Sharon Lock on what's on her Creative Playlist

The Fall, Bremen Nacht

I could have chosen anything by The Fall as I listen to them a lot while working, but I’m choosing this track from The Frenz Experiment which a friend gave me on tape back in 1988. It was the first time I’d listened to them and it blew me away. They sounded like nothing I’d ever heard before and I was attracted to that uniqueness, that they were different and stood out from the crowd. To this day I am still very much inspired by the genius of Mark E. Smith: his creative integrity, the constant reinvention of his band, his collaborations outside The Fall. He’s always striving creatively for something new.

The Cure, In Between Days

I remember the first time I saw the sleeve design for this single, with its manipulation of image and type, along with Tim Pope’s video – he attached cameras to the instruments decades before GoPros existed – the UV make-up, the blue-blacks, the animation. This visual extension to the music is what really inspired me to study art in the first place. I spent subsequent years poring over every detail of every record I ever bought. My teenage dream was to become a sleeve designer so I could listen to and be creatively inspired by music every day.

Weaves, Candy

As a designer and director I’m constantly seeking new inspiration from everything around me and that definitely includes music. This colourful track caught my ear last year, and I’ve listened to Weaves’ album a lot walking to and from work, which is the time that I probably do most of my creative thinking.

Cheval Sombre, I Sleep

I’ve always loved the fact that music and visuals are so intrinsically linked. When I first heard this song, it inspired me to create a series of images which I tentatively emailed across the ocean and which later became posters for the first Cheval Sombre UK shows. This led to me being asked to design the artwork for both the single and LP – 27 years after that Cure release, my teenage dream came true! I also ended up directing a promo for a track from the album Mad Love.

Thee Oh Sees, I Was Denied

Whenever I hear this song it takes me back to seeing Thee Oh Sees playing [London venue, now closed] the Luminaire back in 2010, one of the most energetic and invigorating shows I’ve ever seen. I love seeing music live, and I spend a considerable amount of my time outside of work doing just that. It really opens your mind and I’m often rewarded with subconscious inspiration for my work. Thee Oh Sees’ energy is inspiring in itself, and this track always gives me a much-needed kick into action.