You’re playing Wembley Arena! Excited?
Yeah, a little nervous, but I’m also confident that with my band and crew I can put on an awesome show for everyone. It’s kind of a celebration – I haven’t ever compromised on the journey here and I’m proud of that.
Who are you influenced by?
Lots of people. Springsteen and Henry Rollins are kind of pillars for me, but then I love the Levellers, Counting Crows, Loudon Wainwright, The Weakerthans… A lot of stuff.
Which album of yours is your favourite and why?
That’s a tough question, it’s hard to choose for me – not least because each album represents a different period in my life, and the songs have different resonances as a result. That said, and I know this is a slightly boring answer, but I feel that England Keep My Bones was my strongest suite of songs to date. I’m still very proud of it, which is unlike me! I’m very self-critical.
Any plans for a new album?
I’ll be in the studio this summer, hoping to release a new record at the start of 2013.
What’s your favourite song to play live and why?
I like playing songs that get everyone involved and singing along, that break down the barrier between the band and the audience. Anything that fulfills that criteria really, haha.
Which song do you wish you had written?
Many hundreds of ’em! I guess pretty much anything by Townes Van Zandt or The Band would do, in particular “To Live Is To Fly” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”.
Do you prefer playing festivals, big venues or small venues?
I like to play good shows; what makes for a good shows is more complicated than just where it happens. I’ve had great shows in all those settings, and bad ones too. There’s more to it than that.
What’s your favourite venue?
I feel bad picking just one, there are a lot of great venues around the world… I guess for now I’ll pick The Wheelbarrow in Camden.
Which gig of yours stands out as your personal favourite?
Again, it’s very hard to pick just one.
What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you whilst on tour?
There are too many to choose from really, this has been my entire life for so many years now; touring isn’t a break from normality for me any more, it is my normality. The reason I like it is that it’s an adventurous way to live, a lot of crazy shit happens.
