Now For Something Completely Different...
Ren Gill, a dynamic singer, guitarist and songwriter, was born in Wales. Known by his stage name, Ren, he came to attention on the pavements of Bath where he played with an indie-pop band called Trick the Fox. Unfortunately, Ren fell ill and needed to return to his Brighton home, where he was bedridden for several years. Stuck at home, Ren wrote songs and recorded music in his bedroom. Even though his underlying health problems were unresolved, Ren gradually regained sufficient strength to start busking on the streets of Brighton, often with his golden-voiced buddy, Sam Tomkins. Just listen to their stonking mash-up of The Weekend, James Brown and Alicia Keys.
Ren is renowned for his soulful singing and guitar playing, and he doesn’t disappoint. Who would guess that he was suffering from serious and debilitating ailments? He glows when he performs. Meanwhile, Sam Tomkins has an incredible vocal range, which he puts to good use. Tassie comments, “I feel like I should’ve paid to watch this. They are incredible!” In April 2018, Ren announced that he’d formed a new band. The Big Push would gain a reputation as one of the best busking bands in the world. The Big Push’s Youtube videos were immensely popular. Pretty soon, the band was playing music venues and they embarked on a tour of the UK. The tour was interrupted by Covid19. When it resumed the band were booked to play their biggest gig yet, at the Brighton Dome, in September 2022. Shortly before the concert, The Big Push announced that the show would be their last. One of the reasons was Ren’s continued battle with Lyme Disease. Here is Sic Boi, Ren’s latest single, which addresses his health.
Unfortunately, music festivals are not on Ren’s immediate horizon. On 28 January 2023, Ren commenced a Facebook post as follows: “I don’t know why I find it so hard to share this information, I guess because I never wanted to make my health problems my identity, I feel like Ren the person is so much more than Ren the health victim, but if this journey I’m on can help anyone else going through the same thing, it is worth swallowing my pride”. Ren proceeds to outline some of his autoimmune-disease-induced symptoms and the treatments to address them that he is receiving in Canada. A subsequent post, on 31 January, gives more details. Ren reported that the initial treatment, comprised of daily IVs, minor surgery and supportive treatments will take six months, which is significantly longer than he expected. Thereafter, he will need to return for follow-up tests and treatments. While he is optimistic about his recovery, Ren is obviously concerned by the cost of his treatment, which is exacerbated by his being in a different country, his need to Uber to the hospital every day, and his inability to busk or play shows.
To help fund his treatment, Ren has set up a go fund me account – you can visit it by clicking here. In return for support, Ren promises to record and release music when he is able. He concludes his message by saying, “The response to the last two songs, in particular, has brought me more joy than I can begin to express, so thank you for that”.
Lyme disease misdiagnosed as M.E. has caused irreversible damage to Ren’s immune system. He developed PTSD, while brain damage misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder saw him passed between therapists and trialing myriad unnecessary antidepressants, ‘all the while getting worse and worse’.
This drove Ren into a state of stress-induced psychosis. “My mind’s only rational explanation for the level of suffering I was enduring was that it was some kind of demonic intervention, or that I was part of some twisted experiment or study,” he says. Writing about a place of such darkness has not been easy, but he takes inspiration from one of his heroes: ‘Nina Simone said it was an artist’s duty for their work to fearlessly reflect their life circumstances. I wanted my next piece of work to fearlessly stare my past in the face despite the trauma of doing so.’
Ren is currently receiving treatment in Canada and keeping fans up to date on his progress. A Go Fund Me page has so far raised in excess of £100,000. Writing on Facebook, he said, ‘Today I broke down and cried… I think the hardest thing is the inability to create. I am definitely obsessed with creation, and when I can’t create I feel impotent.’ Ren says he dreamed of being a musician since the age of 12, when his parents took him to festivals where he’d sell ‘CDs of beats I made on an old shitty PC’. Ren is a vibrant, enthusiastic and vital musician. For those who are concerned about his health and treatment, Hi Ren addresses his situation with humour, flair, courage and skill. It is an incredible song in which Ren asserts his confidence that he will recover and prosper.
Before leaving for Canada – a trip two years in the making – Ren produced a wealth of content he could periodically release during his time in treatment. “I had an idea to create two albums for 2023 ‒ one dark, one light,” he says. ‘Hi Ren’ is the first release from the album ‘Sick Boi’, with plans to release another in the second half of the year.
Ren told fans, ‘The response to Hi Ren has been phenomenal. It was probably the most nervous I’ve been about releasing a track, but I was really proud about putting out something that felt like hopefully closing a chapter on one of the darker periods of my life.’
The release has promoted a slew of YouTube ‘reaction’ videos, including one titled F**in’ Hell, This Is Mind-Blowing by Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins.
“Gratitude isn’t a big enough word to express how I feel,” he says. “This kind of traction would usually only come with a major label and big teams of people promoting what I’m doing, but the fact it’s been done with no massive budgets, no songwriting teams, no corporate sponsors or regular radio placements feels incredibly rewarding.”
He continues: “It’s also a testament to grassroots sharing. I hope it gives anyone pushing independently hope that with perseverance you can get to where you want to be without waiting for a gatekeeper to hand you a golden ticket.”
In February he also released a retake of The Verve’s Britpop anthem ‘Bittersweet Symphony’, with Verve bassist Simon Tong himself getting in touch to express his excitement and even gift Ren a guitar.
Go Ren – we’re all behind you!
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LINKTREE : "Ren Makes Music"
