It is a real pleasure to be able to perform with the full band again. The last time this happened was back in February for the album launch...
The album launch back in February was a blast, but despite having a great time, the weather was atrocious with furious winds bringing many of London’s public transport lines to a halt. As a result of this the turn-out was unfortunately not as good as it could have been.
Looking back, these intimate nights at Piano Smithfield were fantastic for introducing the singles and the music to everyone. I really appreciate the venue and particularly James Sayer’s help in making all of these nights possible. The Water Rats venue however is in a slightly different league: the legendary Bob Dylan performed his very first gig in London here back in ’62, The Pogues had their first gig here back in ’82, and Oasis’s debut London performance took place here in ’94, just to name a few in the venue's prestigious history.
Ever since a talented mate of mine, by the very cool name of Andy John Jones played at The Water Rats pre-Covid (discover his music and more here), I thought this would be an ideal venue for performing the album Ocean Sky.
This is quite a significant gig for me in two ways: the first is that it will be celebrating the official release of the b-side Struck From Above that comes out the day before on Friday 26th of August. This is the last song from the Ocean Sky recording sessions, thus closing the final chapter of the album’s journey.
The second significance is that it will be the first performance in which we will be showcasing the songs to an audience where many know the album by now and have their favourites. It has been a really fantastic and insightful few months getting feedback from everyone since the release, discovering which songs people like from different backgrounds, as it is quite an eclectic album. I would really love to hear back from more of you readers: what do you think of it? Which one(s) is (are) your favourite(s)?
So, the concert is on August 27 and can't wait to see you there.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: The livestream tickets are at last available to purchase for all that cannot attend in person, please follow the link below to get yours:
Did you know?
Originally built in 1517, prior to 1985 this pub was called the Pindar of Wakefield. The existing building, built in 1878 (the former was destroyed in a thunderstorm in 1793), allegedly had among its punters both Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx (who apparently boarded in one of the rooms upstairs).
Here, in December 1962, a young (and not yet famous) Bob Dylan gave his first English folk performance.
The pub is now called The Water Rats (it was bought in 1986 by the British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation called the Grand Order of Water Rats).
Above: Bob Dylan at the Pindar of Wakefield pub on Grays Inn Road, December 1962. Photo taken and provided by the very kind Brian Shuel.
