Hi! For those that haven’t heard of you yet, how would you best describe your sound, and who have been your biggest influences so far?
I’m a singer-songwriter in essence, a storyteller of sorts. I sound like all of my influences and none of them at the same time, I take bits from all of them but it’s not always that obvious to the listener. I love all the great storytellers and songwriters I suppose, Jack Kerouac, Norman Mailer, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Bob Dylan, John Prine, Patti Smith, Iris DeMent, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave, The Beatles, Tom Waits…. Too many to mention!
Do you remember what the first song was that made you want to start a career in music?
No idea… I think I was smitten with Britpop when I was a kid and I thought, I think I could have a crack at that…I think that set the ball rolling in terms of getting into bands and stuff. I ended up singing for a few bands off the back of that. It was much later though when I started to write my own songs, I remember the Bon Iver album For Emma, Forever Ago came out and it just inspired me to write sincerely, to lose the fear of being vulnerable and writing down what might be in my head…
You have just released your new single ‘The Weight’. Can you tell us how that track came about?
It’s a song that’s been kicked around for a few years, and when we finally decided to get it down in the studio we started off with the bass riff and built from there… that’s the driving force of it. I guess to give some context lyrically, it’s about the hangover of failed relationships and never quite truly knowing the aftereffects of it all…
And how would you say it compares to your previous releases?
It’s a little more direct than my previous singles. The production is more sparse, and the bass riff hits you right in the chest
Where are you based? Can you tell us how the music scene there has inspired your sound at all?
Stoke On Trent, England… There’s a supportive local scene, and there are some great acts about it, there definitely are, but I get my inspiration from other places…
What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?
The music industry itself, and how hard it is to find people who really care about what you do….and money… lack of it
What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a musician?
Don’t be a drummer, there’s way too much setting up and packing down for them lot!
What’s next for you? Is there more music or any live shows on the way?
We’ve got a show in February at The Birmingham Academy with Space as part of their 25th anniversary shows for Tin Planet/Spiders… and some others shows that are yet to be announced. We’ve got a new EP planned for Feb ’23 and another EP hopefully towards the end of 2023
