On March 3rd, 2023, Scottish songsmith, Tommy Ashby released his poignant and affecting debut album Lamplighter alongside lead track ‘Running’, via Dance To The Radio. Produced by Grammy Award’ winning producer Sam Okell (Celeste, Graham Coxon, The Beatles) the 10-track album includes 7 previous releases and 3 brand new tracks.
The ‘Lamplighter’ album delivers a beautiful statement on the profound effect certain people can have on your life. Named after a line taken from the great Edinburgh poet Norman MacCaig’s Praise of a Man, Tommy Ashby’s stunning debut album ‘Lamplighter’ distills the idea that after someone significant enters your life, the light they pass on will spread and illuminate others. Once that light is lit, it never really goes out.
The beautiful collection of songs sees Tommy reminisce over many fond childhood memories of wandering wild Scottish woodlands with his parents, his grandma’s enthusiasm for naturalist poetry and folk music or nights spent sneaking into pubs and bars to play the blues with his dad. As the album unfolds the songs muse over these memories. You get a sense that Tommy is trying to come to terms with how these personal connections have changed over the years and how they’ve come to shape him as an individual.
Tommy said “this album is a sincere and touching meditation on relationships; familial and friendships, the romantic and the unspoken. Capturing snapshots of people, places and moments in time, the work beautifully illustrates the effect that a person can have on your life and reflects on how the important relationships in our lives shape us; “It depicts all the people who were lamplighters in my life“.
He continued to talk about lead single ‘Running’ “Before becoming a musician I dreamed of being an athlete. Every weekend I would drag my parents to race after race, I was national champion at a few events and really loved it. In the end I came up short of doing running as a career, injuries took their toll and other things came to the fore. I still run every day, though not as competitively; I think I do it now as more of a form of meditation.
The songs describes a run back home in Scotland, along the River Leithen through the woods near my house. I’ve run that route so many times that I can close my eyes and picture every twist and turn, rock and tree.”
Tommy continues to work with long-time collaborator and producer Sam Okell throughout his debut album. Both graduates of the highly reputable Tonmeister course, fellow alumni include producers Sam Petts Davies (Radiohead, Warpaint), Joe Rubel (Ed Sheeran) and Cass Lowe (Charlie XCX, Tom Walker, Jess Glynne). The talented duo continue to push the boundaries of Tommy’s sound.
Tommy’s creative energy and songwriting have always drawn inspiration from the countryside. Originally from the Scottish borders, the artist grew up writing and playing music in the wilds of Scotland. Following a short stint in London, Tommy swapped a one-bed flat for the big skies, reed beds and sunsets of rural Suffolk where he found himself writing about relationships with family and friends, along with a sense of place and its significance.
Tommy released his previous EP ‘Lay Low’ in 2021 his follow up EP to ‘Blood Wolf Moon’ in July 2020. Releases to date have grown Tommy’s profile to over 370,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and received widespread media support across the UK from the likes of Atwood, Clash, Scotland On Sunday, Spindle, Louder than War, Folk Radio UK and The Scottish Sun as well as Fearne Cotton, Radio 2 and amassed over 15 million streams online.
Tommy is regularly featured in Spotify editorial and enjoyed major global syncs on Love Island, Riviera, Greys Anatomy and Silent Witness.
Tommy has toured with the likes of Luke Sital-Singh, Jamie Lawson, Tom Speight and Nina Nesbitt and continues to keep fans entertained via live streaming performances. The artist played Live at Leeds festival in October, joined Turin Brakes on their November UK tour and is also joining BANNERS as main support on his February/March 2023 ‘Perfectly Broken’ UK tour!