Tell Us about:
Your latest single you have released:
Lovehearts and The Cold Side of the Bed. I’m really proud of how they have turned out and I’m glad I recorded them! Lovehearts is a Country duet ballad about casual love and its inevitable demise. The Cold Side of the Bed is about loneliness and isolation after the end of a doomed love affair. Cheery stuff!
Your favourite lyric in this song:
Out of the two songs, there are a few lines I really like. One of my favourites is in The Cold Side of the Bed’s third verse; “the dry patch on the road/left from where you just drove away/when those bells were still ringing/as clear and cold as the day”. It has a real old-style dramatism to it. Some of Etta James’ big dramatic blues songs have a similar feel and that’s probably where I got the inspiration for this song.
Your favourite song that you have created that is an album track:
I have a song called “The Cruel Hands of Time” that I’m really proud of. I can’t really remember how I wrote it, it just kind of happened one night. But it is a long one with four verses and is usually over 5/6 minutes long so definitely an album track that I hope you’ll all hear when I make my album, I’ve been saving it for such an occasion!
Your favourite song to play live:
I’d have to say my favourite song to perform live solo would be “The Cruel Hands of Time” that I just mentioned. It seems to have a way of stopping people in their tracks and people always ask me about it after shows! With a full band I love playing my bluesier stuff like “Rolling To Ruin” as there’s loads of space for the band to play with and we can really jam along with each other, it can get kind of hypnotic on stage, for me at least anyway!
The song that was the longest to write and why?
Some songs seem to drop out of thin air for me, others take some coaxing. “Lovehearts” which I just released did take a long time. I wrote the first two verses years ago and only fairly recently I managed to finish it. I knew there was something not quite right about it and I thought it deserved some real time and attention as I really liked where it was going.
The unusual structure made it slightly more difficult too. But sometimes the best stuff comes from going a bit out of your comfort zones in terms of writing. Sometimes you can feel too safe and make something even boring to yourself!
One of your previous tracks you would recommend for first time listeners of your music and why?
I’d recommend listening to “Lucky”. It was the first song I recorded as a solo artist and I think it embodies what I set out to do in terms of writing style and emotion. I don’t know about you or anyone else but I like to start at the beginning when discovering a new artist. It helps me understand their work better I think, seeing where it has come from and where it’s going.
Dream collaboration:
That’s a really tough one! Naturally I’d lean to Bob Dylan or Van Morrison but I think I’d just be too terrified. They’re more like gods to me! Musically I live in the past. Jalen N’gonda is someone I really like in the current scene and maybe we are too similar in style but I think we could put our heads together and make something really cool outside of what we both tend to do…
Describe the feeling you get when you walk on stage to do a show:
There are many feelings stepping onstage and it depends on so many factors like the size of the crowd, who’s in the crowd etc. I’d say usually by the time I’m getting on stage I feel pretty calm, relaxed. I’m never really filled with adrenaline or emotion, more just a tunnel vision kind of focus. That and usually I like to have a few drinks before getting up there so maybe that helps!
The track that is most fun to play live:
Like I said before I enjoy playing the blusier stuff live with my band. It’s simple and comfortable and you don’t have to think too much so you can have fun with it. There’s lots of room for improvisation and just enjoying it. “Rainy Day” is one that’s very fun to play and the band enjoy making it sound all weird and spooky. It can get pretty funny.
Essential items you always take on tour with you?
I really like to travel as light as possible on tour. I really don’t bring anything that isn’t 100% necessary. One thing that I feel is necessary for me is my favourite beer, Franziskaner Hefeweizen. It’s hard to come by on the road so I like to bring a good supply with me! A guitar is fairly important too.
Describe your fans in three words:
I’d say my fans are dedicated, a bit crazy in a friendly kind of way and far-flung. I have people message me from all over to tell me how much they enjoy my music, I get a real kick out it. Makes me wonder if it’s possible to play these places one day, Brazil, Japan, Germany, The States! One day!
A song released in the last few years by an artist or band you wish you had written:
Like I said earlier, I really do live in the past, musically at least. It’s very rare I listen to anything post 1970s or even earlier. There are always a few that get through the net though. I’d go for “The Horse You Rode In On” by Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra. They’re a fellow Newcastle band and I always love hearing this song live. Not sure what it is about it but I always have it in my head! I’d have liked to have come up with that one for sure!
What we can look forward to from your band this year:
Things are kind of slowing down for this year to be honest. I played a few festivals in the summer which was fun. Then recently released these songs and played a headline show in Newcastle. Unless something big pops up, we are kind of hunkering down for the winter. I’m in the process of recording an album with the band too so we are still toiling away in the background. But that won’t be ready until at least this sort of time next year I imagine! I hope it will be worth the wait!
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