viv griffin
about
Viv Griffin is a 25-year-old bassist from Manchester. She is a touring bassist of post-punk-funk band A Certain Ratio, having played on their "1982" tour and "45" tour in 2023, "It All Comes Down To This" tour in 2024, multiple live sets on BBC 6 Music and European festivals such as Luna Festival (Portugal) and Pop Kultur (Berlin).
Viv is the vocalist/bassist and co-writer/producer in the electronic-pop duo Beck Pocket, regularly performing in Manchester and having received play on BBC Introducing Manchester and 6 Music.
As a session bassist, she gigs with indie-rnb artist Lei Hope and soul artist Rumbi Tauro, and has recorded bass on several of their released works. She has played on upright bass for Bryony Jarman-Pinto as part of London Jazz Festival in 2025.
Viv has performed in a variety of venues including Band on the Wall, New Century Hall and Royal Albert Hall and at festivals including Manchester Jazz Festival, Shambala and Kendal Calling.
Developing a jazz background in youth big bands and playing double bass in youth orchestras before surrounding herself with eclectic pop music at the Royal Northern College of Music for four years has allowed Viv to explore different musical ventures with her original projects Beck Pocket and Apollo House.
Original Music
In 2021, Viv formed electronic-pop duo Beck Pocket with keyboardist Jasper Clarke, in which she is the vocalist-bassist, co-writer and co-producer, having released music since 2022.
2023 saw the duo play overseas in Groningen as part of the Eurosonic festival. In 2023, Viv was selected as one of Manchester Jazz Festival's Soundcheck Programme artists, further exploring her interest in combining improvisation, technology and bass playing. This led to the duo's performance at mjf2024.
In 2024, Beck Pocket released their debut EP 'all your dreams', receiving play on BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing and Selector Radio, headlining the Band on the Wall Copper Bar in celebration of their EP release.
Beck Pocket were selected to be part of Factory International's Factory Sounds cohort in 2025, and played a set at Manchester International Festival that year.
Viv is also a member of space-jazz quartet Apollo House, having performed at The Yard, Manchester Jazz Festival and Hyde Park Book Club (Leeds) in addition to a 6-date UK tour in 2023, concluding in a performance at the Royal Albert Hall as part of Music For Youth Proms. Apollo House toured again in the UK in January 2025.
