilogy of ambient titles to be released under his own name via Handrawn Hand, produced remixes for Leilani Patao, and Jeff Parker. His 2009 song "When I Fell Over in the City" was also featured, alongside his Audio Antihero label-mates, Tiberius and CIAO MALZ, on the Rue Defense Tape Club December cassette compilation.

Discography

Albums, EPs and compilations

  • I Got the Pox, the Pox is What I Got EP
  • Rumfucker
  • There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet
  • Summer in the Box Room
  • Goodbye, Cagoule World
  • Guppy
  • One Day We'll Laugh About All This as Guppy
  • Megadead
  • Exciting Opportunities: A Collection of Sadness and Singles
  • Should've Stayed at Home: A Collection of Oddities and Outtakes
  • Live at donaufestival
  • I Got the Pox, the Pox is What I Got
  • There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet
  • Screams, Banging, etc as Megadead
  • Audio Visual Metro Computers as Megadead
  • 31 Songs About Murder as Megadead
  • Authentic Country Music as Megadead
  • Tragedy, Doom & So On as Megadead
  • Passive Listening / Doom Scrolling as Megadead

Sessions

Singles

  • "When I Fell Over in the City" / "The Carpeteer"
  • "Somewhere Over the M6"
  • "This Christmas " with Fighting Kites
  • "The Birds Chirp & The Sun Shines"
  • "Goodbye, Kagoul World"
  • "You & Me – EP" split with Jack Hayter, Cloud and Broken Shoulder
  • "Terrible Feelings!"
  • "A Brand New Day "
  • "Sad Dog Waiting for Pizza" as Megadead
  • "It Goes / It Gone" as Megadead
  • "Country" as Megadead

Compilation appearances

  • Cigarettes & Eggnog – contributes "It's Christmas Time " and hidden track
  • Show Me A Word That Rhymes With Pavement – contributes "Starlings of the Slipstream"
  • Bob Hope would – for Japan – contributes "Kick The Dog" / "When I Fell Over in the City" and "Pig" + Artwork
  • Some.Alternate.Universe – for FSID – contributes "Long Ago & Oh So Far Away" + Artwork
  • Audio Antihero's Commercial Suicide Sampler – contributes "How To Test The Depth of a Well" + Artwork
  • The HΓΌsker Doo-wop EP for New York – contributes "T'ra F'now"
  • Into The Light: Volume Two for Pussy Riot – contributes "This Christmas " with Fighting Kites
  • I Love You & Stuff – contributes "Internet Girlfriend"
  • Audio Antihero Presents: "REGAL VS STEAMBOAT" for Rape Crisis – contributes "Goodbye, Cagoule World " + Artwork
  • Five Long Years - - contributes "Goodbye, Kagoul World" / "Hello Sunshine" + Artwork
  • New Emperors - - contributes "You & Me"
  • an electrical storm - - contributes "Le Pleasure Beach"
  • BERN YR IDOLS - contributes "How to Test the Depth of a Well " + Artwork + Mastering
  • Audio Antihero Presents: "Unpresidented Jams" for SPLC & NILC - - contributes "Hole" + Additional Mastering + Additional Design
  • The Desperation Club - A Cloud Tribute Compilation - - contributes "Trees All Right" + Mastering
  • Fall 2018 - - contributes "Kick the Dog"
  • Elder Statesman: Nine Long Years of Audio Antihero Records - contributes "You & Me" + Artwork
  • Fighting Kites - Mustard After Dinner - An Anthology of Fighting Kites - contributes "This Christmas" + Mastering
  • Vessels IX - contributes "Tragedy, Doom & So On"
  • From the River to the Sea: The Horrible Truth About Palestine - a Fundraiser for the United Palestinian Appeal - contributes "Chief of the Dead" / "Dead Kennedys" + Artwork + Mastering
  • Rue Defense Tape Club: December'' - contributes "When I Fell Over in the City"

Other credits

  • Jack Hayter – Sucky Tart – Artwork + Mastering
  • Broken Shoulder – Broken Shoulderrr – Mastering
  • Wartgore Hellsnicker – Moderate Rock – Artwork + Mastering
  • Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences – The Wrong Life – Artwork
  • Fighting Kites & Broken Shoulder – Split – Mastering
  • Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences – You Can't Make Somebody Love You / Of Course I Stole The Train – Artwork
  • Broken Shoulder – Stiller Nite – Artwork + Mastering
  • Nosferatu D2 – It's Christmas Time – Artwork
  • Broken Shoulder – The Tape of Disquiet – Mastering
  • Jack Hayter – The Shackleton – Artwork + Mastering
  • Broken Shoulder – Holloway Exit Music / Fun Juice – Mastering
  • Nosferatu D2 – Live at the Spitz – Remastering
  • Broken Shoulder – Crow Versus Crow session – Mastering
  • D.E.A.D. – S.T.I.L.L. D.E.A.D. – Artwork
  • a Singer of Songs – There is a Home for You – Artwork
  • Broken Shoulder - Title Track – Mastering
  • Broken Shoulder - Sawara – Mastering
  • Jack Hayter – Quotes – Artwork
  • Me and the Horse I Rode In On - Driving Home for Christmas - Artwork
  • Broken Shoulder - 300 Bicycle Seats - Mastering
  • Frog – Judy Garland – Artwork
  • Me and the Horse I Rode In On - When You're Down - Artwork
  • Frog – Kind of Blah – Artwork
  • Frog – Photograph – Design + Mastering
  • Nosferatu D2 – Older, Wiser, Sadder EP – Design + Remastering
  • Frog – Catchyalater – Remixer + Mastering
  • Charles Griffin Gibson – People - Remastering
  • Charles Griffin Gibson – Pictures - Remastering
  • CHUCK - My Band Is a Computer - Mastering
  • Broken Shoulder - Biwa – Mastering
  • Broken Shoulder - Hashiridase - Mastering
  • Magana - Inches Apart - Remixer + Mastering
  • CHUCK - New Yorker - Mastering
  • CHUCK - Cherry Tree - Mastering
  • CHUCK - Frankenstein Songs for the Grocery Store - Mastering
  • Max GarcΓ­a Conover - Motorhome - Mastering
  • Magana - Oceans - Mastering
  • CHUCK - Happy Birthday - Remixer + Mastering
  • Cloud - Wildfire - Mastering
  • Cloud - Two Hands Bound - Mastering
  • Cloud - Me, Her & Lavender - Mastering
  • Frog - Something to Hide - Artwork
  • Frog - American - Artwork
  • Frog - Bones - Artwork
  • Frog - Whatever We Probably Already Had It - Artwork
  • Nipped in the Bud - Fed Up With It - Mastering
  • Atlanta Dream Season - Party in the Hospital / Great - Artwork
  • Frog - God Once Loved a Woman - Artwork
  • Tempertwig - Comfort Blanket / Everything Can Be Derailed - Artwork + Mastering
  • Tempertwig - This Means Everything / Randy Sadage Records, This Means Don't a Thing - Artwork + Mastering
  • Tempertwig - Apricot - Artwork + Mastering
  • Tempertwig - FAKE NOSTALGIA: An Anthology of Broken Stuff - Artwork + Mastering
  • Tempertwig - Films Without Plotlines EP - Artwork + Mastering
  • Frog - Black Friday - Artwork
  • Frog - It's Something I Do - Artwork
  • Frog - Count Bateman - Artwork
  • Broken Shoulder - Mizul – Mastering
  • Broken Shoulder - Vorst – Mastering
  • Broken Shoulder - Shark Islands: A Broken Shoulder Archipelago - Artwork + Mastering
  • Atlanta Dream Season - Green Means Stop - Remixer
  • Broken Shoulder - Tokyo / MontrΓ©al – Mastering
  • CHUCK – Nothing Matters to Me Now - Mastering
  • My Best Unbeaten Brother – Time on Our Hands, Spider-Man – Single - Mastering
  • My Best Unbeaten Brother – Extraordinary Times – Single - Mastering
  • My Best Unbeaten Brother – Blues Fatigue – Single - Mastering
  • My Best Unbeaten Brother – Pessimistic Pizza - Mastering
  • Broken Shoulder - Kaeri – Mastering
  • The Noisy - The Secret Ingredient Is Even More Meat - Remaster
  • Leilani Patao - Red Hair Dye – Single - Remixer + Mastering
  • Jeff Parker - The Hard Way In To The Way Out Of Easy - Remixer