Television themes

Born in May 2, 1974, Bromham, Bedfordshire, England, Matt Berry (Matthew Charles Berry) is an actor and musician best known for his roles on the British sitcoms The IT Crowd, The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, and more recently internationally as Lazlo on the FX vampire comedy series What We Do in the Shadows, based on the New Zealand comedy film of the same name. Along with Rich Fulcher, he created and starred in the cult comedy series Snuff Box, which featured songs written and composed by Berry. He also wrote the 2004 parody rock opera AD/BC for BBC Three. As well as an actor, Matt also has a very colourful musical career and has released 10 albums, most of which are on the Acid Jazz label. The majority of his music is self composed, but every now and then, he has input from his band, The Maypoles, who also perform live on Matt’s concerts. His most famous song is Take My Hand, as used in Snuff Box during the Elton John sketch, and in Toast Of London, as the main theme. His theme to Snuff Box was also featured very briefly in the blockbuster movie Dredd and was covered by the American R&B artist Geno Washington. Berry’s music style varies from progressive rock, to experimental folk, all tied together with an electronic feel, with various reoccurring melodies in some songs. His inspiration comes from musicians such as Jean-Michel Jarre and Vangelis, who he played as a cameo on Shooting Stars.

“It’s a covers album, just an appreciation of a time when the signature tune and title sequence were both important elements within the overall theme, atmosphere and tone of a television show. I’ve always loved these now lost, rare and in some cases forgotten themes so, as with everything I do artistically, I set out to please myself and capture these gems as best as I could and make them available on vinyl, some possibly for the first time?”
Matt Berry

Issued for the first Love Record Stores event, June 2020.

Tracklisting: