What are you up to at
this very moment?
I've just taken apart
a hoover and untangled a load of fairly light that were tangled round the
rotors
What can fans expect
to experience at one of your shows?
Heavy breathing,
What is your
favourite song to perform live?
At the moment, a song
called 'After Hours with Johnny Guitar'. It's from my new album and documents
the lock-ins in my old pub where one of the old odd ball jazz musicians would
stay late and tell me his woes.
When you’re not
performing what do you do to keep yourself busy when you’re on tour / on the
road?
I am a very
unsuccessful inventor. I'm trying to get a couple of things patented with very
little success. I potter. I make things in my cellar.
You’ve played/or
playing a lot of great festivals year, which was the best so far?
Well I'm looking
forward to Glastonbury and Wickerman, but the one that really stand out is
Smugglers Festival in Kent. I had such a great time there last year. It's
small, maybe 1000 people but has all the things that a big festival has, apart
from big bands that I didn't really want to see anyway.
What’s the best gig
you’ve ever played?
The single launch of
‘Further in Midnight’ two weeks ago. We'd rehearsed solidly for a week. The
venue was sold out, the crowd were amazing and Laura Marling turned up and did
a couple of tunes.
What was the first
gig you ever went to?
Probably an Irish
traditional folk gig with my old man when I was about five. He used to play all
that stuff and we went to see his old mates.
Which other artists
are you listening to at the moment?
The Magic Lantern,
Nick Cave, Paul Simon.
Which song do you
wish you had written?
Today - Peach Tree by
Rufus Wainwright
Who would you most
like to collaborate with?
Gillian Welch and
David Rawlings
Plans for the rest of
the year?
Festivals, more tours
in the autumn. We're releasing a short film about the manufacturing of the
record sometime. And somewhere in the pipeline is a live recording that's being
discussed at the moment.