Recently I was fortunate enough to be awarded funding courtesy of Art Council England’s “Developing your Creative Practice” programme. For those of you who are unaware of the scheme, it’s designed to financially support an artist so they can take a dedicated period of time out of their day to day commitments to focus on their own creative development.
For the past 5 years I’d been playing in an originals indie rock band based in London which I’d help to form whilst living there. Things were good- we’d had label interest, radio play in the UK, Canada and the USA, played some great gigs and festivals and had been featured on BBC Introducing numerous times.
After moving back to Manchester in 2018, rather than leave the band I decided to continue on and travel back for gigs/rehearsals etc, thinking it would be doable. The reality was vastly different; not only was I working full time as an electrician, I’d also bought a house and was planning a wedding (well my Wife was!).
With all of this going on, I had little headspace to do anything creative and was becoming increasingly unsure whether music was really something I wanted to pursue. I’d become disconnected not just with the band but also with music and my place in the industry. Playing the guitar had become no different to me than picking up a screwdriver, a work tool- it was no longer an extension of my inner self.
In the summer of 2019 I decided to leave the band. This was an incredibly difficult decision as I’d had some of the best musical experiences I’d ever had playing with the guys. It also felt however that it was necessary, not only because I was turning into a shitty band member but also because I needed to figure out what it was I wanted to do musically.</p>
After some time away living a “normal” life (I became obsessed with our lawn!), I started to toy with the idea of doing something blues related. Blues music was the genre that made me take the guitar seriously over 20 years ago. At its core it is raw and simple, yet culturally it is deep and complex. As the late Gary Moore said, “There’s no way to describe it; Everybody knows what it’s about”. My wife told me about the DYCP fund and urged me to apply. It was through the application process that I began to formulate the idea of developing myself into a blues artist, with the hope f trying to my musical voice again
It’s still early days but this project is already giving me some direction and I’m happy just to be playing again. I’m hoping this period will help me to develop a manageable practice routine that I hone and maintain around my other daily commitments. Artistically, I’m already feeling it has given me creative openness and the confidence to take more risks to drive an artistic vision, regardless of what the outcome might be.
Eventually, I aim to write original blues music, inspired by my home city of Manchester and to develop the confidence to perform it across the North West.
I've got the (Manchester) Blues 