Just to get some background where are you from?

I come from a little village called South Anston which is just outside of Sheffield in south Yorkshire. In South Anston there is a pub called Loyal Trooper, which is where my stage name is from. It’s a pretty token sleepy northern family village. I now live in north London which isn’t quite as dormant as my birthplace.

How does your songwriting process go?

It’s mainly from experiencing a place, a point in time or someone else’s company. However, songwriting at present is a much sort after pass time of mine as I’ve been working so hard on the EP for so many months now. I can’t write on public transport, that’s for certain. I always get that feeling on trains or coaches that whenever I get out a pen and paper there’s someone watching over my shoulder looking at what I’m doing. I have to be alone and have hours to work through ideas. I can’t just sit down and think “I’m gonna write a song now”, it takes me a long time to forget that there are emails I should send, people I should call, coffee I should make, new DVD’s I’d like to buy because my collection is basically Batman films, what I’m doing that night, that I should do more exercise etc. Once all that’s out of my head, then I can write. So expect the album sometime in 2020.

What are some of the musical influences on your music and you?

Musically the biggest influences have been bands like The Smiths, Smashing Pumpkins and Longpigs, all of whom I got into when I was younger. They’ve shaped me, for better or worse, the most I guess. As I get more experienced at what I do anyone who is creative, hardworking and determined will obtain respect from me. I think when you engross yourself in doing this for a living you know just how much effort and dedication it takes to get anywhere.

Your new EP has generated quite a good buzz so far. Have you payed much attention to all the press?

I’ve payed attention in the respect that I’ve read what every one’s said and, whether I’ve agreed or not, it’s been interesting to gather other peoples opinions. It’s all been really positive and being played by Steve Lamacq a few times was a very unexpected bonus as he’s someone I respect a great deal. Receiving press attention is excellent but it doesn’t make my record any better or any worse than it was before anyone else heard it. You can’t get a chip on your shoulder when someone writes resplendent statements about you and you can’t get down when people slate you. I like to think I’m a pretty grounded person and I believe that regardless kind or harsh words, you have to try to work harder and improve.

I have been to Nottingham a few times its not all that bad. Why wasn’t it built for you?

Ha, it’s not that bad, really. I lived in Nottingham for a year when my best friend and I were in a band together. However, after six months or so I realised I needed to revamp my life from top to bottom, which is when I made the decision to move down to London. I would say it wasn’t built for me in the respect that it wasn’t where I wanted to be or the lifestyle I ideally wanted to be living at the time. I guess it’s about apologizing for the fact I moved away and that if we want to hang out nowadays then it’s quite a lot of effort for both of us and it takes time, money and invariably we’re both very busy. Still, it’s not like I moved to Bahrain or something is it!?

I notice that you have no label support behind you how have you been handle getting the word out about your music?

Yeah, I don’t have a label, which in many ways is a blessing. I have complete control over everything I do, which is the most important thing. I’ve done well with the EP and feel I’ve proved I have little need for a label at this stage. In the future it may be more within my interests to sign with someone but it isn’t at present. I know too many people who have signed to labels (be them majors or independents) who find themselves bottom of the priority list. I’ve had bad experiences before and I felt it was definitely the right move for me to go in my own direction at this stage. When you’ve got the DIY ethos then you’re the top priority and you push for everything you can get. Also, it’s the punk ethic of not waiting for people to come to you: I’ve been able to create, record and manufacture my own record, get press and radio play for it and book two months worth of touring by myself with little to no help. I think it also says something about how much you care about your art and how much you believe in yourself. It’s hard work and it can be difficult to handle at times when you’re ignored by a radio station, magazine publication or website or even you find little support from people you’d regard as your friends but you have to get on with it. I’ve been realistic, had high aims but modest expectations and anything exceptionally positive that’s come out of the EP has been a bonus.

Do you find the social networking tools (myspace, facebook, last.fm etc) to be the most helpful?

Yeah, they’re all good in their own ways and I do have one of each. However, I like to think I don’t pester people and I wait for people to come to me. I feel having those promotional tools lets people discover me and then we can communicate with each other. I don’t like the idea of going cap-in-hand bothering 25,000 MySpace users asking them if they like my music. I have to do enough of that with promoters, websites and DJ’s! The people who do find me on those sorts of things though I really like getting emails or messages from. It’s a good way of getting myself out to people, especially when they’re in Japan or Australia or France. The radio DJ’s, websites and blogs who’ve supported me have been amazingly helpful in me reaching out to a wider audience. Obviously including your good selves, thank you!

What is 2009 looking like for you? Some touring? Another release?

I’m going to do a single in February/March, tour and write as much as I can around that time. I’m demoing my album so we’ll have to see how that progresses but the plan is to have it coming out in the summer with single and/or EP’s either side of it. I want to get on some festivals next year too, play as much as possible and improve as much as I can. Realistically, I need to get some help soon as the amount I want to play the logistics of booking two weeks worth of touring for twelve months of a year is A LOT of work. It’s also time I really need to be spending writing, recording and doing all my own promotion. I’m aiming to get a booking agent at some point but only someone who has my best interests at heart. I’ve worked too hard to let people into my little world who might break the spirit or momentum of what I’ve achieved thus far. Aside from that, I think it’s important for me to be enjoying the path I’ve chosen. For all it’s pitfalls, I love touring and it’s great to be traveling and meeting people and having a good time. If I can have an entire year like the last quarter of 2008 then I’ll be a satisfied man.

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