He’s an unusual lad, is that Johnny Flynn. He’s young, wears lots of tartan shirts, cites W.B Yeates and Shakespeare as some of his influences, plays a resonator guitar, and has the voice of a forty year old. Which is epic. Flynn is an actor and a poet, as well as being a songwriter. He’s of the wordsmith school of songwriting, much like Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash. It’s all about the words and the folky guitar picking on a classic blues instrument.
I saw him perform twice at Latitude earlier this year; once with his band The Sussex Wit (which includes his sister Lillie) on a little stage out in the woods, and once in the music and film tent by himself. Out in the woods is the perfect setting for Johnny Flynn – there is a rawness to his music, with his simple but perfect arrangements, which allows you to just listen, enjoy and think a little. Brilliant for a little inward reflection. However, there is also the foot stamping aspect, with songs that you can’t help but get happy to. The second time I saw him, it was just him and his resonator, along with a bloke and a bass in the music and film tent. He played a fairly similar set, but read bits of a poem he had written in between. The boy has talent. It was funny and sweet without being awkward or melodramatic as you might expect. And there was a video played to ‘Tickle Me Pink’ in which we all got a close look into one of the toilets… Lovely. The third time I saw him was whilst I was eating a crepe, freezing my arse off, moaning to my boyfriend about the weather. He walked by me and it took all the strength I had not to run gibbering after him. Awkward star struck moment.
I first heard Johnny when I bought some music magazine that had a free CD of some Transgressive Records releases. It included a demo version of ‘Tickle Me Pink’ that I didn’t think much of at first, but it quickly began to haunt me. It was the song I’d go to when I didn’t know what to listen to, and it never failed to cheer me up. After seeing him at Latitude not long later, I just couldn’t get enough of him. I bought A Larum, and listened to it endlessly, soaking it all in. There’s a sort of Irish folk air to it, with lots of foot stamping rhythms, old beaten up sounding guitars, and lots of fiddle. Favourite listens are ‘The Box’, ‘Eyeless In Holloway’, and ‘Leftovers’. If you haven’t heard him, go check him out, him and his band are brilliant, effortlessly folky and the best thing you didn’t know you were missing. And he’s hot….
Filed under: Festivals, albums, music, new talent
Hundreds & Thousands Presents 