David Rist hails from the mighty wilderness of the Westfjords in Iceland, but currently resides in London, where he´s doing a MA in Songwriting at The Institute of Contemporary Music Performances (ICMP).  Previously he finished his BA degree from the Iceland University of the Arts.  There he focused his studies on songwriting, guided by acclaimed songwriters and composers, Pétur Ben and Sóley. 

Other studies include the saxophone, the accordion and 9 years on classical piano, as well as a semester abroad at Falmouth University in England.

​David is a quiet, compelling performer with lyrically focused songs, taking in experiences and artists that influence him, all from Chet Baker to Ben Howard.

 In 2015, David competed in Iceland's talent competition, Iceland's Got Talent, where he performed the song Small Bump by Ed Sheeran on guitar.  After being asked on stage if he wrote songs himself, he performed an original song on the piano which earned him the Golden Buzzer from Icelandic folk music legend Bubbi Morthens who praised the 19-year olds songwriting abilities, stating “A man that has the ability to write a song like that, fully deserves to go all the way”.

Dan Murphy - member of Irish band Hermitage Green.  Travel company Global Village Tours.

Composer / producer from Norway, based in London.
Want music composed for your indie videogame, movie, short film, advert etc.? Get in touch with me at my email address below, or DM me

We, Arthur Squawks!, are an Art Rock band. Influenced by The Velvet Underground, Television, Jonathan Richmond, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and others, our sound is an assemblage through collisions and collusions of idiolects from an era when poetry and rock and roll were dangerous; when songs emerged from (and for) communities and represented remarkable moments of their societal subconscious.

'Hospital is a luminous album, one of acceptance rather than grief…' Ruta 66

In 2024, we released the mixed media concept album Hospital as a book of poems, graphic notations and lyrics contextualising a digital music release of nine songs. The central narrative re-tells a story of the pain and grief of young cancer as a rock and roll tale. The insufferable mechanical soundscapes of the MRI machines are transduced to fuzzed up drums and saxophones; the haunting emptiness of hospital rooms, to hypnotic echoes answering every deep uncertain sigh.

The album emerged from a doctoral research on how songwriting can become part of the artist's trauma and grief recovery journey. It was reviewed on the December 24' issue of historic Rock and Roll outlet, Ruta 66.

Our live shows are overdriven bursts of electric storytelling through song, spoken word and readings.

Matt S. Davies is following