Chris  Headley

I originally started learning piano as a kid, which I actually really appreciate looking back - it helped a lot with general appreciation for music & building my own sense of musicality.

I turned to the bass at 13, when a couple of my friends wanted to perform a song at a local talent show -- I was originally the percussionist, hitting literal pots and pans in practice, but after coming home one night feeling a bit
dejected by my choice of instrument, my dad handed me his bass and suggested I try it out. I never looked back!
I used to sit in my room and listen to bands like Rage Against The Machine and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, learning the bass lines, playing along to the CDs. I remember trying (for a long time!) to learn the entire bass solo preceding the live version of "Californication" from the Live In Hyde Park album, and regularly met up with a friend of mine who was learning the guitar parts - we would try and perform it together.

In the years since, playing the bass has taken me all over the world. In 2013, I performed with the artist KARI, going on several European and UK tours, playing larger festival stages and smaller, more intimate theatres and venues. At the
same time, I was performing in a few function bands, building my repertoire in different styles. This was where I first started to perform the odd Queen song, appreciating the nuance of John Deacon's style, although never really coming to fully embrace it.

At the end of 2015, I went to work as a bassist on board Carnival Cruise Lines, performing in theatre pit bands, as well as the party bands, eventually stepping in as musical director to cover when needed. I am really grateful for this time,
and what it meant in terms of boosting my own playing, experience, and also in being able to meet other musicians from around the world.

In the years since I have been busy playing in many function bands around the UK, and in June 2024, I performed as part of Supersonic Queen for the first time. It was during the lead-up to these performances that I really was able to
dig into John Deacon's performance style, and choice of notes on the instrument. His playing brings the bass to life in so many ways, something which I've found matches with my own ideals and philosophies surrounding the bass as an
instrument. 

It's been an honour to step into this new musical framework with Supersonic Queen, as John Deacon, and I've enjoyed how it has influenced my own playing as a result. It's a pleasure to take part, and I look forward to making more music in this position!