- Jan 2
- 4 min read

2024: Camlann, The Tower, Radio 4!

Amber Devereux, wearing a long grey wool coat, a black jumper, denim shorts with leggings and wearing a pink beanie hat, stands in the middle of a clearing in a thick Scottish woodland. There is snow on the ground. — I was not suitably dressed for the New Year's Day hike. Photo credit: Hannah Brown

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful, restful holiday season. I am (slowly) dragging myself out of hibernation this week and getting myself all ready for what looks to be an exciting year here at TCHQ. I think it's the first time I've had most, if not all, of an entire year mapped out ahead of me.

Before I get into that though, I should get a little bit of housekeeping out of the way. Late last year I started trying out a different name. Transition is a messy thing and I will admit that the way I've been going about it has been...disordered (we can't all be Abigail Thorn, it turns out).

So, let me reintroduce myself.

Amber Devereux sitting at their desk. On the computer screen is an open audio project file — photo credit: Ross McFarlane

Hello, my name is Amber Devereux (they/them) I make music and audio stories as Tin Can Audio, and this is what you can expect from me in 2024.

There are a couple of things that are definitely coming out very soon in the next few months. I have a big, scary announcement for later on in the year, and a fun, secret new project for later in the year.

#1 A New Show: Camlann

The podcast artwork for Camlann. A campfire burns in the centre of a wood. There is a small house to the left of the fire. In the smoke of the fire are the outlines of a wolf and a horse — artwork by Elin Manon, graphic design by Comharra Media

Those of you who follow me on socials will have noticed a lot of posts about a new audio drama called Camlann. This show is a collaboration with Ella Watts (Doctor Who: Redacted), Ross McFarlane (Folxlore) and yours truly.

Camlann is a post-apocalyptic fantasy series about the necessity of hope for survival.

Dai, Morgan, Perry and their noble wolfhound Gelert venture out into the Welsh countryside to escape the devastation that hordes of folkloric monsters have wrought among the cities.

Not to mention the "Knights of the Round Table", a former university rugby team turned maniacal feudal lordship on the hunt for their Sir Peredur, and the witch Morgan Le Fay.

Our haphazard group just want a safe haven, the means to survive, and a fire they can gather around at night and tell stories.

This has been the biggest project I've ever worked on, the project files are massive and causing both my brain and my computer to get very hot. It has been an absolute joy making this show, working with an truly incredible cast and crew. I can't wait to get this show out into the wild.

a photo of the Camlann recording sessions. Four actors, Tobias Weatherburn, Nicole Miners, Angharad Phillips and Robyn Holdaway stand around a microphone, reading scripts off two music stands. To the left of them, Amber Devereux sits at their desk, recording. To their left, Ella Watts sits, directing. — photo credit: Ross McFarlane

The first episode of Camlann will be released on 15th January, with Tin Can Audio Ko-Fi supporters getting the episode the day before.

Keep an eye on our socials, as well as @CamlannPod everywhere for updates.

#2 I'm Going To Be On The Radio (But My Partner Did It First)

There is a limited amount I can say about this right now, but I have been commissioned to make something for BBC Radio 4 that will be broadcast in February. It's about space.

I grew up listening to Radio 4, and it's been a quiet dream for a very long time to have some work broadcast on it.

In the meantime, my talented partner Sarah Grant recently took a trip up to the remotest pub in the UK with a couple of Scottish poets and musicians for a Radio 4 program called Pilgrimage For A Pint which is available to listen to on BBC Sounds now.

Yes it is not lost on me that my partner, who does not work in radio, managed to get a Radio 4 credit before me.

#3 The Tower Finale

artwork credit: Sarah Grant

This is it. This is the year.

Pre-production has started on making the final part of The Tower. We're currently in the process of applying for funding which is a never a guarantee but we have contingencies on contingencies and plans are coming together slowly but surely.

I can't commit to any firm dates yet, but know that this will be the year we see Kiri reach the top, and we get to conclude this journey.

#4 A New Project: Radio Scrapbook

a black Roland SP404 Mk2 sampler on a sofa next to an open script, annotated with pen scribblings and post-it tabs

Towards the end of last year I started putting together some live radio pieces on stream. I've now made enough to consider turning them into an album/podcast that I'm tentatively calling Radio Scrapbook. The series range from personal stories to audio essays to some short fiction pieces, all performed live with my sampler.

There are a couple of things I want to experiment with in terms of recording and releasing these short radio stories, and how long that's going to take I don't know yet. It's something new and exciting, and I want to do things differently.

I'll be tinkering with these pieces on stream over the next few months if you're interested in a little preview.

Speaking of streaming...

#5 Streaming!

I will be back streaming on Twitch on January 15th! I'll be kicking off the year taking apart episodes of Camlann and the music for the series. These are massive episodes and I was given a lot of freedom to experiment with recording techniques and sound design ideas, all of which I'll be talking and nerding out about.

It's going to be a very busy year full of audio stories old and new. Doubtless there will be other ideas and tangents and fun new distractions but these are the stakes I am putting in the ground immediately for 2024.

2023 was a weird year. I released a couple of smaller projects, such as Anamnesis and the Covers series, but it was mostly a year of making things for other people. Folxlore, Pitcrawler, Upriver Downriver. I grew a lot last year, both personally and creatively, and my hope for 2024 is that I get to channel that growth and see where it takes me.

For new year, some friends and I went on a long walk through some very foggy, very snowy woods and we talked about our resolutions for the coming year. I hadn't really thought about it and all I could really think to say was that my resolution was to keep going.

It's going to be a fun year, and I'd be delighted if you could join me.