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Biography
Adrian is a doctoral candidate in Popular Music at the University of Liverpool. Adrian was awarded an MA with Distinction in Music Industry Studies from the University of Liverpool in 2017. He studied social work and youth work at undergraduate level at The University of Salford and The Open University, respectively.
Adrian has over 10 years' experience in the grassroots music industry, having worked in venue and events management, while running his own independent record label and promotions company in his spare time. He has extensive experience in frontline youth work, social work and community development; a combination of experiences which very much inform his research interests.
Research Interests
Adrian's PhD research explores the specific role of live music performance in contemporary social movements, investigating its potential as a catalyst in the formation and reinforcement of shared meaning, identity and community, as well as in the communication of ideas and messages.
His work aims to develop a robust methodological approach to exploring how music, performance, discourse, and wider socio-political factors impact upon live music performance's capacity to convey ideas and empower actors and networks in contemporary social movements.
Within this context, Adrian's research also attempts to conceptualise the role of live music performance in social movements as inherently pedagogical, viewing artists as radical educators and performances as sites of critical public pedagogy, situating this work within existing literature and theoretical frameworks. Adrian's broader research interests fall within the nexus of music, politics, identity formation, activism, and social justice.
Adrian's PhD research is supervised by Dr Robert Strachan and Professor Sara Cohen.
Contacts
E-mail: A.B.Thompson@liverpool.ac.uk
LinkedIn: Adrian Brian Thompson
Twitter: @_adriantweets