We’re predicting even bigger things for this guy
We know for a fact that you’ve already heard of Tom Walker. After all, how could you not? His single Leave a Light On has been everywhere this summer. It’s been in the charts. It’s been all over the radio. It’s even been on Love Island, and we know for a fact that some of you are guilty of watching that. It’s fine, though – this is a no-judgement website, and we’re the forgiving types.
Turns out that he’s as nice as his tunes are #banging
In case you hadn’t gathered, we’re big fans of Tom‘s; so, when we were offered the chance to catch up with him in a blisteringly hot backstage area at this year’s Barn On The Farm, we couldn’t turn it down. So read on, dear reader, and find out what happens when one on one. catches up with Tom Walker to shoot the breeze about the wonders of Jack Garratt, the surprise (but not surprising) success of his breakthrough hit, Leave a Light On, and how the hell he’s coping with playing 150 gigs in a year:
Mr. Tom Walker! How the devil are you?
‘Yeah, I’m good! It’s too hot for me, mind. Like, I can deal with a bit of heat, but I was born in Scotland, so I’ve got no chance… It’s ridiculous. I don’t know what to do. I’m constantly too hot, and I can’t do it.
You looking forward to your set?
‘Yeah, man! It’s gonna be wicked. This is my third year in a row at Barn On The Farm, so it’s good to be back and playing the main stage. Working my way up the line-up, so hopefully next year will be a headline slot…
‘It is nice to be back here, though. Everyone just seems to be on such a good wavelength, y’know? It makes me want to have a family so I can bring ‘em to this festival…
It’s been a crazy few months for you, hasn’t it?
‘It has, yeah. It’s all gone mad. I remember playing here like, two years ago when Jack Garratt was here, and he had a huge tour bus, and now there’s me rocking up and sub-headlining the thing… Mad.
Jack Garratt’s a bona-fide wizard, though…
‘Oh, God, yeah. I went to see him in Los Angeles, and it was just after he’d upgraded all his kit and started using real snares and stuff, and I was just like “how the hell is he doing this?’. I have trouble playing my guitar and singing at the same time. The guy’s doing like, nine different things at once!
‘I remember seeing him here the last time he played, and halfway through his set one of his bits of gear broke down and he couldn’t carry on with the setlist he’d planned. So, while that was being fixed, he just improvised a loop and started rapping the theme song to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air over the top of it, before finishing it off with a bit of The Spice Girls for good measure. Absolutely mad.
Be honest: did you ever expect Leave a Light On to get quite as big as it’s gotten?
‘Na, I didn’t. It kind of caught me by surprise, really. I thought it was a great track – I really did like that one – and I thought it had a unique sound, but I never thought it would… It’s just gone mad everywhere. I think now it’s had like seven Top Tens in seven different countries, which is cool.
‘It peaked at like number forty-five in the charts in the UK when it came out, and then eleven weeks later it had gone all around Europe, came back to England, and then it got into the Top Ten here! So yeah, that track’s been really good for me, and it’s kinda opened everything up from there.
What’s have you got planned for the next few months?
‘What have we got this year? We’ve got, in total, 150 gigs, and included in that is 35 different festivals. I’ve got to finish my album (even though we put it up for pre-order two weeks ago), and it *should* be out at the end of this year/beginning of the next one. I’ve been in with loads of different producers and writers, just getting it to the level where I want it to be – I’ve been back in with people I’ve written with before, too, and a couple of mates, so it’s all going really well!
‘I’m sitting on four new tracks at the moment that are all finished and ready to go, but nobody’s heard them yet. It’s killing me…’
Bringing it right back to the beginning: what made you want to make music in the first place?
‘I’m just shit at everything else. I seem to be naturally alright at music, and I just love it. It makes me happy. I just really, really enjoy doing what I’m doing it, and I’m very fortunate to be doing it – not many people get the chance to in this job. It’s not even a fuckin’ job, really, is it? It’s just mint, and it keeps getting better and better, and I don’t think there are a lot of jobs like that.
Out of every song ever recorded, which do you wish you’d written?
‘Ooh… Probably New Shoes by Paolo Nutini. It’s just such a banger of a pop song.
Describe yourself in three words?
‘Happy, sad… Happy?’
