Thursday 10 March 2016

Meet The Artist: Steven James Adams


Steven James Adams, the former songwriter/singer/guitarist from the critically acclaimed Broken Family Band plays Cardiff’s Moon Club on March 15.

Steven will be playing tracks from his second solo album, Old Magick. The album with minimal instrumentation is, in part, a reaction to his first solo outing House Music (2013), recorded in his living room and featuring an array of musical friends, including members of bands as disparate as pop-rockers The Vaccines and folk-idols Lau.  Andy Howells recently put questions to the singer/songwriter.


How did you become an artist?
I don't know how I became an artist. I was always a bit of a show-off when I was a kid and I got into writing songs when I was a messed-up teenager.

Where are you from?
My family moved around a lot but for most of my childhood we lived in South Wales, near Monmouth. When I was older we moved just over the border but I went to school in Monmouth. Normally when people ask where I'm from I say "I say I'm from Wales but I'm not".

How would you describe your music style?
Basic.

What's been your best live experience?
Impossible to say. Too many to mention! A lot of them have involved booze, which makes it hard to make a sound judgement.

You have a new album out  can you tell us more about that?
It's called Old Magick and it came out on March 4 on Fortuna Pop! It's a kind of stripped-back, folky, indie rock record, without too much rock. Or folk. I've made a lot of records with bands and as a solo artist and this is probably the best one.

What can people expect from your forthcoming Cardiff gig?
They should expect me to play some songs and talk a lot. I like to make each show feel like a one-off and work the room, like a bad DJ with no record decks. It's my birthday that night so I might forget the odd lyric.

Will you be returning to Wales sometime in the future?
As often as I can. The next time I'm playing in Wales is at Green Man Festival, which will be a blast.

Where can people hear your music?
All the usual places; record shops, iTunes, my website: stevenjamesadams.com 

  • A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells appears in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on March 11, 2016

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