about now

now (always written in lowercase) is a shape-shifting music project founded by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Justin Paton in London in 1998. Since then, it has continued to evolve—sometimes as a solo act, sometimes as a band.

the sound

now’s sound is open to change, where rhythm, melody, songs, noise, calm, confusion, and clarity all find a place. The music blends acoustic & electric instruments with electronic elements. Sometimes the music is vocal and song-based, other times it’s groove-driven or focused on instrumental texture and sound.
It could be described as catchy, exotic, messy, mercurial, harmonious and disharmonious—a kind of alternative 21st-century pop.

live

Live performances have taken place in a wide variety of settings: outdoor festivals, art galleries, pubs, warehouses across the UK (and occasionally in Norway & Japan)
A now show can be just Justin or a band of 3 to 10 people, depending on the space, collaborators, and mood. Some gigs lean into songs, others into repetition and groove, and some open up into complete improvisation. No two shows are the same.

Throughout its existence, now has shared stages with artists such as: Stereolab, Andrew Weatherall, Faust, Damo Suzuki, Roedelius, Charles Hayward, Plaid, Insides, Gagarin, Psapp, Spaceheads, A Hawk And A Hacksaw, Rothko, Circle, Japanese Television, Tunng, Gavilan Rayna Russom, and others.

recordings

now’s music can change direction without warning—a sweet melody one moment, a rhythmic detour or burst of noise the next.

Notable albums include pleasesorrythankyou (2017), Gold Star Lavender Marriage (2019), Won (2020), Functionality Is Convenient (2023) & Ra banb (2024), all of which sound loose and alive, full of movement and change while still holding together.
Another highlight is The London Evening News (2007), a live & entirely improvised collaboration with former Can vocalist Damo Suzuki, recorded in 2004. The album moves through jagged funk & motorik grooves—a raw and restless document of real-time invention.
The debut album Frisbee Hot Pot (2006) set the tone early with lo-fi funk, samba breakdowns, rhythmic synth-heavy post-rock, and playful genre collisions.

Since its inception, now has released many albums, vocal & instrumental, composed & improvised – each shaped by its own unique conditions and collaborators, appearing on a range of adventurous and independent labels, including Beauty & Disgust, MottoMotto, Pickled Egg, flau, Freaksville and more.

As Plan B magazine once put it:
“Pursuing their offbeat, off-kilter and occasionally off-the-wall mashup of lo-fidelity experimental pop music and uptempo kosmik grooves at the fringes of underground and overground success, now continue to demonstrate the tireless heart of their being is something close to an unsung national treasure.”

A new album is always being worked on.

personnel

now has always been shaped by the people who play the music. This timeline lists every musician who has been a member of now:
NOTE:
Exclusions: Excludes brief onstage or studio guests.
Re-entries: Some members rejoined for temporary spells (noted where possible).
20th Anniversary Concert (*): A 2018 concert brought 17 past and present members onstage for a one-off performance = Members who performed at this show are marked with an asterisk (*)

1998
Justin Paton = voice & instruments, 1998–now *
1999
Andrew James = bass, 1999–2000 *
Giles Narang = drums, 1999–2006 / 2019 *
Naomi Colvin = keyboards & clarinet, 1999–2002
2000
Lee Knight = bass, keyboards & guitar, 2000–2003
2001
Craig Tamlin = percussion & trumpet, 2001–2006 *
Frances Morgan = violin, voice, keyboards & bass, 2001–2003
Sophie Heawood = percussion & voice, 2001–2002
Susi O’Neal = theremin & clarinet, 2001 *
2002
Caspar Gordon = trombone & keyboards, 2002–2004
2003
Yuhi Nakano = guitar, bass & keyboards, 2003–2007
2004
Angela Last = bass, voice & keyboards, 2004–2021 *
Lee MacKinnon = voice & percussion, 2004–2006 *
Peter Lowis = bass, 2004
2005
Chris Irish = trumpet, 2005–2006 *
2006
Alex Maclean = voice, 2006 *
Barry Woodcock = keyboards, 2006–2009
Emily Wasp = voice & guitar, 2006–2007
2007
Cynthia Lucci = voice, 2007 *
David Brooks = guitar & keyboards, 2007
Emma Jane Richards = voice, 2007
Kaori Tsuchida = guitar & voice, 2007
Richard Thomas = cello & keyboards, 2007–2011 / 2024
Rosie Okae = voice, 2007–2008 *
Tom Astley = stringed instruments, 2007
2008
Delia Sparrow = drums, 2008
Georgina Staines = drums, 2008
James Kirkwood = guitar, 2008
Kanchi Wichmann = keyboards, 2008
Matthew Smith = drums, 2008
Nicole Nagel = voice & percussion, 2007–2008 / 2012 *
Zeeshan Sarwar = voice, 2008
2009
Ashley Marsh = drums, 2009
Ben Polhill = percussion & voice, 2009–2010 / 2014–2016 / 2021–now *
Chloe Mello = voice & guitar, 2009–2010
2011
Fanny Bissa = voice, 2011–2013 *
George Chrysostomou = keyboards, 2011–2024 *
Graham Dunning = drums, 2011–2012 *
2014
Gavin Whyte = guitar, 2014
Vanessa Marlowe = bass, 2014–2015 *
2019
Kevin Barthelemy = drums, 2019 / 2022-2023
2021
Mark Smith = bass, guitar & voice, 2021–2024
2023
Antonia Harper = voice & viola, 2023–2024
Laura Rogatchevskaia = percussion, 2023-2024
2025
Sharen Woodward = voice & keyboard, 2025–now