Headwater from hospital hallucinations
In November 2023, Rev’d Matthew Simpkins was hospitalised with aseptic meningitis, a rare side-effect of the immunotherapy treatment he was receiving for stage 4 metastasized melanoma. Slipping in and out of delirium, he fashioned a Mini-Matt from a urinal bottle for company. Now, he has created something arguably even more impressive, inspired by his experience as an inpatient.
Headwater is the new Rev Simpkins album, available on CD from 6th June 2024. Eleven songs and hallucinations from the brink, diving deep into – and out of – the dark waters of a seemingly terminal illness. Using analogue oscillators and synthesisers, he tried to recreate the sounds and visions he experienced on the hospital ward as music. Then, as he convalesced at home, he worked with his son Jim to flesh out these sketches into songs.
Headwater charts an extraordinary journey of recovery, from a time approaching death, to the moment when he became the first person to be discharged from care services provided by his local hospice-at-home team.
