Neil McSweeney (born 9 June 1976 in Irvine, Scotland) [1] is a British songwriter and musician based in Sheffield, England. [2] His acoustic guitar playing style combines folk, blues and country influences but it is his voice, likened by The Guardian to a male Tracy Chapman, [3] and his direct and personal lyrics, [4] for which he is most recognised.
McSweeney’s debut album, Remember To Smile was released in 2006 by Sheffield independent label, LM Music. Tracks from the album attracted national radio play from BBC Radio 2 and the digital station BBC Radio 6 Music. This led to "Postcards" being released as a single by Kids Records, the singles arm of Warner Music UK subsidiary 14th Floor Records. Further national radio exposure followed [5] including the track being playlisted by XFM. Around this time McSweeney also accompanied his friend Stoney on record, on tour and in session for BBC Radio 2’s Dermot O'Leary at Maida Vale Studios. [6]
Extensive touring in the UK followed before the second album, Shoreline emerged in 2009. This was self-released and attracted positive reviews in the national press, [4] as well as the attention of fellow Sheffield musician, Richard Hawley. [7] Following support sets at The Crucible in Sheffield and the Royal Festival Hall, McSweeney accompanied Hawley as main support on the European leg of his Truelove’s Gutter tour. [8] [9]
During a hiatus from touring in 2011 and 2012, reportedly to spend more time with his young family, McSweeney developed friendships with musicians from the English folk and roots scene. This developed into collaborations which formed the basis for an EP (The Seventeen EP) and a third full-length album (Cargo) both released in 2013. The album features contributions from Lucy Farrell, Sam Sweeney, Brooks Williams, Matt Boulter, Vera Van Heeringen, Jock Tyldesley, Andy Seward and others. [10]
In late 2013, McSweeney supported English folk group Bellowhead on their UK tour. He was accompanied by Vera van Heeringen and Sweeney. Van Heeringen and McSweeney subsequently collaborated on an EP (released in October 2015).
Other projects include GluePot (with Farrell and Boulter), who released an EP (Lulu the Bear and other Stories) in 2015, and Holler, with Fay Hield and Jon Boden.
In 2016, McSweeney co-founded Hudson Records with his friend, record producer Andy Bell. In September that year, he also joined the University of Sheffield's Department of Music, where he teaches Music Management, Popular Music Studies, and songwriting. [11]
Hudson Records released McSweeney's fourth album, A Coat Worth Wearing, in March 2017.
The Supernaturals are a five piece guitar-based indie rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. Fronted by singer-songwriter James McColl, they signed to Parlophone in 1996, and had a string of singles which were taken from their three albums and four EPs. Other members included Mark Guthrie, Derek McManus, Gavin Crawford and Ken McAlpine. The band's best known songs were featured prominently in a series of television advertisements. In total they scored five Top 40 entries in the UK Singles Chart.
Travis are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1990, and composed of Fran Healy, Dougie Payne, Andy Dunlop, and Neil Primrose. The band's name comes from the character Travis Henderson from the film Paris, Texas (1984). The band released their debut album, Good Feeling (1997), to moderate success where it debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart and was later awarded a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in January 2000.
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Vice Squad are an English punk rock band formed in 1979 in Bristol. The band was formed from two other local punk bands, The Contingent and TV Brakes. The songwriter and vocalist Beki Bondage was a founding member of the band. Although there was a period of time when the band had a different vocalist she reformed the band in 1997. Since 2008, the band have been releasing records on their own label Last Rockers.
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Sarabeth Tucek is an American singer and songwriter. Her self-titled first album was released in 2007, with a second album Get Well Soon in 2011.
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While She Sleeps are a British metalcore band from Sheffield. Formed in 2006, the group consists of vocalist Lawrence Taylor, guitarists Sean Long and Mat Welsh, bassist Aaran McKenzie and drummer Adam Savage. They are currently signed to their own label Sleeps Brothers in the UK and in collaboration with Spinefarm Records in the US and UNFD in Australia. They have released three EPs, And This Is Just the Start, Split and The North Stands for Nothing, and six studio albums, This Is the Six, Brainwashed, You Are We, So What?, Sleeps Society and Self Hell. They received the Best British Newcomer award at the Kerrang! Awards 2012. The group has maintained the same line-up since its formation, with vocalist Taylor being the only bandmate who is not an original member. Despite this, he has still appeared on every release apart from the group's first two EPs.
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Naomi Rhianna Higginson, formerly known as Caleidra, is an English singer-songwriter born and raised in Manchester, England. She first came to prominence after a song she wrote at school in her music class, led to her being signed to a record label and the release of her first single 'With You' on 24 August 2012. This received national media coverage and Naomi appeared on television programmes such as ITV Daybreak, ITV Granada Reports, radio including BBC Radio Manchester, Blast 1386 and Salford City Radio, in the national press, The Times, The Independent and The Guardian, teen magazines Mizz and Shout. Her second single was produced by John McLaughlin who previously worked with Busted, 911 and Westlife and led to further appearances in the media, including ITV Granada Reports, further live performances on BBC Radio Manchester, BBC Radio Sheffield, Salford City Radio and during the Manchester International Festival and received impressive media reviews including Music Week.
Sam Carter is a British guitarist, singer and songwriter, originally from the English Midlands but more recently based in Sheffield. He has released four albums of mainly original material which fall loosely into the folk/roots category. Carter is the winner of the "Horizon" award for best newcomer at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2010. Highly regarded as an instrumentalist, contemporary Jon Boden of Bellowhead described him as 'the finest English-style finger-picking guitarist of his generation, and former BBC Radio Two folk show presenter Mike Harding wrote that Carter was "one of the most gifted acoustic guitarists of his generation.". As a songwriter, Carter marries a traditionally English narrative style with elements of American gospel, shapenote, R&B and folk-rock has been described as an "impressively original" performer. Some commentators consider that Carter's guitar and vocal style is similar to that of noted British iconoclasts John Martyn and Roy Harper, whilst his lyrical perspective has further invited comparison with the work of Richard Thompson.
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Performed at the wedding of Steffanie and Daniel Cardona, 14 May 2016.