Interview with Nick Mulvey ahead of his O2 Academy Bristol gig
Posted on: 27 Sep 2017Nick Mulvey returns to Bristol on 3rd October with a show at the O2 Academy. Martin Allen spoke to him about new album ‘Wake Up Now’ and how his new band has enabled him to reach a whole new level…
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It has been an action-packed 18 months or so for singer-songwriter Nick Mulvey. As if relocating from London to the countryside and becoming a father for the first time wasn’t enough, this month has seen the release of his second studio album and a hectic tour diary to go with it.
But the 32-year-old has been energised by a wholly positive reaction to his latest set of songs: “It’s been really, really lovely. On a personal level, I’ve lived with this album for a long time in terms of the writing of it. The build-up to releasing an album is a long one too, in this case all the way through May, June, July and then into August, and the pressure ramps up a bit. I almost forgot during some of the more intense moments that the whole goal is to release an album.
“For me, it’s been a really lovely and necessary release. These songs are naturally a bit more provocative and maybe even a bit more divisive in terms of the subject matter, so there has been an interesting complexion to the response from people since it’s been out. But people have been letting me know they love it.”
Mulvey’s son was born in September 2016 and what was obviously a momentous moment for him personally also became a pivotal creative trigger. “It was a heightened time of creativity. It was a crazy time and ironically, my attention was 99% elsewhere and instead of songwriting, I was concentrating on supporting my wife and welcoming this new being into the world. But because of that, the album benefited from not being the focus of my obsession for every minute of every day, and was instead in the periphery of my life. It gave it the chance to breath and I think it was all the better for it.”
It was during this time that he began to think clearly about how the album was going to be and what the recording process needed to be like. “It became apparent that I needed to surrender some of the ways that I might have otherwise controlled and limited the process, and in doing so, find new levels of performance in the studio.”
Touring the new album, Mulvey brings his new material back to Bristol with a show at the O2 Academy on 3 October. He moved from London to Wiltshire around 18 months ago so in a sense, it will be something of a local show for him. “It’s somewhere I’m getting to know and I find Bristol fascinating. Like many people, I first got to know the city through the music of Massive Attack and Portishead and I love the cultural melting pot that it still is today. I definitely respond to the vibe of the city which is very much on the street and available, and I love that about it.”
“It’s very progressive there, and a lot of Bristolians seem committed to a very harmonious approach to life. There’s a big Balanced View community there, which is one of many examples of groups of human beings understanding consciousness in a positive way.”
“I’m very much looking forward to the Bristol show. There’s always a great crowd and a lot of love.”
It is not his first visit to Bristol this year either, having already performed at the Thekla back in June as part of a warm-up for an extensive festival schedule. “I’m loving playing with the new band. Anyone coming to the upcoming shows will get to see and hear them. We made the album together and it was a really exciting journey that we all embarked on in the studio. And during that process, we worked on the idea that this could also be a live band too.”
But he adds that it’s been a tough challenge over the summer, taking this new approach to his live performances on to the festival circuit before doing so for headline shows. “In an ideal world, you would probably start with a venue or club tour since that gives you a little bit more control with sound checks and you get to know the ins and outs of the production. Instead, heading out to do all this at the festivals has made it a little more intense.”
Listening to the album, the input of the rest of the band comes through loud and clear, adding a fresh dynamic to Mulvey’s material. “In so many ways, I consider the band to be the answer to my prayers. I always longed for a band to share the core aims of what I wanted to do and I have that now. In particular, I’m talking about Federico Bruno, Fifi Dewey and Nick Pini, and my wife Isadora. It’s such a privilege to be on this journey with them.”
Nick Mulvey plays the O2 Academy Bristol on Tuesday 3 October and ticket are still available priced £20.20 including booking fee - get tickets here.
Check out new single Mountain to Move below:
Article by:
As a lifelong music obsessive, Martin brings his extensive journalism experience to bear on reviewing some of the many gigs that make Bristol's music scene one of the liveliest in the country. Originally from London, he spends his time following AFC Wimbledon, tormenting his children with Dad Jokes, and getting out to see as much live music, comedy and theatre as possible.
