Name: All Eyes Surrender by Rob Finlay
Duration: 6 min 17 s
Description: Recollections of time at university in Bristol living in Churchill Hall.

Out Of Mind

Audio taken from MIRI's live performance at a Mewe360 music and media industry function.

Joshua Hustwick on cajon.
 
With thanks to Steve Bomford and Mewe360 for the recording.

MIRI (LIVE @Mewe360 Industry Function)

Ting - Tele

Recollections of time at university in Bristol living in Churchill Hall. 

All Eyes Surrender

The Plight recieved radio airplay on Radio X thanks to John Kennedy. Sound Vibrations EP 
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/sound-vibrations-ep/1407998536
https://open.spotify.com/album/2YDB3kJtHBfIOfWDoEyJeK?si=JBSd6o00QXiWNWQLdqn4QA
www.miriofficial.com

The Plight
Lyrics & Music by MIRI
Produced, mixed, and recorded by Nick Harris and Hannah Harris at Spare Room Recording www.spareroomrecording.com
Mastered by Dick Beetham at 360 Mastering
Artwork by Lauren Deakin Davies

The Plight Lyrics

Verse 1
I have seen the world in light
I've painted all my colours bright
I sung before the moon took flight
My loss mislaid in space and rhyme

Chorus
So take my hand
And I will lead us through this plight
Don't keep it all inside
Take my hand
And I will lead through this plight
No need to fall behind

Verse 2
Let's stand beyond the lies that bled
Let's keep the music in the air
We'll be marching out of sight
Before they try to claim our light

Chorus
So take my hand
And I will lead us through this plight
Don't keep it all inside
Take my hand
And I will lead through this plight
No need to fall behind

Bridge
I won't fear this fight
Cos I've got every right
To live this life just how I feel
Don't you fear this fight
Cos we've got every right
To live this live just how we feel
Feel

Chorus
So take my hand
And I will lead us through this plight
Don't keep it all inside
Take my hand
And I will lead through this plight
No need to fall behind
Chorus
So take my hand
And I will lead us through this plight
Don't keep it all inside
Take my hand
And I will lead through this plight
No need to fall behind

Sound Vibrations EP (2016)

The Plight

MIRI - The Plight (Sound Vibrations EP)

'Shaking Rain' was written in December 2014 and recorded in January 2016. It's a love song of great significance for me but also a story of personal growth. 

I wrote it after mucking about with a strange tuning (DEDF#AE) one day on my old Martin OMC. It's came very naturally and I improvised nearly the whole thing into my phone. I didn't do much refining on the song until I recorded it with Zombie's drummer Steve Rodford in January 2016. Steve suggested it was a little too short and that maybe I should add a verse? I agreed (as I also like a challenge) and wrote the last, very positive and upbeat verse ('now I can see you wearing sunshine') right there in the session.

I'm very proud of this recording for many reasons. It is the first professionally recorded song for Kate (and she loves it - thank goodness!), it sounds HUGE and there is so much depth in the production which I must say, Steve labored over endlessly until he got it just right. I believe the song has passion, drama, romance, defiance, struggle and love and I hope you like it ;) 
Nick x

Shaking Rain by Nick Stephenson © 2014 (Lyrics)

I’d like to see you wearing sunshine 
Swinging on a tree of stars 
Walking through a magic doorway and feeling like the world is ours. 

Talking at a pace only we know 
Putting dark times to right 
Burying the bad reactions and the armour we used to fight. 

Chorus 
Holding hands 
Shaking rain
Staying whole 
Floating away again x2

If I ever had to dig too deeply
Wadding through a mud graveyard 
I wouldn’t trust people to save us and try to rescue what we have.

Coz people got their own agendas, hang-ups and histories 
Projecting all their guarded feelings onto something only we believe.

Now I can see you wearing sunshine 
Smiling with the kiss of stars
We’ve learned to swim across this ocean 
Now we claim the worlds as ours 


NICK STEPHENSON - SHAKING RAIN

Ground Dust lasted from 2004 - 2010 and comprised of myself, my brother Mark Stephenson and our mate Richard Groves. Joe Brooks and Simon Hadwin joined in 2005. Originally we were Legion of filth (a far better name in my opinion) and we made music like this. It's pretty loony to say the least... Tom Robinson of BBC Radio loved it. Enjoy.

London ate my head

Ground Dust/ Legion of filth - Pins in my Zeppelin

Sound Vibrations EP 
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/sound-vibrations-ep/1407998536
https://open.spotify.com/album/2YDB3kJtHBfIOfWDoEyJeK?si=JBSd6o00QXiWNWQLdqn4QA
www.miriofficial.com

Compass
Lyrics & Music by MIRI
Produced, mixed, and recorded by Lauren Deakin Davies
Mastered by Dick Beetham at 360 Mastering
Artwork by Lauren Deakin Davies
http://www.laurendeakindavies.com/

Compass Lyrics

Verse 1
I have put my ghosts to bed 
My lining keeps me clear
But they came back for one last fright
One lonely senseless sneer
I kept marching up towards the night 
These ghosts kept on trickling through my mind

Chorus
I'll fall into your arms
I can take a left right left right left right 
We can follow our own stars 
We can take a left right left right left right 

Verse 2
You can keep your secrets hidden safe beneath your floors 
The truth will come running up and out before we're sure 
I won't keep this recklessness inside 
You can choose our colours for this ride 

Chorus
I'll fall into your arms
I can take a left right left right left right 
We can follow our own stars 
We can take a left right left right left right 
I'll fall into your arms
I can take a left right left right left right 
We can follow our own stars 
We can take a left right left right left right 

Bridge
And I hope this compass guides me through 
I hope this compass guides me through 
ooh ohh

Chorus
I'll fall into your arms
I can take a left right left right left right 
We can follow our own stars 
We can take a left right left right left right 
I'll fall into your arms
I can take a left right left right left right 
You can follow into my heart
We can take a left right left right left right 

Compass

Verse 1
I have put my ghosts to bed 
My lining keeps me clear
But they came back for one last fright
One lonely senseless sneer
I kept marching up towards the night 
These ghosts kept on trickling through my mind

Chorus
I'll fall into your arms
I can take a left right left right left right 
We can follow our own stars 
We can take a left right left right left right 

Verse 2
You can keep your secrets hidden safe beneath your floors 
The truth will come running up and out before we're sure 
I won't keep this recklessness inside 
You can choose our colours for this ride 

Chorus
I'll fall into your arms
I can take a left right left right left right 
We can follow our own stars 
We can take a left right left right left right 
I'll fall into your arms
I can take a left right left right left right 
We can follow our own stars 
We can take a left right left right left right 

Bridge
An I hope this compass guides me through 
I hope this compass guides me through 

Chorus
I'll fall into your arms
I can take a left right left right left right 
We can follow our own stars 
We can take a left right left right left right 
I'll fall into your arms
I can take a left right left right left right 
You can follow into my heart
We can take a left right left right left right

Sound Vibrations EP

Compass

MIRI - Compass (Sound Vibrations EP 2016)

Good Ones: Lyrics & Music by MIRI 

Music Video: https://youtu.be/LeDvDGeJqfw

MIRI: Main Vocal, Backing Vocals, Piano, Wurlitzer and Keyboards
Antonin Vanneyre: Electric Guitar 
David Luximon-Herbert: Acoustic Guitar 
Yolanda Charles: Bass
Olly Betts: Drums 
*Bass engineered by Monty Joseph

Engineered by Olly Betts
Additional Production & Engineering by Simon Willey 
Mixed by Simon Willey
Mastered by Neil Pickles at Revealsound
Produced by MIRI & David Luximon-Herbert

Photograph and Artwork James Gallant

Good Ones: 

Verse 1
Why do the good ones stumble?
Why do the good ones fall?
Why do the ones you cause destruction feel nothing at all?
Feel nothing at all  
Why do the brave crumble?
Why do the brave go unheard?
Why do the cowards prosper in the dirt?

Chorus 
I keep on loving 
I keep on living 
For today x2

Verse
Why do the good ones tumble?
Why do the good ones burn?
Why do the ones who cause the suffering they never learn?
They never learn 

Chorus 
I keep on loving
I keep on living 
For today x2

Bridge
And we will breath to feel a brighter day
A lighter way ahead 
No more sorrow cos we’ve found our way
Yeh we’ve found our way 
Beneath the dead, yeah 

Chorus 
We keep on loving 
We keep on living 
For today 
I keep on loving
I keep on living
For today

Soundbites EP

Good Ones

MIRI - Good Ones

#Singer-Songwriter #AdultContemporary #AcousticFolk, #Folk, #Americana, #Roots, #BritishFolk, #PopRock, #AltRock

Sunset | Darkness | Sunrise 
“a concept EP that threads heartbreak, healing and hope through soaring arrangements and razor-sharp lyrical reflection… it’s a superb showcase of his compelling songwriting and performance panache.” Sarah Conway – Plastic
https://plasticmag.co.uk/2025/05/rob-finlay-releases-new-ep/

The first single Afterglow is a powerful anthem of reflection and hope, blending folk-infused storytelling with a lush, expansive arrangement. It’s a song for anyone who has loved, lost, and found themselves again. 

“This song gives you that little glowy feeling inside… there’s something so settling about the song, so settling”. Kerrie Cosh – BBC Introducing
 
“Afterglow is an indie-pop anthem… it’s really good”. Roberto Perrone – BBC Three Counties

A new music video for Ballerina has just been released. This track is for anyone who’s ever had their heart broken and can’t shake the memory of that one person. It was filmed in Rob’s local towns of Letchworth Garden City and Hitchin.

“Ballerina dips into darker terrain with swirling guitars and percussive tension conjuring the feeling of being trapped between what was and what might never be again.” Return of Rock
https://returnofrock.com/review-rob-finlay-sunset-darkness-sunrise/

“Ballerina… poetic, powerful, and impossible to forget.” Timmy Farmer – Get Some Magazine
https://getsomemagazine.com/blog/zlef91a88wacwed8kg9le5fxjgbtj0

A Visionary Voice in Modern Music

With a voice that soars between raw emotion and haunting beauty, Rob Finlay is a musician who defies simple categorisation. As Tom Robinson of BBC 6 Music aptly puts it, “Call Rob a songwriter or call him a singer – both of which he patently is – but not a singer-songwriter. He’s so much better than that.”

Drawing from an eclectic range of influences, including R.E.M., Tori Amos, Goo Goo Dolls, and Jeff Buckley, Rob crafts music that blends introspective lyricism with dynamic, genre-defying compositions. His sound channels the intensity of Bob Dylan (an influence since his Mum put headphones on her pregnant bump), the poetic depth of Leonard Cohen, and the raw honesty of traditional Irish folk music. Keith Ames, The Musician (MU Publication) said of Rob “He has the ability to weave unconventional elements into familiar genres… intriguing… gorgeous.”

Rob is a rare breed. Those that meet him can’t help but fall under his spell. An English gentleman, a grafter, an Irish poet, all rolled into one. He has a degree in Archaeology from Bristol University, has run a successful video production company for over 20 years and still finds time to write and record incredible music in his spare moments.

Film & TV in his blood: Rob grew up in Borehamwood, UK inheriting a passion for the British film industry from his Dad and Grandad, who were both set painters on TV series and feature films such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter. His parents took him to rock festivals from the age of four, he started learning to play classical guitar at seven and wrote his first song at aged 13. Rob had local success with his band Captain Davenport, where he played at the iconic Elstree Studios bar for his 17th birthday before heading to Bristol University. 

He came home to play a memorable show at the Top of the Pops green room to entertain the BBC staff for Millennium night in 2000. Upon returning home from university he became an award-winning corporate filmmaker and has had many famous interactions, from drinking with Matt Damon, to accidentally winding up Hugh Grant, to having Ian McKellen dance for him. Throughout this time his desire to write and create music never left him.

A Legacy of Acclaimed Releases: Rob's debut album, These Words Aren’t Meant for Me, was hailed as “an album of uncompromising vision and beauty” by Todd Severin, The Ripple Effect. Colin Bailey of Folking.com said “Powerful, catchy, anthemic songs. Strong and memorable.” 

Highly syncable: The film industry sync panel at SXSW said Rob's music was highly syncable, around this time Sister to a Brother was synced on the hit reality TV show Breaking Amish and regularly garners listeners from around the world who discover his music through Shazam. 

He has been likened to Tim Buckley, Uriah Heep, Tom Waits, City and Colour, Billy Joel, with a sound undulating from 90s Indie Pop to American jangle.

A Stage Presence That Resonates: Rob has taken his music across the globe, performing all over the UK, Limerick (Ireland), Perth (Australia), Ghent (Belgium), Baños (Ecuador), and completed a three-month tour around the US, including New York and Los Angeles. He has graced major festival stages, including Standon Calling, The Great Escape, Roskilde, and SXSW. 

Resilience in the Face of Adversity: In June 2014, Rob became seriously ill due to an autoimmune attack following vaccinations, ahead of a planned work trip to film pink river dolphins in the Amazon Rainforest. The worst could have happened if it were not for the quick action of a doctor friend, but he has been left permanently deaf in his right ear, with constant tinnitus. The traumatic experience left Rob uncertain about his future in music, yet he has emerged stronger, proving that true artistry transcends physical limitations. His ability to channel pain and resilience into his music only adds to its emotional depth.

Half-Heard: His second release, the EP HALF-HEARD, was inspired by the events surrounding his sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). The record is a concept work exploring the lives and stories of five women including Joan of Arc. It further cemented his reputation as an artist unafraid to push boundaries. 

A New Era Begins: Rob has taken the time to develop himself. He gave up drinking in 2011, has physically and mentally transformed, improving his health and building his confidence back up through circuit training and counselling. He has continued to build his successful production company Written Records Limited (recently directing three TV commercials for Co-op) and has otherwise been focusing on songwriting from his home studio in Hitchin (he converted his garage during Covid). He is set to release his third record, EP Sunset | Darkness | Sunrise, composed of four new songs: All Eyes Surrender, Afterglow, Ballerina, and In White this year. 

The EP charts the time in many people’s lives when they lose their  love and how they come to terms with that. It goes on to explore the wilderness years and finally re-discovering love and peace.

All Eyes Surrender

Rob Finlay

Related tracks