Devin Townsend in Manchester

Devin Townsend is a Canadian singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer, born in New Westminster in 1972. He first became known as the vocalist on Steve Vai’s album Sex & Religion, then founded the industrial-metal band Strapping Young Lad while developing a solo catalogue that moves through progressive metal, rock and ambient music. His best-known works include Ocean Machine: Biomech, City, Ziltoid the Omniscient and Empath. In 2012, he staged the career-spanning theatrical concert The Retinal Circus at the Roundhouse in London. He brought the Ziltoid story to the Royal Albert Hall in 2015, then performed Ocean Machine in full at the Ancient Roman Theatre in Plovdiv in 2017, accompanied by the Orchestra of Plovdiv State Opera.