“From Genesis and Pink Floyd to Muse, with hints of King Crimson and Allan Holdsworth in between: an intoxicating blend of post-Rock, progressive Rock and electronic experimentation.” – Bangor Music
“They are astonishing.” – BBC Introducing
Colonel Dax is a Wrexham-based alternative rock/multimedia project built around the songwriting, production and filmmaking of Tom Hughes.
Funky, Proggy, ever-so-slightly Emo, and somewhere in the vicinity of Rock, Colonel Dax makes songs about confusion, animals, dreams and strange places; some are puzzles, some are absolutely stupid, and at least one of them is 27 minutes long. 2024 saw the debut of a brand new live line-up, featuring Hendrix-esque guitar, Bonham-esque drums, and the occasional pair of trumpets.
Since 2016, Tom has released 2 albums and a handful of singles, achieving viral infamy along the way with the music video for “The Changing Man” (whose current viewership ranks at something like 5 million), and the award-winning “thisisnotadream”: an 8-part tribute to his dad. February 2025 saw the release of the Wounded Animal EP: a selection of tracks recorded – and, in some cases, improvised – in isolation whilst Tom recuperated from a dislocated and smashed-up ankle. Like many Dax offerings, it refuses to hang on to any specific genre for too long. Its title track, along with some choice Dax cuts, will be performed at this year’s FOCUS Wales, in what will be Tom’s first time drumming and singing with the band since “the ankle incident”.
FFO: Genesis, Pink Floyd, Prefab Sprout, Talking Heads, Kate Bush, Tears For Fears, The Cure, Death Cab For Cutie, Arcade Fire, Wild Nothing.