Having been recently signed to Sony’s Relentless Records, it is clear to see the talent and potential of Tom Walker. Touring with Coffee House Sessions, his gig in the Men’s Bar of Newcastle University’s Student Union was his 16th gig in 9 days, and yet there was no evidence of such in his performance. With his beautiful, melodic acoustic guitar and his soulful, slightly quirky voice, Tom definitely impressed with a solid performance. What I would describe as a perfect mix between Paulo Nutini and Natty, his soulful music has a slight hip-hop feel, making it exciting and beautiful to listen to. With an arsenal of instruments under his belt including the guitar, piano and drums, accompanied by the ability to write a stunning original song, he rivals the talent of artists such as Jack Garratt and Ed Sheeran. His original song ‘Play Dead’ which was released on the 20th September, shows the true potential, tone and strength of his voice and is the perfect introduction to an incredible artist.

I got to talk to Tom after his gig, and asked him a few questions.

What were your musical influences? 

So much music, my dad was big into music. I listened to a whole host of things, he had old Ray Charles records, The Police, and he likes Deadmau5 and Underworld. A bit of everything, I was really lucky that I had a mix of genres and wasn’t like ‘I’m only into rock music’. Though I did have a metal phase that lasted at least a year, but that faded out (he laughs).

Has your music changed or developed since you started gigging? 

I think it’s really good gigging, because you can test out songs. You can test out reactions and see what’s what. If I play a song and it doesn’t get a good reaction in more than 4 places, I know that this probably isn’t the right song to be playing. So in that respect, yeah.

"If I play a song and it doesn’t get a good reaction in more than 4 places, I know that this probably isn’t the right song to be playing."

Are there any artists in the charts at the minute that you feel reflects you as an artist? 

Erm, in the charts I’m not sure. Er I think Jack Garratt is really cool, because he got into the charts at one point. Bon Iver, his new album is unbelievable.

Having recently played Neighbourhood Festival in Manchester, the popularity for this rising star is ever increasing. If you want to check out his music, please visit @IamTomWalker on Facebook. Thank you to Tom for some beautiful music, and being so welcoming and friendly.