Biography

During his time as a member of the London Fire Brigade, Ruthven aka Sean Nelson, had two lockers. In one would be the essentials for a long shift on call; toiletries, fresh clothes, a sleeping bag, and in the other were the Ruthven essentials, namely a guitar and keyboard. The reality of this unlikely situation is one purely born of circumstance but that’s not to say that he doesn’t see some connective tissue between helping the community and being of help to individuals. “Music can be a healing thing and I’m fully up for being a healer,” he says. “It’s not just about performance, I want to help people with their emotions.” Raised by his mother as a single parent, he would join her as she gave piano lessons around Catford, south east London, where he grew up. He learned to play drums himself when one student’s father offered to exchange his skillset as a drummer in return for piano lessons. In 2017 the Paul Institute released the debut Ruthven single Evil and was back to making music again. It’s not just helping him release music that he credits to the Pauls, the enigmatic siblings reinvigorated his enthusiasm for contemporary music at a time when it was faltering. “They showed me that modern music isn’t bland and watered down,” he says. Ruthven’s songs work on a similar basis. By taking the DNA of timeless hits from the past and filtering them through a modern lens his music is neither retro by design nor disposable efforts to keep up with the times.