On The Radar #98 Oktoba

FORMERLY of This Boy Wonders, Brighton-based Chris Athorne, aka Oktoba, has just released his debut album Smoke Signals, which was recorded with Kate Walsh producer Tim Bidwell.

Below he talks about making a giant leap forward from his debut EP.

“I grew up in Suffolk where I lived in a village called Boxford. I started writing songs pretty much immediately from the moment I could play the guitar. Although compared to a lot a musicians I started playing quite late, I was 18.

“I have always been inspired by folk and blues music of all kinds. Artists like Ryan Adams, Ben Harper and Nathaniel Rateliff have the kind of sounds that really resonate with me as an artist. I really try to write honestly in my songs and really allow what happens in my life to influence my music.

“Recently was over in America playing in both New York and Chicago, which was amazing. But I would probably have to say my biggest show was a gig I played with my previous band This Boy Wonders for both Reading and Leeds Festivals on the BBC introducing stage.

“All in all I’d say Smoke Signals took about a year. The writing period was very close together as I knew I was writing it all for an album. It was a really good process as I feel the songs belong with one another as part of a life chapter of mine. The actual recording of the album was about three months.

“Tim Bidwell was no doubt key in the development and the overall sound of the album. I’m so glad that we worked together on it. I really feel my writing in the last few years has been going from strength to strength. Going into the studio the songs were written so it was just a case of building around them, working together with Tim and with the array of amazing musicians that performed on the tracks. It was an awesome and exciting creative process and I’m so proud of the result.

“I’m just finishing up a stretched out tour that I have been on since September. I am planning an album tour in the New Year and then looking to start the 2016 festival season. The overall plan is to continue playing shows around the country with the intention to take that worldwide. I’m constantly writing so again there will definitely be a plan to get back into the studio to record to next album too.”

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