Henry Priestman

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Multi-million record selling folk musician, Henry Priestman (formerly of the Christians and Echo and the Bunnymen) and 6'7" troubadour Jinder, are playing at the Guitar Bar in Nottingham, on Saturday 14th April.

Now touring together for the second time, the duo guarantee a wonderful night full of magical guitar playing, song writing mastery, and enthralling and amusing stories of life on the road.

After over 30 years in the music business – and with a credit list longer than both your arms – in late 2008 Henry Priestman (having not sung since 1981!!) re-invented him as a singer-songwriter, and finally released his debut solo album. Entitled “The Chronicles of Modern Life” it’s the sound of a man who’s seen the music world explode from punk (his band Yachts supported the Sex Pistols in ‘77…and supported The Who on European Tour in ‘79) through to pop (three million albums with The Christians; a top five single for Mark Owen) through to the digital age (soundtracks for James Bond/Xbox, BBC’s Wildlife on One, Natural World, plus commercials) and ending up with a more organic approach (with writing/production duties for the likes of singer/songwriters Marli Harwood, Amy Wadge and Lotte Mullan), yet still has something worth singing about.

So in this age of genre’s, niches and “tribes”, where does Henry fit in? Amazon.com seem to think he’s folk (“Chronicles…” topped the Amazon “Folk and World” charts on it’s release), Radio 2’s Johnnie Walker describes Henry’s new direction as “music for grumpy old men”, The Daily Mail said he is “a master of the rueful observation”, and elsewhere the phrase “post-punk-folk-protest” has been bandied about. Even the NME waded in with a positive review (his first ever off that publication!). Says Henry: “I’m just trying to write scruffy songs of pith, wit and poignancy…with the emphasis on scruffy,” (referring to the fact that he played almost everything on the album himself).

Henry Priestman’s “got form,” his “previous” including Yachts (described in Gene Sculatti’s U.S. book The Catalog of Cool as“Cole Porter Punk”!), Bette Bright’s Illuminations (alongside Suggs and Sex Pistol Glen Matlock), It’s Immaterial, The Christians (writing all songs on their 1987 triple-platinum debut), sharing a mic and a number one single with Paul McCartney, and composing the title song for London West End musical “Dreamboats and Petticoats” (now in it’s 3rd year). To say nothing of a roll call of sessions for fellow North West luminaries including Lightening Seeds, Johnny Marr, Ian McCulloch, Pete Wylie, Wild Swans, Ian McNabb and Echo & The Bunnymen, plus vocals on Jools Holland/Tom Jones’ 2004 CD.
In 2009, Island Records (home of Amy Winehouse and Sugababes) picked up Henry’s album from Stiff making him at 53, the oldest-ever artist to be signed to a major label for a debut solo album! The track “Grey’s The New Blonde” was playlisted at Radio 2 [“cut & paste” link to see BBC Breakfast TV performance of “Grey’s…”: http://del.interoute.com/?id=37483590-7167-4876-9b70-923b5a6e93d1&delivery=stream ], and further singles “Don’t You Love Me no More” and “He Ain’t Good Enough for You” also picked up extensive Radio 2 airplay. Henry is currently working on the follow up to “Chronicles…” (working title “The Last Mad Surge of Youth”) interspersed with a new-found love of live-work which is taking him all over the UK (including a recent support slot on Radio 2 Folk Award-winning “The Fishermans Friends” tour, and a slot at 2011 Beverley Folk Festival).