Eddy Johns

My name is Eddy Johns and I am a 25-year-old folk/acoustic singer-songwriter based around London and the South East. Over the 2009 summer, I completed a 13-date UK festival tour, including headlining the acoustic stage at Greenbelt Festival, topping the bill ahead of names such as Peggy Sue and Edwina Hayes. Lately, I have also supported both Dave Swarbrick (Fairport Convention) and Stornoway on their recent UK tours.

Since immerising myself in the London folk scene in early 2008, I have been playing shows regularly across London and the South East, with 171 gigs in the past 12 months. My London ventures have taken me through the city’s top acoustic venues, regularly performing at venues such as Dingwalls, The Troubadour, The Bedford, and The Hard Rock Café. Over the past few months, invitations to play at numerous venues and folk clubs outside of London have sent me touring across the country, and through the exposure gained from all of this, I have been building up a healthy fanbase from the thriving acoustic scene we are all currently enjoying.

My debut EP, released at the start of 2009, has attracted an encouraging display of positive reviews, and lately has been receiving nationwide airplay on Absolute Radio. This spring I am entering the studios to record my debut album, which will be released in the early summer of 2010 through an independent label.

As a songwriter, I am greatly influenced by sounds from the 60s folk revival, with Simon & Garfunkel, Nick Drake and Bob Dylan particular heroes of mine. It was after outgrowing years of fronting a punk rock band that I discovered acoustic-driven roots music, massaging contemporary folk with darker drifts from the progressive sounds of Radiohead, David Bowie and Pink Floyd, to illuminate my own musical style. I am also particularly passionate about poetic vision and imagery, relaying tales of fantasy and surreal, dreamy adventures, but always drawing from real-life experiences and impressions of my own.

As a guitarist, I have been playing acoustic and classical guitar for 16 years, and I have developed a characteristic, textured fingerstyle flow, which helps to define my style. This adds a unique, melodic drift to complement the story in the vocals, and helps to absorb the listener into the depths of the story. I also perform live with a violinist and a cellist, which altogether creates a powerful and epic atmosphere at live shows. Diverging away from a drums and bass approach to developing the sound, I now instead have a great interest in exploring more classical and traditional instrumentation.

Please find below a selection of press clippings:

“Gently meandering melodies with a hefty dash of heart-break, Eddy Johns specialises in acoustic folk in the style of Leonard Cohen and Simon and Garfunkel, relaying beautifully poetic imagery with Drake-like sensibility.”
eARmusic Promotions, March 2009

“Eddy Johns is a fantastic singer/songwriter who writes folk songs which are warm and full of integrity. Greatly influenced by the Folk Revival of the sixties, his songs and melodies reflect this but with a huge breath of fresh air.”
The Pump House Folk Club, October 2009

“A real talent emerging.”
Musicport Festival, October 2009

“The final act tonight is Eddy Johns, who with his finger-picking guitar style and poetic lyrics, very much in the storytelling folk tradition, looks and sounds like a young Bob Dylan. Having built up a fairly healthy following on the acoustic/folk circuit in the south, Eddy's melancholic, moody songs were the perfect way to end the first night at Greenbelt. His smooth, textured finger-style guitar playing beautifully underpinned his expressive voice, while his melodies were wistfully memorable with imagery occasionally akin to some early Bob Dylan, and frequently seemed to strike a chord with the engrossed audience. A delightfully chilled-out way to end the day from a top rate crafter of songs.”
Greenbelt Festival, September 2009

Thanks for reading!