What percentage would correspond to traditional folk music?
“Well in England, when people talk about ‘traditional’ folk music, they usually mean very old, traditional songs reinterpreted by folk singers. We don’t really do that. However I do feel closer to people like Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, John Martyn – the Witchseason lot really. I’d say my songs draw on the same ‘pastoral’ roots. But I actually feel a lot closer to American folk, with it’s blues and jazz elements, and I really love the whole Greenwich scene. People like Tim Buckley, Joni Mitchell, Arlo Guthrie. It’s probably from having learnt guitar in the 70’s – that was the kind of style of music you learnt from. As for percent – say about 30%!” Do you think British pop is going through a good moment? And singer-songwriters? “Yes I do – I keep waiting for the bubble to burst, like it always does when popular culture gets hold of something and flogs it to death, but things are definitely getting better. There are still lots of ‘dance-troupe’ pop bands in Britain, but now there ar