For those people who are new to your music could you tell us a bit about your story?
Sure thing! Thanks for having me. I’m originally from the black country but moved to the south-west when I was pretty young so I see this as my home. I got into music pretty late but spent about five years touring around the U.K, E.U & USA in bands before starting One Man Boycott in 2013.
I’ve been lucky enough to do some exciting stuff with every project I’ve been involved in and with OMB technically only having a couple years under the belt as a full band (I had to take multiple years out after the first album dropped), I’m driven to see where we can take it.
Who inspired you to get on stage and perform?
Unexpected answer maybe but nobody in the beginning. My closest mates and brother played in a band and I only liked to listen to music really, I was mainly into sports and bikes at that point.
OK so yeah, I would sing at home with nobody about but I didn’t think of it as something I could like do.
Anyway, their singer left that band and I was at the rehearsal space just hanging out, think it was my give-it-a-go attitude that made me say I’d do it. Shortly after one of the guitarists and the bass player left so I picked that up too and formed my first band, a three-piece with me on bass and vocals.
I was about 15 at the time so I guess the answer should be my closest mates, they still are too.
Are there any artists or albums that have influenced your style, your sound?
For sure! But I always find it easier to answer that in broader terms because I listen to a wide range of music and take influence from multiple places, not just in music but experiences and emotions too, film art-styles etc.
I’ve always been heavily influenced by pop-punk and alternative music styles within my writing though, no matter what I’m trying to create those roots always end up being the obvious base to the final piece.
Could you tell us a bit about the Syncr Music Competition Winning track “Sick Of It All “?
I love this track, it’s a fan favourite too and I love singing it with them live, acoustic, or full band, either way, it’s a nostalgic banger for us all.
It’s kinda one of those songs that I want people to take and interpret the lyrics how they need to in that moment.
I wrote it feeling fed-up with the negative attitude of some people within or outside of the industry and their apparent need to spread it rather than keeping their mouths shut.
Do you have any plans to release an EP or album?
Yeah, I do, honestly, if I hadn’t taken that long break then I’d be in the position to release EPs & Albums more regularly, currently I’ve got about 17-23 tracks of new music I’m happy with but it doesn’t make sense for OMB at this moment to drop a load of them at once so I’m constantly shifting and preparing what to do with those. For the next year, I’m looking to release at least an EP’s worth as singles then put it all together into one release.
I’ve actually got a fair few songs that shift the Boycott sound a bit so I’m currently figuring out what order to drop songs in to tell that story and bring my existing Boycott fans into a slightly different Boycott era with all the new followers too.
How has the tour been and what are some of your favourite places to perform?
This last tour was one of the most challenging I’ve ever done, to be honest. Almost everything that could’ve gone wrong went wrong literally on the first day before arriving at the first venue.
That being said, it was also one of the most rewarding I’ve been on in a while.
I struggle a lot with self-doubt but everyone I met on this tour and the response from the crowds when I showed up as ‘only’ solo acoustic instead of the full band really touched me and I’ve carried that forward with me since coming back from it. I can’t wait to get back out there.
What’s your best moment as a musician so far?
Being able to play my music and sing to and with people who give a sh*t about it in multiple places and countries is always going to be the highlight for me.
I’ve learnt a lot about myself as a person and an artist this year and maybe I would’ve given a more narrow answer last year but that’s where I’m at right now.
The shorter answer would have to be something like recording the album with Romesh Dodangoda or playing with Youth Fountain or headlining Germany’s biggest free festival or touring the US, things that not a lot of artists get to do and things I’m super grateful for being able to say I have… I dunno something like that.
Here at Artistic Echoes, we are always on the lookout for new artists do you have any to recommend?
Ahh so many!!
Artists from where I live you gotta mention bands like The Fallen State, Candar, Heartwood, New Love New Low, Two Places
Tour rats; Big Drink, Reawaken, Stay Safe, Bother, Futile
Also my brother Benji One Lung has a new EP out that’s kinda bedroom chamber pop so defo check that out
I could go on but yeah, that’s just off the top of my head. Oh, Walwin is a banger of an artist too!
What plans do you have for the rest of the year?
I’ve just returned from the States post-tour, so the rest of the year is filled with me finishing up some more new music and getting a new live show together for next year.
I’m also working with my agent to get some sick little runs around the U.K. in place for the first 6 months of ’24, also making progress on returning to Europe as an acoustic and full band next year so I can share these tracks with as many of the fans face-to-face as possible.
Oh yeah, I’ve been working on some cool collabs too so look out for them.
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