An Interview with Tom Hannay, Kemp Town musician

J: Hi Tom.
T: Hello Jian.
J: So what’s the name of your current group or band?
T: The current group is ‘Tom Hannay with Love Junk’.
J: And where did you meet the other members?
T: I met them all in Brighton, down here. Some of them were in other bands to begin with, like the drummer. One of them’s from Cornwall, the guitarist with crazy hair. (laughs)
J: And how did you meet exactly? At other gigs?
T: Through friends mainly. And at BIMM (Brighton Institute of Modern Music), where I did one year.
J: Oh right, is that why you came to Brighton? To attend BIMM?
T: Yeah, to study music. Just for a year. To get myself closer to London, without actually setting foot in London. (laughs)
J: So when did you first start playing the guitar?
T: I first started playing guitar when I was fourteen. My grandma gave me a guitar that’s been in the family for about fifty years. When I was a kid I used to try to pick it up and play with it, when it was as big as me, but I only really started playing properly when I was fourteen.
J: When did you write your first song?
T: I wrote my first song when I was seven.
J: Seven?
T: Yeah, it was a boyband song.
J: What was it called?
T: It was a great one, it was called ‘It’s a Wild World.’ It was discussing the dangers of living in the modern world.
J: Of course.
T: Exactly. As a woman and possibly a man.
J: And what are the dangers?
T: The dangers are, you know, if you’re walking down the street and someone sees you and it’s love at first sight, there’s nothing you can do… and it’s a wild world. Those were the lyrics basically. (laughs)
J: Sounds good.
T: Yeah.
J: So didn’t you go to Iceland for a bit?
T: Yep, I did.
J: Why did you go there?
T: I went to Reykjavik for two years. I just wanted to write music in another country and get away from it all, and be in a nice environment that was creative.
J: So you just went there for the music?
T: Yes. It was great. They’ve got a great music scene.
J: Did you write you current album over there?
T: I wrote most of my songs there. I basically just practised every day. Just practised guitar. At first I was there on my own so I had a lot of time. Then I started working in bars, playing music.
J: Did you perform a lot of gigs?
T: Yeah, throughout the second year I played three or four nights a week.
J: Didn’t the local newspaper or mayor make you officially a Friend of the City, or something like that?
T: Well, actually, yeah, I was labelled a Friend of Iceland in one of the papers.
J: A Friend of Iceland? That’s impressive.
T: Well, yeah, it was because I did so many gigs over there and brought musicians over especially, from the UK, to play in Iceland.
J: A cultural contributor.
T: (laughs) Yeah.
J: What was the name of the paper?
T: Morgunbladid.
J: So when did you decide it was time to return to England?
T: Well, after two years I just felt it was time to come back to the UK and try to make it in London, after being in a smaller environment for so long. But I didn’t want to live in London, although still wanted a cosmopolitan, cultural feel. So Brighton was a bit of a no-brainer, really.
J: Where did you grow up? Wasn’t it Bolton?
T: Yeah, Bolton, near Manchester. It actually used to be the cotton capital of the UK. It’s where all the cotton industry was based, and all around there really. It’s got the perfect cotton climate and humidity.
J: Oh right.
T: Yeah, apparently the air is perfectly humid and basically just the right temperature and environment for manufacturing cotton.
J: And you didn’t want to go into the cotton industry? (laughs)
T: No, no, that was all over like a hundred years before.
J: When were you born?
T: 1985.
J: A good year.
T: A good year for wine.
J: ‘Back To The Future’ came out.
T: Yep, it did. And I was born on December 21st, which is the shortest day of the year and, being four days before Christmas, happens to be the day that Christmas carols were invented. Apparently. We learned that at my nativity.
J: Ah, maybe that’s why you’re so musical.
T: That’s it! I’m left-handed too. Supposedly that makes you creative.
J: Obama is left-handed.
T: Oh is he? Obama. That’s excellent. Keeping it current. (laughs)
J: Keeping it topical.
T: Yeah. So, Bolton. There wasn’t much happening there. I worked at Comet, which has now closed down. (laughs)
J: So Brighton it was.
T: Yep, moved to Brighton. I played my first gig after recording my new CD in late 2011, early 2012, and released it at Ground Café.
J: What’s the name of the album?
T: It’s called ‘These Simple Truths’. It’s a four track EP and is available from iTunes or any other good online record store.
J: And how was the gig at Ground?
T: It was wonderful. A great atmosphere. We had a lot of people down, all in a close, small environment. And everyone went home with a CD.
J: How many people attended?
T: I reckon we had about sixty-five.
J: What’s the official capacity?
T: About forty. (laughs) I’ve also performed at the Prince Albert. And the next gig I’m going to play is at the Latest Music Bar with my new band Love Junk, on Thursday 22nd November.
J: Whereabouts is that, exactly?
T: The Latest Music Bar is on Manchester Street, just off St. James’s Street. It’s the bar that used to be the Joogleberry, near the Mucky Duck. And there’ll be another band on too, called ‘Beautiful Country’.
J: And what new material will you be showcasing there?
T: All the songs that we’ve written together, as well as some that I’ve written myself. We do a mix. We diversify. (laughs) It’s gonna be rock ‘n’ roll.
J: What instruments or instrumentalists do you have in the band now?
T: We have two guitarists. One of them’s called Ross Pike. The other is me. Fred Myers is on drums, who also goes by the name of Samantha. (laughs). And at the moment we have Adam Rutherford on bass.
J: What genre would you call your music?
T: Rock, blues, that kind of thing. My influences are Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Neil Young. I’m essentially a singer/song-writer with a bit of rock, and we just take that and put a full band behind it.
J: You’ve met Nick Cave, haven’t you?
T: Yes, I have.
J: Didn’t you give him your CD?
T: Yeah, I did. We’re best friends now. (laughs)
J: You should invite him to the show.
T: I will, I’ll try, if I see him.  I’ll be like, “Hey Nick, come down.” He’s awesome actually. A great guy. Maybe we’ll have a special appearance. (laughs)
J: So what are your plans for the future?
T: Well, basically, I’m trying to create a show that’s visual as well as musical. With props and projections. Make it more of a stage show, not just music. For example, in one of my old shows I built a lighthouse as part of the set for the show.
J: What, like a giant, model lighthouse?
T: Yeah, a working lighthouse. So I’m hoping to get more of that going on.
J: Well, I suppose you’re in the right town for that. I imagine there are lots of artists and students you could work with.
T: Yeah, hopefully. So I’m looking to do more of that in the future and collaborate with people on that kind of thing. That’s on the cards.
J: For 2013.
T: Yep. 2013 will be a big year for Tom Hannay.

Tom Hannay and Love Junk will be performing at the Latest Music Bar, Manchester Street, on Thursday 22nd November at 7.30pm. Tickets £4.