Louis Dunford - The Popham EP (RCA) 
Release Date: Out Now
I genuinely get the impression that 2022 is going to be Louis Dunford's year but I also think he'd be happy to just keep playing gigs and putting out music without any sense of stardom or glamour. You see, Dunford is a down-to-earth, singer-songwriter from North London with an ear for a great song and a head full of words and you can't keep that kind of talent down. This latest collection opens with superb recent single 'My Generation' which still tugs at the heart strings with every listen and really ought to be the anthem for Jonathan Pie's next tour - imagine the pathos as he walks on stage to a song that holds up a mirror to society in three minutes.
On 'Boys Do Cry' deals with the relatable situation of a friend reaching out for help in the middle of the night as a simple piano melody and intimate vocal tells the story of a national mental health epidemic through the relationship between two friends. The tempo picks up on 'Summer in the Manor' telling stories of hot, sunny, endless days with a style that sits somewhere between Jamie T, Billy Bragg and Jake Bugg. The piano and vocal combo is back on 'Henry the Brave' as Dunford yet again pulls at the heart strings by telling the story of a young friend cut down in his prime and there isn't a dry eye or full glass left in the house.
"I'm in the toilets of a shit hole pub" sings Dunford on 'Bossman', painting pictures of minutae of nights out in London without any pulling punches or missing a string on his battered acoustic guitar. The EP finishes up on 'The Angel', a softer and more introspective song which acts as a walking tour of his beloved North London bringing that Bragg influence back as he describes his manor like a family member that he loves and hates in equal measure. Louis Dunford is that rare thing in young artist in that he is honest, raw and laid bare with lyrics from the heart, shaped by the community he's grown up in. Whether you like his music or not, this is exactly the kind of artist you should want to succeed because otherwise we're just left with Brit School graduates and the runners up from the X Factor.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/louisdunfordmusic
Live Dates:
*supporting Jake Bugg
1st April - o2 Academy, Bristol*
3rd April - o2 Academy, Oxford*
4th April - Guildhall, Southampton*
5th April - Hope & Ruin, Brighton (SOLD OUT)
7th April - Chameleon Arts Club, Nottingham (SOLD OUT)
9th April - Headrow House, Leeds (SOLD OUT)
11th April - Workman’s Cellar, Dublin (SOLD OUT)
12th April - YES Basement, Manchester (SOLD OUT)
20th April - Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham (SOLD OUT)
21st April - Union Chapel, London (SOLD OUT)