Many musicians have remained incredibly productive during such difficult times this last year. We caught up with Leeds based musician,Thomas John, to get an insight into how he's adapted his career within the current climate.
Hailing from Derry, Ireland, Thomas is a singer-songwriter who has used the situation he has been placed in to his advantage. Thomas told us a bit about his musical journey, stating that he has always loved music since a young age. His music career took off shortly after his debut EP, Easy Tiger was released in 2016 and from there he began his first Irish tour. Which included a performance at the famous Guildhall Square in Derry. After this he moved to England in 2017 where he released his first single Better Days, which you may have heard before due to its popularity on BBC radio - go take a listen if not, you won't be disappointed.
Thomas’ success didn’t stop there and he went on to perform at legendary venues such as The Dublin Castle in Camden, which stages have seen the likes of Blur and Amy Winehouse.
In recent times, what has changed for you as a performer?
“After a two-year break from gigging and recording, 2020 was supposed to be the year that I’d get back into playing live and releasing music. Like everyone else, my plans had to change. I had gigs booked in Ireland, London, Glasgow, Liverpool, and other parts of the UK that were all cancelled due to the pandemic".
Like many other musicians across the globe, Thomas had to adjust to life without performing to a face-to-face audience and instead found a virtual stage presence: “I didn’t embrace live streaming as an option until late 2020, mostly because I didn’t really have the space or the equipment. When I started to build up some of the necessary equipment, I needed I thought about ways that I could do the live streaming thing differently. I decided I would write a new song every week and go on Facebook every Thursday night to perform the new song alongside a normal set list".
The approach Thomas has taken on board to virtually perform to listeners each week is creative and engaging, his live performances 'Survival Kit Sessions' can be found here which feature acoustic melodies.
Those with a career in music have encountered significant challenges this past year, which have never before been faced. Many people within the industry have missed out on performances and opportunities that cannot be replaced. As well as facing what many label as a lack of support by the current government. It's no surprise the last year has severely impacted upon musician's mental health. In April, The Musicians Union discovered that 19% of their members were wanting to leave their career in music because of failing government support during the national lockdowns.
We asked Thomas about his experience and views on the topic, to which he told us: “I think the pandemic has allowed people to be more creative, but the lack of support shown to the arts as a whole by the government has been shocking".
Opening up about his mental-health, Thomas states,“I’m quite a positive person so I’ve been lucky enough not to have had any mental health issues as a result of the COVID-19 crisis in general. That being said, I’m aware of many that aren’t as lucky. I wrote a song recently called 'Out on the Water' that was inspired by a musician friend who has struggled a lot with anxiety due to the pandemic and not being able to play to people, something they’d been used to doing as a full-time career for 20 years or more. I count myself lucky and I’m very grateful that I’ve not had a bad experience with my mental health as a result of what’s happened”.
For musicians like Thomas the world is looking much more positive in recent months and hopefully it won't be long until they can take to the stage again. Sharing with us his outlook on the future as he prepares to release his debut album Thomas said: "Even though I’m enjoying the live streams and will continue to do them every Thursday for the rest of the year, I’m really looking forward to playing a gig to a real-life audience and actually going to a gig in person again. I really miss the atmosphere and I’m excited that it looks like there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel."
You can pre-order Thomas' debut full length album 'Survival Kit', here which is expected to release November, 26, 2021.
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