Contact
The best way to contact me is email: contact [at] cathrobots.co.uk
You can also sign up to my (roughly) quarterly email newsletter.
My social media use is patchy, but…
- Follow my Instagram account for occasional updates: @cathrobots
- Find me in the fediverse: @cathrobots
- And (let’s see how this goes) on Bluesky: @cathrobots
About me
I am an improviser, composer and artist whose work combines acoustic and electronic improvised music, experimental composition, and DIY publishing/printmaking.
Short(ish) third-person biog (wip 2025..)
Cath Roberts is an improviser, composer and artist based in London, whose work combines acoustic and electronic improvised music, experimental composition, and DIY publishing/printmaking. They perform live on baritone and alto saxophones, or live electronics, and occasionally both together. Their band Sloth Racket has released five studio albums, touring widely and ‘lurching between riff and abstraction’ (The Wire) since forming in 2015. Other recent exploits include playing with Chris Corsano as part of his 2022 Cafe Oto residency, and being one of two UK artists (with Mandhira De Saram) commissioned by Australian Art Orchestra to co-create and perform Fresh Water – Salt Water in Melbourne and Huddersfield (a hcmf// and AAO co-commission, also in 2022). Cath was commissioned by hcmf// in 2021 to create And then the next thing you know, a cross-artform installation/performance piece involving a giant, hanging, fragmented graphic score for improvisers, which is now re-emerging as an exploratory puzzle piece in collaboration with Tullis Rennie. They also recently established the DIY small press Ink-Paper-Sound, dedicated to scores and other materials for and about improvised music/sounding, in risograph-printed zine form.
My work in more detail
Saxophone // As an improvising baritone saxophone player, I have collaborated with a range of artists and ensembles internationally for over a decade. Recent highlights include playing with Chris Corsano as part of his 2022 Cafe Oto residency, and being one of two UK artists (with Mandhira De Saram) commissioned by Australian Art Orchestra to co-create and perform Fresh Water – Salt Water in Melbourne and Huddersfield (a hcmf// and AAO co-commission, also in 2022). I have a long-standing duo with guitarist Anton Hunter (Ripsaw Catfish), as well as regular collaborations with Tullis Rennie, Benedict Taylor, Dee Byrne and others. I have performed bandmate duties in many groups including Alex Ward’s Items 10 and 7, Madwort Sax Quartet, Article XI and MoonMot.
Composition // In my composition work I make experimental scores using graphics, notation, text, and booklet/zine formats. The primary outlet for this music is my band Sloth Racket, formed in 2015, which has toured widely and released five studio albums. Our most recent exploits include an April 2024 a double bill tour with Mark Holub’s Vienna-based band Anthropods, and our sixth album is in progress. I created my first large scale installation-type work And then the next thing you know for hcmf// in 2021; a giant, hanging fragmented graphic score plus sample set, for a trio of Tullis Rennie, Otto Willberg and myself. Notable earlier work includes an Artist In Residence and Headline Artist commission for Lancaster Jazz Festival 2016, and a Jazz North East commission for Gateshead International Jazz Festival in 2015, which led to the formation of Sloth Racket.
Electronics // Away from the saxophone, paper and pens, my recent explorations into live electronics have led to ongoing collaborations with sound artists Graham Dunning and Kate Carr, alongside a solo practice and improvised encounters with artists including Phil Durrant, Bill Thompson, Mark Wastell, Alex Bonney, Bell Lungs and Tom Mills. My solo improvisation on tabletop electronics, Be unafraid to open things up, was released as part of a split tape with Suren Seneviratne on Fractal Meat Cuts in 2022.
Artwork // I have always designed album artwork and posters for my music projects, and my visual work can be seen on many album covers, flyers and other publicity materials. Since 2023 I have started to carve out a space for my visual work and exploration of DIY publishing, both as part of my composition practice and in its own right. My Setlist zine series brings together text and graphics by various artists from the experimental music scene and beyond. Designed and edited by me, the risograph-printed A7 zines are tools for improvised performance. I curated a launch night for the third volume at Cafe Oto, London, in March 2024.
Organising // As an organiser, I have co-run LUME projects with Dee Byrne since 2013, producing concerts, tours and festivals and releasing music on our offshoot label Luminous. Tom Ward, Colin Webster and I organise BRÅK, an improvised music series taking place in Brockley, South East London.
Teaching // My education work has included workshops, courses and guest lectures on improvisation and/or composition, including for London College of Communication (UAL), Aldeburgh Young Musicians (Britten Pears Arts), Eastern Ear, Trinity Laban, and for various festivals. I currently lead the Experimental Ensemble at City, University of London as a Visiting Lecturer.
My pronouns are they/them.
Current CV (last updated January 2025)
