A year as a painter in a cartoon film company, a stint as a printer and two years as a bass guitarist in a disco band was followed by a second accident that left him with a broken arm. Unable to strum, two years were spent in the nightclub business - all invaluable experience that was to inform Dixon’s design attitude for many years to come.
“Honestly I can say that I was never a punk. By 1977 I had already learned how to play a bit of bass guitar, but it was more disco than punk, so I disqualified. But you couldn’t help but admire the attitude […]. That rubbed off on a whole generation of British youth and gave us licence to create – without certificates, university courses or parental approval. The subsequent bands, clubs and then furniture that I got involved in were all informed by the lessons in independence that came from the music business.” Tom Dixon