Kurt Cobain defined punk as complete musical freedom, which means Ebony Bones is as punk as they come. It’s not surprising to learn the colourful and flamboyant Londoner’s moniker (her real name is Ebony Thomas) was coined by legendary Damned drummer Rat Scabies.
It’s just another of the delicious twists in a delightfully quirky and unpredictable career. Since age 12, Ebony has been immersed in showbiz in some shape or form, turning her hand variously to both the stage and screen.
Now, she’s focusing on a musical career with her second album, a mind-boggling mish-mash of riotous styles, just out.
Thomas attended the legendary Sylvia Young Theatre School, whose alumni include the late Amy Winehouse.
“What was refreshing is that they were brutally honest,” Ebony recalls. “I vividly remember the day one of the teachers said that only 2% of us would actually have a career in entertainment, and that’s if we were lucky.”
There were some encouraging early signs that maybe Thomas could be one of the fortunate ones when she was cast in the moderately successful Channel 5 drama, Family Affair. Then, out of the blue, her musical epiphany arrived.
“I was driving and listening to this report on the news that there were plans to introduce new CCTV cameras around London that would actually shout at you if they caught you doing something criminal or wrong!” Ebony smiles. “I was in convulsions of laughter. I thought, ‘I can’t believe no-one else finds this a bit intrusive to say the least, if not downright hilarious.’ I remember waking up one morning and hearing the bassline for ‘We Know All About U’ and recording it on that very same day. I played it for my cousin, who suggested that I should put it on MySpace. It all started to take off slowly but surely from there.”
Thomas cut a demo, which somehow made it into the hands of Rat Scabies. “He loved it, but suggested I needed a name. So he came up with Ebony Bones,” she reveals. “He became my live drummer and encouraged me to write and produce my own music. Rat kept stressing the importance of DIY. It’s something I’ve taken very seriously ever since. I love being my own producer as opposed to working
with someone. He’s also a treasure trove of great stories about surviving the punk wars.”
Ebony’s genre-mashing proves punk rock has a much wider application than meets the eye.
“Absolutely,” she nods. “It’s a genre that at its best and purest – as opposed to ‘purist’ – doesn’t have a straitjacket, even though people might often assume it is in some way limited. The bottom line of punk was the power to do it yourself, to do whatever you wanted. It’s all about self-empowerment. I certainly like to think that I have a punk spirit at heart. It’s brought me to a level of consciousness that is very important and creative.
“For this album, I traveled to India to record with members of The Symphony Orchestra of India. I love the idea of cross-pollinating in art. You get much more interesting art as a result. Being my own producer affords me complete and total freedom. I’m inspired by those who don’t aspire to blend in. People like Michelangelo, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Josephine Baker and Vivienne Westwood.” Not only did Ebony collaborate with The Symphony Orchestra of India, she worked with the London Children’s Choir, who sing a very touching version of The Smiths’ ‘What Difference Does It Make’.
“I was terrified of covering it and what people might think,” she confesses. “It’s a big ask to cover The Smiths. The kids were fantastic. They didn’t really know the
original. I was really encouraged by the reaction of the parents who were hardcore Smiths fans. They absolutely loved it and were so proud their kids were singing it. I felt that I might be doing something right!”
Ebony is definitely doing something right with her second album, Behold, A Pale Horse.
“I wanted to create a piece that really brought us back to the process of dreaming,” she says. “I’m fascinated by that intuitive place in our minds that helps us stay connected to what our life’s purpose might be. We’re so consumed holding on to our jobs and the economic state of affairs right now that we’re not dreaming anymore.”
Does Ebony think social media has a positive or negative effect on our personal capacity to dream? “While they can be very useful, I’m not on social networks too much as I prefer real interaction,” she answers. “We appear to live in a culture that increasingly seems to want to determine its value on how many likes we get on Facebook and or how many followers we have on Twitter. This is a self-obsessed,
self-centred and narcissist age. People are on Facebook or posting photos of their sandwiches on Instagram.
Maybe they’re trying to emulate what it’s like to be a celebrity and have real paparazzi photographing their lunch or something like that. It’s a ‘Generation Me’ thing and perhaps we’re all guilty of it. Yes, it can be fantastic to share and communicate with the world. I really don’t think anyone particularly cares what I’m eating. Well, not for the moment at any rate!
“I strongly believe that one of life’s purposes is to reach your full potential and inspire others to do the same,” Ebony concludes. “I like to challenge myself by stepping outside my circumference, because in the end it doesn’t serve the world to play it small. It’s all about having the courage to go beyond what you’ve been expecting in life and becoming your own hero.”