News: British Blues Award nominee TRISTAN MACKAY announces UK dates for June

May 13th, 2015 by jason

British Blues Award nominated songsmith is set to play six headline shows throughout June 2015.

The dates follow the released in April 2015 of Tristan’s highly acclaimed new album ‘Wire & Wood’, which hit #4 on the iTunes blues chart, coinciding with UK tour dates opening for Graham Parker.

‘Wire & Wood’ is the follow-up to Tristan’s 2012 debut album ‘Out Along The Wire’, which stayed at #1 on the iTunes blues chart in the UK and Australia for eight weeks, establishing Mackay as one of the UK music’s rising stars.

Tristan worked on both albums with Grammy award-winning producer Martin Levan, who gave the Devon-born star his big break when he invited Tristan to his studio to record some demos after hearing him busking.

However, despite Tristan subsequently receiving widespread national media attention, and his song ‘Wherever You Lay Your Head’ being nominated for ‘Best Blues Song’ of 2012, he admits there were times he doubted he’d ever release a second album, “Not long after the release of Out Along The Wire I was broke and had to go busking again. A few of the people I used to see regularly gave me that ‘sad face’ look, clearly thinking that my career was already over – and I was agreeing with them.”

However, the critical acclaim Tristan received for Out Along The Wire soon led to a flurry of offers for him to tour as both a headline artist and as support for artists such as Beth Hart, Rumer, The Proclaimers, Billy Bragg, Nerina Pallot, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson and Jo Shaw Taylor. Tristan said, “I’d gained new fans night after night on tour all over the country and I quickly sold over fifteen thousand albums!”

Such exposure enabled Tristan to launch a successful crowdfunding campaign for the recording of Wire & Wood, raising over £12,000 from his fans in just two weeks.

Tristan says of his new album, “Wire & Wood is pared right back to the roots of my music. I hoped to capture the atmosphere of the best gig I could perform, drawing on all the live experiences I have had over the last few years. I have learned so much about where my strengths lie from those shows, and this is an intimate, emotionally raw and honest portrayal of my songs.”

Born in Tiverton, Devon and educated in Wellington, Somerset, Tristan first picked up a guitar at the age of fourteen after hearing the Eric Clapton ‘Unplugged’ album. This started his lifelong love for blues guitar music and the storytelling songs of Dylan, Young and Springsteen.

In 2001 Tristan moved to Yorkshire to study at Leeds University. During his student days he would busk to pay the bills and it was to this pursuit he returned after leaving university in 2007 to promote his music. Mackay built-up a strong local following in Leeds, and the release of two self-produced E.P.s in 2008 – ‘Tales From A Bedroom Orchestra’ and ‘Live From The Lounge’ – led to regular appearances on local news programmes, press and radio, where he was hailed as ‘The Next Big Thing out of Yorkshire’.

Looking ahead to his tour, Tristan says, “Since my debut album, I have experienced the highs and lows of the music industry. I have toured and jammed with my heroes and played in venues I only ever dreamed of in the same week as busking the high street. Against all odds I got my music out there and I hope this album allows me to continue that journey.”

Tristan Mackay’s UK tour dates are as follows:

Wednesday, 3^rd June – Sheffield, Greystones

Thursday, 4^th June – Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall

Friday, 5^th June – Manchester, Deaf Institute

Saturday, 6^th June – Taunton, Brewhouse Theatre

Thursday, 25^th June – London St Pancras Church

Friday, 26^th June – London, St Pancras Church

For tickets go to: http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/Tristan-MacKay-tickets/artist/1711525

www.tristanmackay.com

www.facebook.com/tristanmackaymusic

@tristanmackay

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