Eight questions with Dan Rawle

We caught up with Dan Rawle for an interview! We last caught Dan when he supported Jonny Payne and the Thunder at The Library in Oxford for us back in Feb 2016, and since then Dan has played his own headline show at the venue to celebrate the release of his debut EP! He's playing in Oxford this Friday at The Mad Hatter for the first of our 'Friday Night Live' shows at the venue, alongside Scott Gordon and Martha Bailey - grab your tickets here and get to know Dan through the interview!

1. First up, who is Dan Rawle?! How long have you been making music?

So, I grew up in Abingdon, south of Oxford and ever since I can remember there was my Mum's old classical guitar tucked away in a corner of the lounge behind the sofa. I used to hop it out and pluck an open string or two, put it back, and forget about it. That's really where it aaaaallll began, I was about 11 or 12 I reckon.

2. Tell us your biggest musical influences!

I went through the pop punk phase, Blink 182, Sum 41 etc, and sang in the most ridiculous fake American accent until Oasis changed all that. But it was really The Beatles that kicked things off I think. As they did for a lot of people. And more recently I stumbled upon Passenger, that had a massive impact. I love Mike's ability to write songs with such detail and imagery. They make sense, and are lyrically so bloody clever!

3. You recently released new EP ‘It’ll All Come One Day’ - anything you can tell us about the writing or recording process for the track? How has the response been? 

My debut EP, It'll All Come One Day, has been years in the making, songs like My Oh My and He's A Friend Of Mine had been written yonks ago. For me, writing songs is a funny business, but a damn rewarding one. I strive to create something that is concise, catchy as a bugger, and that people can relate to. And I feel so proud of this EP, and hope that I've achieved those things. The response has been amazing!! The launch gig at The Library was everything I hoped for and I'm so chuffed with how everyone has received it. It's simply a great feeling to have your very own creation bouncing around out there, for all to hear. And pretty cool to see the physical CDs in Oxford's very own Truck Store.

4. We’re excited to have you performing at our inaugural ‘Friday Night Live’ show at The Mad Hatter alongside Scott Gordon and Martha Bailey - have you caught either of them live before?

I have to admit to not seeing Scott Gordon or Martha Bailey play yet. But I've listened to them both, and really looking forward to sharing the stage with them at the show, it's gonna be a corker!

5. As an Oxford musician have you been to the venue before?! We love it’s quirky artwork… for a little bit of fun, what’s your favourite Alice in Wonderland character? We’re partial to the March Hare!

And the Mad Hatter is a perfect venue for such music. Quirky and intimate, I just hope I get the door riddle correct! Or I'll be singing in the street. As for Alice characters, I haven't seen the film or read the book for many, many years. I'll go for a rabbit, theres a rabbit in there right!?

6. Who is your audience and how do you connect with fans - all the usual social media?! Any crazy, fun, exciting stories about your fans are very welcome!

I love playing shows. There's nothing quite like standing in front of a load of people, telling them stories, and having them listen. Outside of the shows I try my best to keep up with the social media speeding train. These days the world has a 7 second glance, trying to be the focus is a tricky business. But, it's good fun! And never before can musicians connect so instantly with the audience.

7. Describe your dream gig to us! Any venues that you’re desperate to play in Oxford or further afield? Perhaps there’s a local artist you’d love to collaborate with?

Oxford is a crock pot (what is a crock pot by the way!?) of talent. And the venues have a lot to do with it. I guess it'd be cool to play the O2, and fill it out. But the smaller venues are fantastic. I've been briefly chatting to Harry from Waiting For Smith, we're hoping to sort a show out at some point. And have been dancing around the idea of playing with Barney of Duotone. That'd be a lot of fun.

8. As we closely approach the end of Summer (boo!), what does the rest of the year hold for you… is new music in the pipeline? We certainly hope so!

Which brings me to what's happening next! New music is most definitely on the agenda, I've previewed a couple of new songs recently and have a load of new ones up the sleeve. There are more shows for the rest of the year too, and it's really exciting to have two of my good pals, Pads and Sarah, behind me as a band to take things forward. Fun times are a foot! Thanks to promoters such as yourselves and many other local ones the music round here is tip top!