INTERVIEW: Tom Anderson — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

Tom Anderson

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I have been conversing with…

a fantastic Liverpool-based artist whose music is turning heads right now! Tom Anderson talks about his new track, Safe & Sound, and what the story behind it is. I ask what the music scene is like in Liverpool; if there are any new artists he would recommend we check out – what comes next from the talented songwriter.

Anderson tells me about the intriguing Polyphonica project and how he is helping develop it; how he got his start in music; whether he gets any chance to kick back away from music; how he feels his material has developed in a short time – he ends the interview with a rather spiffing track!

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Hi, Tom. How are you? How has your week been?

Hi! Great, thanks. Been working with some really cool artists this week - SPINN, Josh Goddard; 2ME and Stephen Geisler – so, it's been a busy one. Going to see Jessie Ware in Manchester with my girlfriend tonight – so, it's about to get even better.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I'm Tom. I used to be in a band called Venus Demilo - and I now write and produce with other artists, as well as working on my own solo project.

Safe & Sound is your new single. Give us an insight into its story and creation.

The song was written a few months back before I went out to go and see my friends from back home. At the time, I was pretty stressed and the excitement of seeing those guys inspired the song. It's basically about how, no matter how hard things can get in our separate adult lives; when we come together once every few months to forget about all of that and act like we're fourteen again, it can be a very grounding moment.

How do you feel Safe & Sound develops from your debut single? Were you surprised by the widespread acclaim it received?

I think, in terms of the lyrics, the new song is a bit more reflective of what I'm really like. The reviews on the last single were incredibly kind and that gave me a huge boost to know that what I'm doing is the right thing.

What comes next in terms of material? Are there more ideas forming?

There are. I've just decided that I'm going to release as much music as the Internet can take over the next few months; so, I'm going to try and drop a new tune every two weeks until the summer.

Tell me about your musical beginnings and the artists you grew up around. When did music arrive in your life?

I've been writing songs for as long as I can remember, as my dad was always playing when I was growing up. It was a lot of Beatles, The Police and Queen in our household (and still is).

How important is Liverpool and its history to your musical ambition?

I came here for the first time when I was ten. We did the Magical Mystery Tour bus, the museum and everything else Beatles-related in Liverpool (which is quite a lot). Since then, I've been always been a massive fan. I grew up listening to The Coral; so it's cool working in the same place as them at Parr Street.

Now and then, if you look at what's going on with other artists like XamVolo, Jalen N'Gonda; Clean Cut Kid and Vryll Society (I'll stop the list there because I could go on for a while…), then it's a very exciting place to be.

What does Polyphonica involve? It sounds like an interesting platform...

Polyphonica is a music platform I've been working with closely which helps with artists on creating content (pretty much everything on my Instagram is thanks to them). They've worked with a few emerging artists around Liverpool now and I think, over the next twelve months, it could become the go-to place online to find out what's happening in Pop music, generally, around the North West.

Can we see you tour soon? What gigs do you have coming up?

I'm announcing tour dates for July early next month - currently planning on hitting up Liverpool, Manchester; Leeds, Birmingham and London.

What do you hope to achieve in 2018?

To get some people into my music!

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music – the one that sticks in the mind?

When we were doing Venus Demilo, we played a house party for some LIPA students at a famous student house in Liverpool called The Lodge. Everyone was going mad and the floor was literally bouncing. That was pretty cool.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

If there are more experienced people around you, listen to their advice - but you don't necessarily have to take it.