It’s been a crazy few months, hasn’t it? Going from working as team leader in a Toolstation distribution centre to playing the main stage at Download Pilot was one hell of a transition.
Looking back, though, aside from being in and out of the studio writing the new Conjurer album, the last year-and-a-bit of my life has been the first in a long time where I’ve not been totally consumed by being in a band. I met my now-wife while we were on tour in the United States, and to get her a visa over here, I had to hit some financial requirements that working in music management during a global pandemic just wasn’t going to manage. I got this job and went from ground-level operative to team leader over the course of three or four months – I’ve been working a regular nine-to-five (well, two-to-ten). As exciting as the success of the vaccine rollout and live shows coming back is, however, the time away has allowed me to reflect.
I don’t like to use the term 'double-edged sword' but it’s definitely been that. Yes, everything I’ve known over the last seven to 10 years has abruptly ground to a halt. But, on the other hand, I’ve been able to start a family and have a little slice of normality. It was a major realisation to get to see that my life wasn’t going to fall apart the minute I’m not playing in a band. That takes the pressure off a little bit. Over the past decade, I’ve put so much stress on being a musician and knowing that that’s what I want to do with my life. Knowing that, if it all ended tomorrow, I wouldn’t be totally adrift has actually allowed me to enjoy the music more for what it is: my passion.
The five artists I’m going to talk about below are some of those that have been helping me get through…