Jason Dormon (born 2 May 1969) is a British bassist and venue owner. He is most noted for his work in Joeyfat and also for his running of the

Tunbridge Wells Forum The Forum is an independent music venue in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, with a standing capacity of 250. The venue opened in 1993, the building having previously been a public toilet. Location The Forum is located on Tunbridge Wells ...

Early life

Dormon was born in Tunbridge Wells and educated at Bethany School.

Music career

In 1991, he formed the

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...

collective Joeyfat and spent the early 1990s releasing music with a number of

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

s including

Fierce Panda Fierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass. Fie ...

, as well as touring with the likes of

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

China Drum China Drum are an English punk rock band from Ovingham, Northumberland, active initially from 1989 to 2000, playing under the name The Drum beginning in 1999. The group released three moderately successful full-length albums and toured in su ...

Jawbox Jawbox is an American post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1989. The band currently consists of J. Robbins (vocals/guitar), Kim Coletta (bass), Zach Barocas (drums), and Brooks Harlan (guitars/vocals). The original lineup consis ...

, and Scarfo. In 1996, Joeyfat broke up and Dormon went on to form Unhome, alongside Alex Tucker, who were a post-rock hardcore 5-piece. The band released one album, ''A Short History of Houses'', and a split single with

Papa M David Pajo (born June 25, 1968) is an American musician. He has played a wide variety of music, loosely fitting into several other genres such as hardcore punk, math rock, post-rock, electronica, folk rock and indie pop. Though a multi-instrume ...

. Unhome split in late 1999 and at this point he formed the band Rebus who played for a few years before splitting. Around 2000 Jason got back together with Joeyfat to play a series of shows to promote ''The Unwilling Astronaut'', a sixteen track collection of studio, live and session work spanning the years 1991 to 1996. They have since remained together, and have been playing gigs at a steady rate and releasing occasional tracks. Their debut thirteen-track album, ''You Can Change People's Lives With Your Mouth / The House of the Fat'' was released on CD, and limited edition vinyl, in 2003 on Unlabel. Also in July 2003, Joeyfat recorded a

Peel Session John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

for

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

. This was followed by a 2CD collection of tracks from singles and compilations, ''Ye Bloody Flux'' in 2011, and a second studio album, the double vinyl ''Suit of Lights'' in 2013. Joeyfat recorded a session for

Marc Riley Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961) is an English radio DJ, alternative rock critic, musician, and former music businessman. He currently presents on BBC Radio 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he co-owned a record label, In-Tape, and also w ...

BBC Radio 6music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It primarily plays a wide range of alternative music, from established and emerging artists and bands. In 2002 it was the first national music radio station t ...

in June 2017.

The Forum

Dormon's career in music promoting began on 17 May 1988 when, along with a group of friends (including Ian Carvell, Stephen Cookson, David Jarvis and Haydn Wood), they put on The Brilliant Corners at the Rumble Club in Grosvenor Park Rec hall in Tunbridge Wells. The Rumble Club, as a music venue went on to use various premises in the area, including The Watson Hall, Langton, The Hand & Sceptre in Southborough, and the lower floor of the former Winchester pub on Nevill Street, Tunbridge Wells (now the Thorins wine bar). Jason has said that he and his friends put on shows because they were fed up with the cost and travel of going to London to watch bands. In December 1992 Dormon and a group of friends opened

as a new music venue in a building on Tunbridge Wells Common which was previously used as a

public toilet A public toilet, restroom, bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils or pris ...

and a

brass rubbing Brass rubbing was originally a largely British enthusiasm for reproducing onto paper monumental brasses – commemorative brass plaques found in churches, usually originally on the floor, from between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. It ...

centre. It has since hosted a number of acts who have gone on to achieve significant commercial success. In 2010, Dormon was featured in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

s "

Happy List The ''Happy List'' is a list of 100 people in the United Kingdom "who give back, volunteer, and who make Britain a better balanced, happier country." In 2017, the list was reduced and has featured 50 people since then. It was published annually in ...

", profiling people who make Britain a better place to live. In 2011, Jeremy Pritchard, bassist with the band

Everything Everything Everything Everything are an English art rock band from Manchester that formed in late 2007. Noted for their eclectic sound and complex, avant-garde-inspired lyrics, the band has released seven albums to date '' Man Alive (2010),'' '' Arc (2013 ...

, named Dormon as the person who has creatively influenced him the most. In 2012, The Forum was named as the ''NME'' Best Small Venue. The Music Venue Trust came into being in 2014 to protect and nurture small independent venues. Dormon was appointed a trustee.

References

External links

Tunbridge Wells Forum websiteJoeyfat myspace page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dormon, Jason Living people British male bass guitarists People from Royal Tunbridge Wells Music promoters British rock bass guitarists Musicians from Royal Tunbridge Wells 1971 births People educated at Bethany School, Goudhurst Musicians from Kent 21st-century English bass guitarists 21st-century British male musicians