Saint Raymond

Concorde 2, Madeira Drive, Brighton, Sunday, November 22

HAVING haunted the same Nottingham venues as Jake Bugg as a teenager, Callum Burrows has gone on to support Ed Sheeran at the O2 and work in LA with REM producer Jacknife Lee.

His debut album Young Blood was released under his alter ego Saint Raymond in June following a trio of critically acclaimed EPs – and Burrows is already working on the follow-up.

“My Voice Notes on my phone is full of thousands of ideas,” he says. “I’m trying to get the ideas down as soon as possible.

“I’ve spent a bit of time in New York writing. I want to make sure the next record is bigger and better.”

It’s a contrast to the long gestation period Young Blood had which dated back four years.

“From the outside it feels like it’s very quick,” he says. “Almost overnight.

“But it was a long time coming. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind the last couple of years.”

Now 20, Burrows first picked up the guitar at the age of 13 and quickly wanted to make music as a living.

“I grew up in a family that loved music and going to shows,” he says.

One of his formative experiences came from going to see Manchester’s finest with his two older brothers.

“I fell in love with Oasis,” he says. “I fell in love with playing guitar through watching Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller and the Kooks. For me it has always been about the guitar sound.

“People who don’t play the guitar always get an authentic reaction from it – whether it’s an acoustic guitar or rocking out on an electric. It’s definitely something which pulls on people’s emotions. People who don’t play feel something towards how it looks and plays.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly the guitar is at the heart of Burrows’ music – mixed with a tight pop aesthetic, as on singles Everything She Wants, the anthemic chorus of Fall At Your Feet and the bouncy I Want You.

His sound fits nicely into the arena and concert-hall filling pop-indie sound of Sheeran and The 1975.

And he has been taking lessons on how to build a career from the former singer-songwriter.

“It was good to sit down with him and have a chat,” says Burrows. “He’s a lovely guy – he makes sure he interacts with the fans – he would play an acoustic set before the show and go out to meet his audience. It’s all part of social media today – anyone can talk to you at any time.

“I’m so grateful to those people who want to come to every show – they are the fanbase, you build from there.”

Unlike Sheeran, Burrows has been working with a full band for the last two and a half years.

And despite recording the majority of the parts on Young Blood himself he always had a band sound in mind as he worked with top producer Lee.

“Jacknife Lee knew how to fine-tune a demo into a good song,” he says. “He’s a very chilled guy.

“I spent a lot of time out in LA. Everywhere is like Hollywood – everyone is an aspiring actor or actress.

“It was hard being out there as a solo artist and under 21. When I was out of the studio I couldn’t drink, or do anything like that. It all became part of making the record.”

It connects back to his early days as a 14 year-old playing Nottingham’s open mic scene – playing his music to an older crowd.

He credits his hometown for encouraging his love of music.

“Nottingham is still an important place to me,” he says of the town which also helped shape the multi-unit-shifting Jake Bugg.

“There’s a lot of good music venues. When I was out with my mates there was always a band in town I wanted to see.”

He is looking forward to returning to Brighton, where he played a show as part of The Great Escape in May.

“I spent a bit of time down there writing and hanging out while I was doing the first record,” he says. “It’s an exciting time now, cranking things up, getting album number two in the bank. I’m into a wide spectrum of stuff – dance and electronic stuff, it’s all very vibrant at the moment. It’s about taking bits and bobs and remembering what Saint Raymond is as an artist.

“It was an early choice to become Saint Raymond, as oppose to being me. There’s a freedom to do what you want.”

Support from Louis Berry and Shannon Saunders.

Doors 7pm, tickets £12.50. Call 01273 673311.