Dan Bonnington caught up with local artist and ex-busker Warren Ireland, to talk about his musical inspirations, his influences and supporters, and just what makes Nottingham so special...
First of all can you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?
I'm a live looping artist hailing from the land of Kirkby-in-Ashfield. I started out as a busker on the streets of Mansfield way, way back in I want to say 2011 - it was a while ago! In recent times, I spend the summers travelling round festivals of all sizes playing to crowds of all sizes. They all seem to appreciate the noises I'm making with the looper. Or so I'm told, anyway!
When did you first start playing and recording music?
Music's always been an integral part of my life. I sang at school in the choir, I dabbled with DJing a little bit. I started playing the guitar at 14 then proceeded to start covering songs before finally putting pen to paper. Writing was like the krypton factor when I first started because [I asked myself], "Just what am I supposed to write about?"
Around the time I flew the nest, myself and my then partner were expecting. And then we weren't. After this, I felt it crucial to start expressing things and writing emotions out as best as I could and thus the M.E.F.I EP was written and released. At that time I was working with a lovely gentleman called Pete Hill and he funded the whole thing. The guy was a saint. Peter Lindley and many other folks have lent help in various areas; each person and chapter has been crucially important to getting me to this point in my career. I owe a lot to these people who've helped mould me into who I am. Thank you to each of them!
Who are your musical inspirations?
Where do I even start? Looping-wise it was initially a great artist by the name of DubFX. I knew about looping through Ed Sheeran but it was DubFX who opened my mind into what you could do with a loop station with enough practice.
After a while of learning to play and going to open mics, I saw Funke and The Two Tone Baby play at EhUp Festival. The man is incredible, even more so now. That set was so pivotal on my developing tastes and abilities that once I'd got home from the festival, I immediately got the looper out the box and started practising relentlessly. Since then, Funke's become a mentor and a really big help when I've been looking for advice or ways to do things both as a musician and as a performer. It's surreal that someone I've looked up to for years now has taken me under his wing and offered such guidance. He's honestly such a lovely guy.
Other inspirations are the likes of Floyd, Pendulum, Billy Strings, Vulfpeck, Samantha's and Nick Parker.
You've just released your second album, which I must say is fantastic. How has the process been compared to when released your debut a few years ago?
This album has been a whirlwind. I wanted to make this release not just a good one but a great one. Throughout its development I've taken more time and care with its creation, with each song being built in stages and reviewing what's there. The "Grown Up" album was post-Covid and was built in a time where everyone was still finding their feet with things. I was eager to get something out there in whatever guise that would be. I definitely rushed the song writing process. Even with that, I'm still proud of that debut, but this one's shaping up to be an absolutely mammoth one.
More care has brought more stress. There's been financial hurdles along the way with my famed luck with cars but the end result people are listening to now is something I am monumentally proud of.
How did the album title (The Highs and Lows of Being Normal) come about?
"The Highs and Lows" came about post bulk recording. We'd got the majority of the works in place and I was talking with a good friend of mine (Hi Naomi!) when I mentioned I didn't really know what to call this album, or what to summarise it with.
In that conversation it came up to the effect of "What do you feel the album represents or says" and in that I thought it represented the highs and lows of being, well, "normal". Whatever normal is in this modern world!
What's been the favourite gig you've played so far?
There have honestly been so many amazing and phenomenal sets in the career so far. As mentioned, I'm really fortunate to run around the country playing music as part of the grass roots festival scene. A highlight was playing a set in Devon at a festival called "Here For The Music" which I've been playing at since it's inception. I was headlining the little pally stage before Newton Faulkner was due to headline the main stage to a crowd of around 400 - 500 people roughly? That will forever live in my memory for more reasons than one.
There is also playing on the main stage of a festival called "Ey Up Mi Duck" when it was still in Alfreton. Mid-way through that set I played a song of mine called Wanderlust and there were maybe 300 people all singing the lyrics back to me and I nearly broke down into tears of happiness. Hearing that many people singing your lyrics back to you is a spine-tingling feeling that I couldn't describe fully if I tried. There are countless other festivals and sets where my mind has been metaphorically blown.
What's the best thing about living in Nottingham?
As I pointed out with the best gig, Nottingham can't just be summarised with one thing. Nottingham is a city that I can't express enough love for. The music scene around Nottingham is amazing. There are so many great artists - Ben Mark Smith, Mylo Knight, Jaque Seviour, Bertie Black, Eyre Llew, Mollie Ralph, Shaman Erginer, Raging Clue, George Gadd, Claire Shaw, Jake Burns, Kelsey & The Embers, Stephen Clegg, Tom Grant and so, so many more. I implore people to go and see them live or listen to them on Spotify, each one is a great, humble musician who'd be at home playing the likes of Splendour or Glastonbury.
Away from the music scene, the city has so many great sights on offer. It's dripping in history and culture that you'd be hard pressed to not find something you love about the place. Big up Notts!
Dean Jackson has been a big advocate for you in recent months. You must be really grateful for his support and also chuffed with Letter To Heaven getting plenty of airplay on Radio Nottingham and Dean's show, The Beat...
Dean is a pioneer of local talent. Someone with an incredibly good ear for music of all shapes and sizes. We're talking about a man who's paved the way for some artists to get their big break in the music biz and also a really lovely, friendly person all round.
When Letter... was picked to be played, I almost couldn't believe it. The sheer volume of amazing music coming through the Introducing channels is remarkable. Letter... was the second track off the album to get the seal of approval from Dean the first being Dear Me; I'm honestly so appreciative of this from him and his very kind words.
What are your plans for 2025?
Solo-wise in 2025, I'm taking a bit of a back step from the stage. I'm playing sets here and there but as I've spent so long developing myself, I think I'm due a bit of a breather ... I've already got plans for another album brewing away.
Saying that, I'm 1/6th of a brilliant folk punk rock band called Darwin's Rejects. We're heavily inspired by the likes of The Levellers, Ferocious Dog, Dropkick Murphys and 2025. We have a lot on the cards: we have an album launch at Rough Trade on 26th April 2025 (tickets are still available!) and we're on at about 15 festivals. So while it's a year away from focusing purely on the solo stuff and having some relaxation, there's still musical antics in place.
And as I mentioned. I'm planning on releasing an album in 2026, and that won't write itself!
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