It’s long been understood that the Canterbury scene extends far beyond the geographic boundaries of the Cathedral city that members of Caravan and Soft Machine once called home. The organic growth of the movement over the years has come to include bands from across Europe, Scandinavia, the USA and even Japan, all judged to have an affinity to the sometimes whimsical rock and jazz-infused sound. Since 2020 another branch of the family tree has been added in the shape of Ryan Stevenson, the brains and musical force of nature behind Zopp, whose second album Dominion was released earlier this year.
Based in Nottingham, Stevenson admits to having been smitten by the sound after he chanced upon Egg’s 1971 classic The Polite Force in his father’s album collection. It wasn’t so much that he chose the music but rather it chose him, he says. “I think the appeal was that it was just a very spacey and very unusual sound world for me. I remember walking to school during my GCSEs in 2005 listening to it and just loving it.”
