James Witham plays Cluny 2, Newcastle, on Wednesday 15 April, a date he and his lead guitarist Joe had talked about reaching long before it became real. Now that it is here, Witham says he and the band are “over the moon” to be playing the venue, which they once joked would mean they had made it. The Cluny listing has the show down for 7pm, with advance tickets at £10 plus fees. Tickets are here.
Still only 20, the Teesside artist is building something rooted in British indie rock, but with one eye on classic songwriting too. Asked how he sees his sound, Witham points to bands like The Smiths and The Cure, while also drawing from writers such as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. That comes through in the songs. There is the guitar-led indie side, but also something more reflective underneath it.
Looking back on his debut single, Witham says you can still hear him in it, but he also points out that he wrote it when he was 16. Since then, he feels both he and the band have grown, with the newer material becoming “more deliberate and real”. That is probably the clearest way of putting it. The newer songs sound like they come from a clearer place.
That is part of what makes this Cluny 2 date stand out. Witham says they did not think it would come round this soon, which only adds to the feeling around it. In his own words, it is their biggest show yet, and they are going into it ready to “blow the roof off”.
Live shows already feel central to how the songs connect. The track he picks out most is Weatherman, which closes the set and has become the point where people sing back the loudest. For Witham, that is the part that means the most. He says it is also the easiest song for him to sing and play, which brings a bit of relief by the end of the night, but more than anything it is hearing his words come back from the room that stays with him.
He is just as positive about the rest of the bill. Witham says he and the band “can’t wait” to have the support acts on, calling them all extremely talented in their own style. It gives the night the feel of a line-up he is genuinely excited about, not just a headline slot on its own.
There is more coming straight after this too. Witham says new material is on the way, with some of it due to be played at Cluny 2, and he sounds confident about what those songs represent. He sees them as pushing further into what he and the band want to do, while giving a more accurate picture of what he is trying to express. After this date, the focus shifts quickly onto more gigs, promoting the next single and getting back into the studio to lay down more tracks over the coming months.
Those dates are already lining up. After Cluny 2, Newcastle on Wednesday 15 April, Witham is set to play Ku Bar, Stockton on Friday 17 April in support of Rolla on their UK tour, followed by Think Tank, Newcastle on Saturday 23 May as part of Under The Radar – An Indie Showcase Event alongside Dictator, Wool and Alf Hill.
For now though, the attention stays on Cluny 2. It is a venue that has meant something to him and the band for a long time, and now that the date is here, it feels like one of those nights that matters.
Written by Aaron Whittington, Editor, SoundBite North East, with a focus on championing local North East talent.
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