Belfast-born musicians and visual artist known for his emotionally charged sound and vivid visual art Paul Archer has collaborated with some big names and released a solo debut album last year. This summer he released a new single, an ode to his roots in Belfast, time for us to get to know the story behind it!
Hi! Could you introduce yourself, your genre, and your musical influences?
“Hi, my name is Paul Archer and I am a Belfast born singer and songwriter. I am also a visual artist and I paint abstract expressionist “instinct led” visual works. I have carried this approach through into my sonic art which is also feeling and instinct led. I see music very much in terms of (sonic) colour/s and feeling. I am grateful for the blessing of music and art creation in my life. My song “Four Minute Mile” from my previous band called The Ghears has been used on the 2007 CBS Hollywood tv movie Aquaman (Mercy Reef) starring Ving Rhames (Mission Impossible), Justin Hartley (The Arrow series) & Lou Diamond Philips (Longmire). My music (a song called The Road) has also been placed on movie “A Patch Of Fog” which can be seen via Amazon.
I was privileged to be asked to contribute backing vocals to Snow Patrol’s Eyes Open multi-platinum album and I sang on five songs on that record. I was born into a musical family and my father played with Van Morrison in his early teenage days. My parents both sang Gospel music and my father wrote, recorded and produced for Gospel groups. Musically I love everything from Gospel to Indie & Alternative to Soul to punk to Indian Classical music and my favourite band musically are The Velvet Underground.”
What inspired you to start making music and what inspires you to keep going?
“My music journey began in Belfast in the mid-90s with my band Disreali Gears which I started with my brother Iain Archer, a soulful psych-rock experience beloved on the then thriving local scene. One album and a lot of great memories remain. Out of that, the Ghears [sic] emerged (1998–2003, four albums) – a new band, a relocation to England and a sound that incorporated my love of Krautrock (eg. NEU!) locked grooves and my deeply held beliefs in The Logos and the importance of compassion and light with crunching guitars and vocal exploration and harmony.
My previous band Burning Codes (2008–18, six albums) ended on a high with the album Liberator (2018) my current single is my humble homage to my home city – ‘Belfast (Place of My Soul)’ in 2017 – attributed to Burning Codes but effectively a Paul Archer collaboration with various luminaries of the place where his music began, including ‘Godfather of Punk’ Terri Hooley, Snow Patrol’s ‘Nathan Connolly and my brother Iain Archer, an award-winning co-writer to the stars.
I had become a music “lifer” and, for me this was the result of a spiritual experience I had whilst I was on stage at a festival playing songs I had written in a band with my brother. I felt that I was no longer there on stage but was in a profoundly safe and nurturing place like my mother’s womb. I felt the presence of profound love and peace and belonging to something so much greater than myself.
I am forever grateful for this creativity and the gift of music and Art which I believe comes from The Logos. This experience altered the course of my whole life and still does to this very day. I continue to feel the same way even after twelve albums, countless singles, recording,publishing deals, industry events and spiritual encounters.
I feel a deep humility and gratitude for a greater, a bigger and ever more profound love – the love of The Logos Jesus Christ and a lot of my recent song writing work has been centred around this greater love and how deeply I experience and encounter this in my life. My recent single “Fear Destroyer” encompasses this. This immense and profound love helps to connect me to a deeper form of understanding, living and personal, spiritual, emotional, mental and psychological resilience and my heart is forever grateful.”
Where do you, in general, get inspiration for your music and song-writing?
“My inspiration comes from all around me – including my deep spiritual belief in The Logos and deep spiritual experiences which I have had along with inspiration from friends and family and questions and searching. My approach to music is often more organic for me where the moment and my constant state of searching and reflection can cause me to write or paint. Sometimes (but more rarely) words and melody come together at the same time.
I get this sometimes when I am outside running and exercising or relaxing. Sometimes songs can take years and verses and choruses can evolve, change and I have found myself in recent years completely re-writing some of my songs after years of feeling and seeing them in completely different contexts than where they now are and this is fascinating! I have also found this process liberating and it has enabled me to see melodies and lyrical concepts in hugely different ways and from many diverse perspectives!
Inspiration comes from spirit, mind & body, life, friends, family, mental health (I have worked in Personal Recovery approach in mental health which is incredibly powerful), the inner journey and how it affects, influences and changes the outer journey, compassion, deep empathy (I also work with traumatised young people, children & adults), hope, meaning, purpose, developing resilience, reality confrontation, light and the power and depths of profound love and connection, The Beatitudes.”
Who would you like to work with in the near future and where would you like to perform in the next three years?
“I’d love to work with choirs and with Kevin Shields of MBV, also I’d like to work with Westside Cowboy and I’d love to perform beyond Europe having toured the UK and Europe previously including having played an incredible set of dates in the French Alps!”
Which musical achievements are you most proud of?
“I was honoured that two of my songs were used on global instrument tuition app Yousician. I was honoured that my song Four Minute Mile was used on the CBS Hollywood Tv Movie 2007’s Aquaman (Mercy Reef) album and I was honoured that Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol was instrumental in my song “The Road” being placed in a movie which is currently available on Amazon called “A Patch Of Fog”. Gary also very kindly played my song “New” on BBC Radio One Evening Session and I was also very honoured by Michael Rother from NEU! cited my song “Cloak and Dagger” in the top five songs he was listening to in a Mojo Magazine interview.”
What do you hope to achieve by releasing music with followers old and new?
“I hope to reach out in empathy and to try to connect, empower and create a dialogue both sonically and visually. A lot of my music also comes from a place of deep spirituality and I have a profound gratitude for the compassion and love of The Logos. I seek to share this love, peace, joy, compassion, connection and liberation in and through my work.”
What are your plans for the new year and what are some of your goals and dreams?
“I have a special gig coming up at The Titanic Centre in Belfast on Saturday 3rd October 2026. I am working towards releasing a new album next year, the bulk of which is already recorded and I plan to release a series of videos for songs old and new. I am booking further shows at the moment in the Titanic Centre in Belfast which is really exciting especially because I just played there a few weeks ago! I was so delighted and thankful that they asked me back so quickly. I have just returned home from headlining the Peterborough Beer Festival on the 15th August 2026 which was an honour for me, having played there several times in the past.”
Aside from music, what are some of your hobbies and interests, we’d love to know more about you as a person!
“I am a visual abstract expressionist artist and I am passionate my deeply held spiritual beliefs in The Logos Jesus Christ and the profound love of a loving God. I am also passionate about mental health and particularly Personal Recovery approach. I enjoy keeping fit and healthy physically and I love painting my abstract expressionist work. I also enjoy photography and martial arts.”
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