Cannell had been living and working in Cornwall until recently, after spending many years both making music and creating artwork for it. His other work included covers for the Manic Street Preachers' 'You Love Us' and the bird logo used on all Heavenly Records releases. The Screamadelica painting is actually a detail from a larger work, as were the covers for singles 'Higher Than The Sun' and 'Don't Fight It Feel It'.
Cannell was also a member of the band Crawl, who released a single through Creation in 1996.