Tim Arnold: The Road to Super Connected

After the success of his nationally acclaimed Super Connected album tour of big tech-blasting songs in 2024, this intimate acoustic show takes audiences on a journey through a ‘life in song’ with singer-songwriter, filmmaker and activist Tim Arnold.

Part gig, part conversation, Tim’s performance offers an intimate and revealing exploration of his life, music and activism.

Tim speaks of his evolution from teenage druid to indie pop star, pioneering multi-media artist to social activist and his role as founder of Save Soho alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Stephen Fry – a grassroots movement dedicated to the future of performing arts and music venues in London’s creative Soho district.

Tim’s activism is enmeshed with his music with songs soundtracking campaigns like Amnesty’s Love Is A Human Right campaign, Extinction Rebellion Youth, and most recently, the Smartphone Free Childhood movement.

His landmark album and film Super Connected is now part of a nationwide initiative used by schools and the NHS to highlight how pervasive technology is designed to destabilise family relationships and corrode community cohesion. These efforts echo his wider calls for systemic change that prioritise human welfare over corporate profit, championing values of equality and collective well-being.

In collaboration with actress and theatre director Kate Alderton, Tim also provides workshops for people searching ways to navigate digital life, including their signature ‘Screenless Social’ and ‘Social Dreaming’* events. These initiatives have sparked a wave of enthusiasm from individuals seeking deeper, more embodied human experiences beyond the grip of being constantly ‘plugged in’.

Tim has actively challenged monopolistic practices in the tech industry, standing up for the rights of independent creators and young musicians. His work critiques data colonialism and techno-feudalism, drawing attention to the urgent need for grassroots action and solidarity to protect communities from exploitation, surveillance, and the erosion of personal freedoms in the digital age.

Tim’s advocacy for artistic freedom reached a pivotal moment with his famous open letter to Apple, signed by a coalition of prominent artists. The letter – From Satire to Sensitivity: Redefining Artistic Expression In The Digital Age, became a powerful symbol in the fight for musicians’ rights to artistic expression. It called for a more inclusive, sensitive approach to the representation of artistic content on digital platforms. The battle culminated in a landmark victory over Apple’s censorship of Arnold’s Super Connected album, reshaping the discourse around digital platforms and their responsibility to support creative integrity.

Humour, indie cool and a compelling presence as a bona fide ‘artivist’ guarantee an unforgettable journey through an extraordinary life—backed by a catalogue of powerful, boundary-pushing songs.

Stephen Coates is a broadcaster, cultural curator and musician. He hosts the top-ten-rated Bureau of Lost Culture podcast dedicated to countercultural themes and has made radio programmes for BBC4, BBC World Service, Soho Radio and Resonance FM.

He has curated and hosted events for BFI, Hay Literary Festival, Tate Modern, Westminster Libraries and the Wellcome Collection.

He programs the monthly Salon for the City; the cultural program at London’s Century Club and the annual London Month of the Dead Festival – along with a wide variety of events for arts institutions including the V+A, London Eye, the National Trust and Royal Parks.

Increasingly interested in Soviet Culture, he created the X-Ray Audio project to document the bootlegs of forbidden music made on x-ray film in Cold War era USSR. The project has now extended to two acclaimed books, an award-winning film, a major international touring exhibition, and a BBC documentary.

He formed the London band The Real Tuesday Weld in 2000.  Over eleven albums and numerous international tours, they have plowed an independent furrow working with filmmakers, animators, and visual artists. Stephen has composed scores for five features, myriad documentaries, TV shows, shorts, animations, art installations and commercial spots for Amnesty International, Apple, Sony ATV, Universal Music, Tate Modern, Rockstar Games, Showtime and the BBC.

He is a director of Universal Hall Theatre in Findhorn Scotland and The Horse Hospital in London.

Tickets for this event are available from The MAC.