Sharron Fortnam (, born April 1971) is an English musician and songwriter. A singer and bass guitarist, she is the leader of the art pop band Kugelschrieber and a member of both Cardiacs and Lost Crowns. She has previously been a member of North Sea Radio Orchestra, The Shrubbies, Lake of Puppies, Arch Garrison and the fFortingtons, as well as collaborating with Led Bib.
Background/career
Early years and bands, including Lake of Puppies and the Shrubbies (1996–1999)
Sharron Saddington was born in Kingston upon Hull in April 1971 (accessed 23 May 2026) into a musical family in which "everyone [could] sing.""'I love a Bic': a rhizomic exploration of the musical world of Sharron Fortnam" – interview by Aitch Nichol on Buds & Spawn website, 2025 (accessed 23 May 2026) She became a bass guitarist out of necessity, having started a three-piece band which needed a bassist."Heart Felt" (interview with Sharron Fortnam) in The Bassist #2, summer 2026 (published by Webscribe Ltd.)
Saddington befriended Cardiacs keyboard player William D. Drake in 1987.Lake of Puppies @ Bandcamp (accessed 23 May 2026) Moving to London in late 1993, by 1996 she had formed a new band with Drake called Lake of Puppies. She remembers "I definitely influenced Bill, and he influenced me, but he was the master of that ship. I was just amazed. I've been thinking 'you were so punching above your weight' but then, I like to punch above my weight. It's how you learn, and I like going feet first. I like making life hard for myself, basically." The duo soon recruited three further members - clarinettist Bernie Holden, drummer Chin Keeler and Saddington's future husband and musical partner Craig Fortnam on nylon-string guitar. (interview with Craig Fortnam by Ben Graham), The Stool Pigeon, 22 June 2011 Despite recording an EP's worth of material (which remained unreleased until 2024),"ORGAN THING: Lake of Puppies finally beam out, William D Drake, a Cardiac and some affectionate friends, release that EP at long last…" - article in Organ, 8 November 2024 (accessed 23 May 2026) Lake of Puppies was a short-lived band and had split up by 1997.
Saddington then teamed up with Craig Fortnam to form a new band - initially called Shrubby Veronica and subsequently The Shrubbies - with saxophonist/keyboard player/cellist Sarah Smith (another ex-Cardiac) and drummer Ben Clarke (shortly replaced by yet another Cardiac, Dominic Luckman). As with Lake of Puppies, Saddington sang and played bass guitar; she shared the songwriting duties with Fortnam, who set many of the poems that she had originally written in her bedroom next to the North Sea. The Shrubbies gigged around London for a couple of years, recording and releasing an album called Memphis in Texas in 1997 on the Merlin Audio label, and with Dan Maitland eventually replacing Sarah Smith before the band split up in 1999.The Shrubbies's Memphis in Texas @ Bandcamp (accessed 23 May 2026)
In 2003, Sharron Saddington and Craig Fortnam married, and consequently Saddington was known as Sharron Fortnam from that point onwards.
Cardiacs (1998–1999, 2004–2007, 2024–present)
Now firmly established within the group of musicians surrounding Cardiacs, Sharron contributed backing vocals to the recording sessions for the band's 1999 album Guns (and on the non-album song "Faster Than Snakes with a Ball and a Chain"). She joined the live Cardiacs band in late 2004, again as backing singer (and featured lead vocalist on "Will Bleed Amen"), but left in 2007.
In 2024, she made a guest appearance with the Cardiacs Family & Friends band who performed the "Sing to Tim" tribute concerts to the late Cardiacs leader Tim Smith. Having contributed to the sessions for the posthumously-released Cardiacs album LSD (2025), she then rejoined the band as a full member, singing backing vocals in concert (as well as all of the female lead vocal parts from all Cardiacs eras).
North Sea Radio Orchestra, Arch Garrison, and the fFortingtons (2002–2023)
Following the split of the Shrubbies in 1999, Sharron and Craig Fortnam continued their musical partnership as the core duo of North Sea Radio Orchestra, which emerged in 2001.
The project began as a contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra, playing original settings of English Romantic poetry as well as original songs and instrumental pieces."Outer Limits: How Prog are North Sea Radio Orchestra?" - feature in Prog magazine by Paul Lester, 4 November 2016 (accessed 23 May 2026) As the ensemble was gradually reduced to a more workable scale, NSRO developed into a smaller group with more affinities with Krautrock and chamber pop. During her time with the project, Sharron sang the majority of the lead vocals as well as contributing lyrics and directing the artwork.
During this period, the Fortnams also worked together in two other projects.
Having written and played on five North Sea Radio Orchestra albums, Sharron left NSRO circa 2019 to focus on her own projects.
Lost Crowns (2019–present)
Sharron Fortnam sings harmony vocals as a full member of Richard Larcombe's experimental rock septet Lost Crowns. She has appeared on both of the project's albums to date – 2019's Every Night Something HappensLost Crowns' Every Night Something Happens @ Bandcamp (accessed 23 May 2026)"Album Reviews - Lost Crowns – Every Night Something Happens" - review by Roger Trenwith in The Progressive Aspect, 11 January 2019 (accessed 23 May 2026)"Lost Crowns - Every Night Something Happens" - review by Lee Henderson in Big Beautiful Noise, 6 March 2019 (accessed 23 May 2026) and 2025's The Heart is in the Body.Lost Crowns' The Heart is in the Body @ Bandcamp (accessed 23 May 2026)"Album Reviews - Lost Crowns – The Heart Is In The Body" - review by Roger Trenwith and Phil Lively in The Progressive Aspect, 3 April 2025 (accessed 23 May 2026)
Kugelschreiber (2024–present)
Following her departure from North Sea Radio Orchestra, Sharron Fortnam formed and led a new project called Kugelschreiber in which she sings lead vocals, composes the majority of song material and plays bass guitar, keyboards, sampler and tuned percussion. The other members of the band are currently James Larcombe on keyboards, hurdy-gurdy, sampler and backing vocals, Chip Cummins on drums, percussion and backing vocals (plus additional guitar and keyboards) and Jen Macro on guitar.Kugelschreiber's Cheerleaders @ Bandcamp (accessed 23 May 2026)News - Kugelschreiber (accessed 23 May 2026)"ORGAN: Five Music Things – We Are Winter's Blue And Radiant Children, one of the Cardiacs family has a new band called Kugelschreiber, Map 71's new single, the strength and nerve of Gazelle Twin, the post rock of Portland's Another Neighbor Disappeared and…" - review in Organ, 27 June 2024 (accessed 23 May 2026)
The first Kugelschreiber album, Cheerleaders, was released in 2024 on Sharron's own label Wamho (as was the long-delayed Lake of Puppies EP). Produced by Fortnam, Cummins and Jesse Cutts (Spratleys) it features guest appearances from all members of Led Bib, flute player Chris Williams and guitarist Mike Vennart (Oceansize, Biffy Clyro, Empire State Bastard, Cardiacs), plus Sarah Measures (ex-Monsoon Bassoon), Emily Jones and Rob Crow (Pinback, Heavy Vegetable, etc) on additional vocals.
Giving the album an eight-out-of-ten rating, whisperinandhollerin described it as "quirky, harmony-led alt-pop that sort of sounds like Young Marble Giants crossed with Steeleye Span with additional glockenspiel", noting "the spirit of 2004 post-rock explosion which also feels like a part of the stylistic infusion which makes this album. It’s big on hippy, trippy, folksy woodwind and tinkling chimes. For all the aspirations, it’s rather less funk ‘n’ flex pop than low-key bedroom pop, although to my ears, at least, it’s all the better for it. But it’s big on lo-fi indie groove, strong on melody, and pleasant on the ear."Review: Kugelschreiber -'Cheerleaders' - review in whisperinandhollerin 13 September 2024 (accessed 23 May 2026)
Writing in The Quietus, Sean Kitching called "Cheerleaders" "a winning formula of infectious keyboard and percussive grooves that’s consistently emotionally affecting and at times outright psychedelic" with "a lightness, in keeping with the poppy aspect of these tunes, that doesn’t sacrifice depth". Dubbing it one of his "stand-out albums so far this year", he also hailed the album's closing track "Hold On, Space Cadet!" as his favourite piece of music of 2024.Kugelschreiber - Cheerleaders" - review by Sean Kitching in The Quietus, 19 September 2024 (accessed 23 May 2026) Andrew Neal of Silent Radio called Cheerleaders "excellent" and "an album that takes the individuality of its influences together with the songwriting qualities they possess and sprinkles a heady covering of magic dust on top.""Album Review – Kugelschreiber: Cheerleaders" - review by Andrew Neal in Silent Radio, 5 September 2024 (accessed 23 May 2026) Roger Trenwith of The Progressive Aspect described it as "a shimmering album of sweet but not too sweet delights" in which "the music is gently insistent, like a cat kneading the duvet to get you to wake up and feed it... Sharron's Kugelschreiber have written their mark on the pop history of 2024, I just hope enough folk sit up and take notice.""Album Reviews - Kugelschreiber – Cheerleaders" - review by Roger Trenwith in The Progressive Aspect, 22 October 2024 (accessed 23 May 2026)
Preceded by two singles, "(me x u) ≠ (u x me)" and "Fuck Symmetry", Cheerleaders was supported the same year by a short English tour with Liverpool experimental rockers a.P.a.T.T..
Other projects
As a backing singer, Sharron Fortnam appeared on William D. Drake's Briny Hooves album (2007) "Cardiacs and related" page @ Wayside Music (accessed 23 May 2026)Briny Hooves page @ Prog Archives (accessed 23 May 2026) and on the eponymous debut album by Italian progressive rock band Not a Good Sign (in 2013).Review of Not a Good Sign's Not a Good Sign by Raffaella Berry in Fire of Unknown Origin, 14 August 2013 (accessed 23 May 2026)Review of Not a Good Sign's Not a Good Sign by Peter Thelen in Exposé, 27 August 2013 (accessed 23 May 2026) She has been a contributor to Rhodri Marsden's Brexit-themed "disco symphony" project Article 54,Review of Article 54's The Hustle (plus interview) by Roger Trenwith in The Progressive Aspect, 13 October 2019 (accessed 23 May 2026) and has sung two songs on two separate Kev Hopper albums, Moving and Handling and Sans Noodles.
In 2018, Steve Feigenbaum of Cuneiform Records introduced Fortnam to Mark Holub of experimental jazz band Led Bib, who invited her to contribute to new Led Bib material. She eventually contributed most of the vocals and lyrics to the band's 2019 album It's Morning.Led Bib: It's Morning - review by Ian Mann by Ian Mann in The Jazzmann, 11 October 2019 (accessed 23 May 2026)"Review/Album Interview: Led Bib: It's Morning" by Nick Hasted in Jazzwise, November 2019 (accessed 23 May 2026)"Led Bib: It's Morning (RareNoise)" - review by Steve Greenlee, 2019 (updated 6 May 2024) (accessed 23 May 2026)Review: Led Bib – It's Morning - review by Zachary Nathanson in Echoes and Dust, 19 February 2020 (accessed 23 May 2026) She has reflected "I could easily have said no, because at the time I was feeling quite under-confident. I was just coming out of early motherhood and stuff like that, which does take such a lot from all of you; you come out wondering 'Who am I?'. But I said yes, because I'd decided a couple of weeks before that I was going to start saying yes to everything. I can be quite fearless, and that's not always a good thing, but I'll take it. And it does lead to all these experiences, and some of them are not great. But I've generally been quite lucky, quite charmed in that way that – I've said yes, and I've gone for it, and it's worked out."
Equipment, inspirations and approach