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PF: Well, that was more of a music project that I used to do. There was a venue out
at South by Southwest called the British Music Embassy, and I had gigged at Austin,
Texas, South by Southwest with Kava Kava, my band, because we did some dates. And
I was aware that a lot of the other regions of the UK were plugging into this British
Music Embassy venue and doing showcases. I kind of was determined to plug that gap
for Yorkshire, if you like because by this point, I was based in Yorkshire, and I was
frustrated that there was no presence for Yorkshire bands. So I ended up doing this
project which saw bands like The Wild Beasts and Pulled Apart by Horses, largely
guitar rocky kind of bands, and I did a Yorkshire showcase once a year for about four
years at the British Music Embassy. The reason why I got that, I got reviewed for a
Kava Kava gig, I think at a different venue. I think that was from a gig in a hotel, and
so that worked out quite nicely.
BiTS: Now tell me something about the new album. What provoked it? Did you feel
the need to get something out there, or what was it?
PF: Yeah. As I said, kind of around lockdown, just before lockdown, I'd got this band
together to do a benefit gig for a local food bank and then COVID kicked in and I was
left there thinking, oh God, this is a bit grim. I really want to do some blues music but
obviously I couldn’t particularly keep in touch with the band during that period.
Anyway, I kind of cobbled the band back together again. I've told you that I'd been
approached to play a benefit gig for a local food bank. That had gone well and then
COVID kicked in and again my blues thing was put on hold. Then after the lockdown
periods, I kind of got a band back together again because I'd got the bug, literally, and
I started playing gigs in bars and clubs around Yorkshire. Eventually we got offered a
slot at the Colne Blues Festival. Good response. Persuaded the Blues Alive Festival in
the Czech Republic to take me back with some British musicians. Again, that was a
really good response and eventually, settling on a really good lineup, and quite a young