Stephen Jones obit

Stephen Jones, Severed

 Heads member and 

synth innovator, dies aged 75

 

• Jones succumbed to injuries after being attacked outside his studio on October 6th.

He was not on the list.

Stephen Jones, a former member of cult Australian electronic group Severed Heads, has died aged 75.

A statement was posted to his Facebook last Friday, October 9th, claiming that he died from injuries after being assaulted three days earlier. "Stephen was viciously assaulted outside his studio on Tuesday," the post read. "After loving visits from friends over the course of the day, Stephen died peacefully on Thursday afternoon. Stephen left this world with brother Ian and partner Wendy holding his hands. He was surrounded by friends."

The post claims that a man has been arrested and charged with manslaughter following the incident. He appeared in court and is being held without bail. "We ask that people respect the ongoing investigation and chain of evidence," the post continued. "And refrain from speculation."

Jones joined Severed Heads in 1982, and was a key member for the following decade alongside Tom Ellard. They released six albums during this period, as well as acclaimed tracks like "Dead Eyes Opened," "Petrol" and "All Saint's Day." A video artist and electronics engineer, he also developed analogue video synthesisers that were used for the group's live performances and music videos. He left the band in 1992.

Outside of Severed Heads, Jones was an artist, engineer, writer, curator and archivist from the mid-'70s onwards. He co-curated the Videotapes From Australia collection, which toured internationally in 1979 and 1980, and produced a series of experimental video works that explored the intersection of art and technology.

In 1996, he received a New Media Arts Fellowship from the Australia Council for the Arts, later publishing Synthetics: Aspects of Art and Technology in Australia, 1956–1975 through MIT Press in 2011. He also worked extensively in video post-production and helped preserve electronic artworks for galleries and museums across Australia.

Listen to Severed Heads perform "Petrol" live in 1986, and read some tributes.