Music helped me to adjust to a late-in-life autism diagnosis as I found my sound in Sunderland
A musician, artist and project producer, who returned to Sunderland in the first lockdown with no job and no idea what to do next, unlocked a new purpose and confidence through music as he navigated a late-in-life autism diagnosis.
Daniel Clifford says while helping him adjust to his diagnosis, music has also helped him develop confidence, skills and connections across the North East, which resulted in six-piece band, Amateur Ornithologist.
With support from Help Musicians, Field Music, Sunderland Music City, Faye MacCalman and Craig Hissett (Small Town Brass), the band has performed at Summer Streets, Marrapalooza, and as an 11-piece at last year's Durham Brass Festival.
Now, they are gearing up to release album The Haunted Life of Architecture, with an album launch show at Pop Recs on May 16.
It will be a Pop Recs debut for the experimental gothic chamber, pop ensemble and the night will also feature performances from Faye MacCalman and Madeleine Smyth.
Mixing pop and orchestral instruments, the Amateur Ornithologist ensemble have earned comparisons to Talking Heads, The Beach Boys and local heroes Prefab Sprout.
Songwriter Daniel returned to Sunderland from Wales in lockdown, with the album’s skeletal structure, which was fleshed out with the multi-instrumentalists of Amateur Ornithologist - Maddie Smyth, Chris Perriman, Giovanni Onofri, Dan Humble and Marianne Kell, with live group recordings at Harbourmaster Productions in South Shields.
Daniel said: “We challenged ourselves to craft our most ambitious album to date - creating a rich synthesis of pop and orchestral sounds, experimenting with song structures, and confronting core themes of memory, legacy and fear.
“Lyrical references to 18th century botanist Mary Delany and cult 90s TV show Ghostwatch, neurodiversity and Agatha Christie, megalithic structures and M.R. James ghost stories highlight the collision between ages.”
Following the initial live band sessions in spring 2025, tracks were developed and expanded on at locations across Tyne and Wear through to winter.
The album was co-produced by Daniel Clifford and longtime collaborator Harbourmaster (Class Gymnast, Detroit Tourist Board), and featuring Staithe’s Nick Pierce on electric violin, Small Town Brass’s Craig Hissett on trombones, Aleksandra Karpiuk on flute and Abigail Brierley on trumpet.
Amateur Ornithologist release The Haunted Life of Architecture on May 15 across all major digital platforms.
Tickets for the album launch show at Pop Recs the following day, Saturday, May 16, are available here