Douglas Kay
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom | Established. Jan 01, 2003 | SELF
Music
Press
There’s always one poor soul who catches the technical hitches bug, and sadly tonight it falls to the delightful Douglas Kay. Pushing through he sweet-talks the crowd and plays beautiful acoustic melodies ably supported by his new full band. By third song “Straight” from his album “Of All The Towns To Sleep In” the mellow side of Kay is creeping out and lovely it is too, more of this would lead him dangerously close to David Gray sized classics.
WORDS: Karen Dorrat
- www.tbreak.com
There’s always one poor soul who catches the technical hitches bug, and sadly tonight it falls to the delightful Douglas Kay. Pushing through he sweet-talks the crowd and plays beautiful acoustic melodies ably supported by his new full band. By third song “Straight” from his album “Of All The Towns To Sleep In” the mellow side of Kay is creeping out and lovely it is too, more of this would lead him dangerously close to David Gray sized classics.
WORDS: Karen Dorrat
- www.tbreak.com
This is Douglas Kay’s debut album, the product of five months work in Edinburgh’s More Human recording studio. He’s been playing solo acoustic gigs in Edinburgh since 1996 and has played his way around Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Europe, all the time gathering confidence and material for songwriting.
Of All The Towns To Sleep In sees Kay using the studio to colour in the outlines of his careful song sketches – he plays pretty much all the instruments on the album and avails himself of modern digital techniques to manipulate them. The ploy usually works really well, like on the loop-driven opening track Moving Target, the dual lead vocal on How Can I Be Sure and the treated spoken section of Facing Up, although sometimes there’s the feeling that we’re being presented with a full sound stage simply because it was possible.
The songs, happily, are the record’s strong suit. Consistently thoughtful and passionate, the constant theme is passage; passage of time and distance, passage of people and the passage involved in living itself. Given the similarity of tone and pace throughout the album, you have to listen a few times to really appreciate the songs, but it’s worth it. Kay has a honeyed, warm voice reminiscent of Steve Forbert, best presented on the lovely, resigned When You’ve Gone and the almost unplugged closing track Year.
Of All The Towns To Sleep In is available from www.douglaskay.com
STUART FERGUSON - Stuart Ferguson
This is Douglas Kay’s debut album, the product of five months work in Edinburgh’s More Human recording studio. He’s been playing solo acoustic gigs in Edinburgh since 1996 and has played his way around Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Europe, all the time gathering confidence and material for songwriting.
Of All The Towns To Sleep In sees Kay using the studio to colour in the outlines of his careful song sketches – he plays pretty much all the instruments on the album and avails himself of modern digital techniques to manipulate them. The ploy usually works really well, like on the loop-driven opening track Moving Target, the dual lead vocal on How Can I Be Sure and the treated spoken section of Facing Up, although sometimes there’s the feeling that we’re being presented with a full sound stage simply because it was possible.
The songs, happily, are the record’s strong suit. Consistently thoughtful and passionate, the constant theme is passage; passage of time and distance, passage of people and the passage involved in living itself. Given the similarity of tone and pace throughout the album, you have to listen a few times to really appreciate the songs, but it’s worth it. Kay has a honeyed, warm voice reminiscent of Steve Forbert, best presented on the lovely, resigned When You’ve Gone and the almost unplugged closing track Year.
Of All The Towns To Sleep In is available from www.douglaskay.com
STUART FERGUSON - Stuart Ferguson
Finishing up the evening was the headline act, Douglas Kay Band. Fronted by vocalist and songwriter Douglas Kay,
the Edinburgh 3 piece impressed with high quality acoustic rock music. Playing effortlessly through an extended set it
was easy to see why the band has had such success so far. Distinctive vocals and great songs were backed up by
intricate bass lines and solid drum beats making the Douglas Kay band a real pleasure to listen to. Watch this space for their eagerly anticipated new album. - Fondoo.eu
Finishing up the evening was the headline act, Douglas Kay Band. Fronted by vocalist and songwriter Douglas Kay,
the Edinburgh 3 piece impressed with high quality acoustic rock music. Playing effortlessly through an extended set it
was easy to see why the band has had such success so far. Distinctive vocals and great songs were backed up by
intricate bass lines and solid drum beats making the Douglas Kay band a real pleasure to listen to. Watch this space for their eagerly anticipated new album. - Fondoo.eu
Discography
Heist On A Bike (2021) - 12 track album
Volcanoes (2018) - 11 track album
Winterland (2017) - 4 track EP
Lift (2014) - 14 track album
Last Touch (2012) - 12 track album
On Christmas Day (2011) - 3 track EP
Into Your Head (2009)- 10 track album
Late (2006) - 5 track solo acoustic mini-LP
Of All The Towns To Sleep In (2003) - 11 track album
How Can I Be Sure (2003) - 4 track EP
Photos
Bio
Singer-songwriter Douglas Kay (“Thoughtful & passionate songwriting” Scotland On Sunday) has spent the past two decades recording, touring the globe and playing on bills alongside the likes of Billy Bragg, KT Tunstall, Colin Hay and Amy MacDonald.
The wealth of experience gained on stage has seen Kay develop into a hugely engaging live performer and formidable songwriter whose captivating, folk-tinged songs have gained critical acclaim and airplay worldwide.
HEIST ON A BIKE
November 2021 saw the
release of Kay's 6th album, Heist On A Bike. The 12 tracks
contained therein showcase a songwriter/performer who is as much at ease in the
studio as he is in the live arena, as he weaves together an absorbing work
which demonstrates his assuredness across a variety of genres.
With live music halted during the 2020 lockdown, Douglas Kay joined with a group of fellow songwriters - affectionately referred to as the Mutual Slating Society - to engage in weekly Zoom sessions during which each writer would perform a brand new composition for the others to critique. From these sessions emerged a clutch of songs which would form the basis of this new album.
Recorded at his base in the Scottish Highlands during the spring & summer of 2021, it was very much a solo project with Kay writing, playing and producing. There is, however, a stunning vocal contribution from Douglas’ sometime live collaborator Carol Laula on the wistful track At My Best - a song based around a simple acoustic guitar hook which sees the elderly narrator ruing how the achievements of life are overlooked by others in old age. The other outside contribution comes with an appearance by South London saxophonist Chris Smallwood on the album closer, Stay With Me, a piano ballad written in tribute to Douglas’ father.
Elsewhere on the album Kay flexes his electric guitar-playing muscles in a way not seen since 2009’s Into Your Head, with the pumping, riff-driven Kick Out The Fire, the melodic rocker Break Us Apart and the raw, bluesy When The Devils Come. He also develops his use of vocal harmonies with multi-layered, Queen-inspired voices on Magnificent and on Nearer To Home, while the counterpoint vocal melodies on Run Aground and the mandolin-driven, country romp Strike Me Down hint at the influence of Crowded House and Simon & Garfunkel. Throughout, it’s Kay’s distinctive voice, memorable melodies and captivating lyrics which combine to deliver such a rewarding listening experience.
RECORDINGS 2003-18
The 2003 release of his debut album Of
All The Towns To Sleep In generated airplay on radio and TV stations
worldwide, including BBC Radio One, Australia's GWN & Xfm London. Its
follow up, Douglas Kay Band's 2009 album Into
Your Head, is a varied collection with moments of delicate beauty contrasted by the swelling crescendo of
tracks such as Haunted.
An acoustic album, Last Touch, was released in late 2012. This stripped-back collection features 12 tracks which showcase Kay’s vocals, guitar & piano, and hint at some of his traditional folk influences. Lead track, All That We've Lost - a duet with Joanna McQuillan – received considerable airplay and critical acclaim. The tour Douglas played in support of that album included a guest slot for Grammy Award winner and former Men At Work frontman, Colin Hay.
Douglas returned to the studio in 2014 to work on Lift. Perhaps his most eclectic work to that point, the upbeat, rootsy stomp of opening track Casablanca Face introduced a collection which veers from contemporary folk ballads to slide blues, from piano ballads to melodic guitar rock. The album's release was followed by a UK tour during the middle part of 2015.
2017 saw a flurry of studio activity, the fruits of which arrived in December with the release of the Winterland EP (and accompanying video) and then in February 2018 with Kay's 5th album, Volcanoes. This album showed him exploring different sounds in the studio, and revelling in the ability to deliver his songs with the additional harmonic textures which can’t be easily replicated during solo live shows.
“He's very good” Eartha Kitt
“great voice...loving that...” Shaun Keaveny, BBC Radio 6
“insightful lyrics” Michael Potvin, Indie In-Tune Mgazine
“beautiful acoustic melodies” Karen Dorrat, T-Break Reviews
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