Nick Laird Clowes of The Dream Academy.

Laird-Clowes was a member of Alfalpha and the Act before The Dream Academy. He was also a presenter for the first series of the Channel 4 music show, The Tube.

The Dream Academy were formed in the 1980s and released three albums.

His solo album, Mona Lisa Overdrive, was released under the name Trashmonk in 1999 under Alan McGee's Creation Records, and re-released a few years later with two extra tracks ("Mr Karma" and "Fur Hat") under the reinvented PopTones label, again by McGee.