Ant Henson
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Ant Henson
| image = Wailing Man.jpg
| caption = Henson performing in 2010 at The Tivoli Theatre, Dorset.
| image_size =
| birth_name = Anthony Mark Henson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1989|2|14}}
| origin = Poole, Dorset, England
| instrument = Voice, guitars, harmonica, percussion
| genre = Folk, Folk rock, Acoustic, Pop
| occupation = Singer/songwriter
| years_active = 2005–present
| label = Plastic Parrot, independent artist
| website =
| associated_acts = Undercurrent, Si Genaro
}}
Ant Henson (born Anthony Mark Henson on 14 February 1989) is an English singer-songwriter, who released his first single, "I Love You And I Miss You" in 2010.
Undercurrent and BournemouthAID
In February 2005, Henson started pop-punk band Undercurrent with school friend Adam Scholey.{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dorset/content/articles/2006/04/24/showcase_undercurrent__feature.shtml | title= Showcase – Undercurrent | date=20 July 2006 | publisher=BBC }} The group disbanded in 2008 after three years of gigging, shortly before Henson left the UK to travel around Western Europe and North America.{{Cite web |url=http://www.anthenson.com/EarlyLife.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=24 June 2022 |archive-date=4 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004224928/http://www.anthenson.com/EarlyLife.html |url-status=dead }}
Following his travels, Henson moved to Reading, Berkshire to commence a course in robotics at the University of Reading. There he met and studied under the experimental scientist and cyberneticist, Kevin Warwick. In his first year of study at Reading, Henson also participated as a 'hidden human' in the 2008 Loebner Prize and Turing Test, which was held at his school.
Henson and Scholey were reunited in March 2009 when Scholey invited Henson to sing on the BournemouthAID project CD{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dorset/content/articles/2009/03/04/comic_relief_bournemouthaid_feature.shtml | title= Local Bands Release Charity Track | date=4 March 2009 | publisher=BBC }} in which local artists collaboratively recorded a cover of Slade's "Mama Weer All Crazee Now".
Solo career
After BournemouthAID, Henson went on to record his debut single "I Love You And I Miss You" and released it in March 2010 on Scholey's independent label "Plastic Parrot".{{cite news | url=http://www.plasticparrot.co.uk/ | title= Plastic Parrot|website=Plasticparrot.co.uk}}
To promote the single release, Henson toured the UK in summer 2010{{cite news | url=http://www.tune-tap.com/2010/10/ant-henson-emerging-artist.html | title=Ant Henson – Emerging Artist | date=14 October 2010 | access-date=7 December 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315202843/http://www.tune-tap.com/2010/10/ant-henson-emerging-artist.html# | archive-date=15 March 2012 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }} and had originally planned to tour in the US for the summer of 2011, but instead he toured in Western Europe for the duration of August.{{cite news | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6V2vMPGgNI&feature=colike | title= Ant Henson on Tour|publisher=YouTube}}
In addition to his prolific approach to live performances overseas, Henson continues to gig in the south of England and it was announced at the 2011 Bournemouth Unplugged Final that Henson had been awarded the ITG Songwriter's Award for original content and high-quality songcraft.{{cite news | url=http://bournemouthmusic.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/show-bu-final | title= Bournemouth Unplugged Final|website=Bournemouthmusic.wordpress.com}}
As of 2012, Henson has shared bills with artists from a diverse list of genres including alt-country singer Michael Weston King, a cappella quartet The Blanks (as seen on American hit comedy-drama TV series, Scrubs), and at least two number one charting artists including; Scrumpy and Western band The Wurzels,{{cite web|url=http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?storyCode=11443§ioncode=2|title=1000 number ones: The Seventies|date=17 January 2005|work=Music Week}} and BRIT Award-winning Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. He is also reported to have (on separate occasions) jammed live on stage with Steve Ryan from British pop punk group Trucks, and Huw Lloyd-Langton from English space rock band Hawkwind, among others.{{cite news | url=https://www.gdsf.co.uk/training/visitors_information/black_bull_marquee_information.aspx | title=The Great Dorset Steam Fair | access-date=30 June 2012 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20121223114655/https://www.gdsf.co.uk/training/visitors_information/black_bull_marquee_information.aspx# | archive-date=23 December 2012 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}
In April 2013, Ant Henson was featured on the BBC1 flagship entertainment show, The Voice UK.{{cite news | url=http://www.entertainment-focus.com/tv-section/tv-news/the-voice-uk-episode-5-recap/ | title= Entertainment Focus|website=Entertainment-focus.com}} For his blind audition he sang All These Things That I've Done by The Killers but did not make it through to the 'battle rounds' of the competition.{{cite news | url=http://thewesterngroup.co.uk/articles/AntHensonTheVoice | title=Kim Henson and the Charms of the Voice | website=Thewesterngroup.co.uk | access-date=29 May 2013 | archive-date=31 July 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140731174409/http://thewesterngroup.co.uk/articles/AntHensonTheVoice | url-status=dead }}
Other projects
Image:Ever The Animal, Cellar Bar, Bournemouth, April 2012.jpg playing live with Ever The Animal]]
In June 2010, the play "Sandman's Fee" was performed for two nights at The Lighthouse, Poole for which Henson co-wrote some of the music with the primary script writer, Gavin Dutot.{{cite news | url=http://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/page/3021/WestSideStory/185 | title=The Sandman's Fee | access-date=7 December 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717124506/http://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/page/3021/WestSideStory/185# | archive-date=17 July 2011 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}
Henson is also involved in other musical endeavours, including playing electric guitar and providing both song-writing talents and joint lead vocals for psychedelic post-rock jam band, Ever The Animal.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rock-regeneration.co.uk/wordpress/?p=7093|title=Ever The Animal|website=Rock-regeneration.co.uk|accessdate=19 August 2020}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
In 2012, Adam Scholey released an album of his own tracks under the moniker "Sounds Like Adam", featuring several studio collaborations with Henson on both lead and rhythm guitar.{{cite news | url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sounds-Like-Demos-Pt-2/dp/B0081FPL64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341065174&sr=8-1 | title= Sounds Like Adam|website=amazon.co.uk}}
Henson and Scholey have also been known to collaborate live since the break-up of Undercurrent, with Henson often playing acoustic guitar and singing harmonies to Scholey's lead vocal and keyboard work. In these performances, they have been known to reprise Undercurrent songs as well as performing tracks from each of their solo catalogues.{{cite news | url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjjy6Uk1l30 | title = Henson & Scholey live duet|publisher=YouTube}}
Acting
Henson also has an active acting career, having played the role of Jesus in a 2009 production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar in Reading, Berkshire, and as Schlomo Metzenbaum in a 2010 production of Fame – The Musical. In 2010, again in Reading, Henson played Prince Hamlet in a Reading University Drama Society production of Shakespeare's Hamlet.{{cite news | url=http://fatsosblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/plays-thing.html | title= Digression...!|website=Fatsoblog.blogspot.com | date=14 October 2010 }}
Following his trend towards open air Shakespeare, Henson again starred with RUDS as Peter Quince in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2011, and also appeared as Lord Longaville in a 2012 production of Love's Labours Lost and as Orsino in Twelfth Night in 2022, both with Brownsea Open Air Theatre and both to positive reviews.{{cite news | url=http://www.brownsea-theatre.co.uk/tickets/availability.aspx | title=Brownsea Open Air Theatre | access-date=30 June 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618164113/http://www.brownsea-theatre.co.uk/tickets/availability.aspx | archive-date=18 June 2012 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}{{cite news | url=http://www.sceneone.biz/content/loves-labours-lost | title=Scene One Review – Love's Labour Lost | website=Sceneone.biz | access-date=18 August 2012 | archive-date=26 August 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115215/http://www.sceneone.biz/content/loves-labours-lost | url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |title=A special night of Shakespeare thanks to Brownsea Island Open Air Theatre |url=https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/20599056.review-brownsea-island-open-air-theatres-twelfth-night/ |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=Bournemouth Echo |date=4 August 2022 |language=en}}
In October 2012, Henson starred as Tom Wingfield in a Bournemouth Little Theatre club production of Tennessee Williams' autobiographically inspired The Glass Menagerie. One review described Henson's performance as "Strong and Intelligent".{{cite news | url=http://www.bournemouthlittletheatre.co.uk/productions/2012-13_B_the_glass_menagerie.htm | title=Bournemouth Little Theatre – The Glass Menagerie | access-date=29 December 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826160706/http://www.bournemouthlittletheatre.co.uk/productions/2012-13_B_the_glass_menagerie.htm | archive-date=26 August 2014 | url-status=dead }}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{The Voice UK}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henson, Ant}}
Category:People educated at Poole Grammar School
Category:English folk guitarists
Category:English male singer-songwriters
Category:English singer-songwriters
Category:English rock guitarists
Category:English pop guitarists
Category:English male guitarists
Category:English male stage actors
Category:The Voice UK contestants
Category:21st-century English singers
Category:21st-century British guitarists
Category:21st-century British male singers