Nick Aslam

How did music start for you?
When I wasn't going to be a footballer. I had moved to King's Lynn and rented a room to start afresh. In the corner of the room there was an old guitar that I managed to tune up... badly. I just sat and played until a nicer sound came out. My first songs were very much landlady and rent-based, lyrically.
Describe your sound
It's English country music built on the foundations of indie.

Who are your biggest music influences?
I have a range of influence, from Kiss, David Bowie and T-Rex, to Neil Diamond, Burt Bacharach, Johnny Cash, Richard Hawley, Paul Simon, Noel Gallagher, Oasis, The Stone Roses...

Any claims to fame as a musician or otherwise?
I've been on the Paul O'Grady Show a couple of times, doing reports from random places. I passed Jarvis Cocker his walking stick (that I think was for show) at the NME Awards backstage and recently via Twitter, one of my heroes, Paul Stanley from Kiss, sent me a message back after I bombarded him with tweets to listen to my EP.

Where is your favourite venue to play in Notts?
The Maze, purely because of the magic that place has... and I'm not just talking about the likes of Jake Bugg playing there. The place just has a proper vibe which a lot of venues I play across the UK don't.

What should we expect at one of your gigs?
Great catchy songs with lyrics that don't just tell a story, they make your remember the things you thought you had forgotten. If you can't relate to them, you will want to.

Music for sale?
FingerPrints EP is available through all online retailers, including iTunes, Amazon, etc.

Other Notts musicians you rate?
My mates in The Swiines; great work ethic, hard working and still pulling great songs out of the bag.

Next gigs?
Next month I'll be doing a few shows with Paddy Considine's band Riding the Low.

Websites?
facebook.com/NickAslam
twitter.com/NikAslam

Anything else?
Remember the ! in N!ck when looking for my music - Nottingham Post

Ten years ago Nick Aslam was finishing Holbeach George Farmer School and playing local football.


Now he’s an established musician hoping to win over an international audience.

The acoustic singer-songwriter has been said to have the romance of Richard Hawley, the charisma of Neil Diamond and the whit of Alex Turner.

This week the lead track, ‘Nicky Boy’, from his EP hit the airwaves of Country Music Radio in Nashville.

“It’s just massive for me,” said Nick (27): “My biggest achievement so far.”

Eight years ago Nick left the county and headed to Derby.

The industry was expensive and it’s only in the last year that he’s found reward for his passion and hard work.

The luck changed when a friend of a friend played his EP to well-known actor and musician Paddy Considine, who invited him to support his 02 Academy gigs.

Since then Nick’s work has been played on BBC radio stations and he’s performed to an 8,000- strong crowd at the Rock and Blues Festival.

Nick said: “That one I was nervous about. It’s the biggest gig I’ve done.”

Nick said country music is quite different in America but the success of fellow musician and friend Jake Bugg is giving him confidence ahead of the debut on County Music Radio.

“I’m really nervous as to how it will be received,” he said: “But Jake’s been successful there so fingers crossed that it goes down well.”

Nick is moving back to the area in April and plans to celebrate with a ‘returning home gig’ in Spalding.

‘FingerPrints’ is available on ITunes and Amazon now. - The Spalding Guardian

A FORMER youth footballer from Oakwood has launched a singing career by bringing out an album.

Nick Aslam has released the album FingerPrints and is gearing up for a performance with star Paddy Considine in April.

Nick, 27, of Chapter Close, is hoping the album can propel him to the same stardom as his hero Noel Gallagher.

He said he has now turned his back on football and wants to focus on his music.




Nick played 72 times for the youth team at Norwich City, who are nicknamed the Canaries. He said: "I really want to be a big name but the music industry has changed a lot recently.

"It's a lot of hard work trying to get the recognition and to get into it from where I am starting. The money, fame and girls can all come later.

"My football meant I was a late starter to music but because I'm 27, I have the personal experiences and can draw on them and relate it to my music."

Nick has the gig with Paddy Considine lined up at the O2 Academy in Sheffield on April 4. He will also be appearing at festivals including the creative arts event Bearded Theory and Rock and Blues weekend.

He said: "I'm really looking forward to supporting Paddy because he's a nice guy and it's great exposure for me.

"I've improved year on year and I put everything into my music.

"With playing with Paddy it means I can get my name noticed and it brings me good connections.

"It's going to be a great experience, especially playing in front of such a big crowd and his fans.

"I'm not bothered about football anymore and when it comes on the television I turn it off.

"When I was growing up, like most kids I wanted to play but I could not get that far, so wanted to try something else.

"Instead I really want to work hard with my music now. I've really loved music for years and if I could make it then it would be fantastic."

Nick said the album has been inspired by Oasis star Noel and also Neil Diamond.

It is now available to purchase on iTunes and at HMV stores in London.

The album has five songs, all priced at 79p on iTunes.

Nick said his experience of leaving football has played a part in the writing process.

He said: "I've used part of the football situation but also past relationships.

"I've drawn on parties I've been to and small elements of my personal life."

Nick's career has been attracting a lot of positive reviews.

A review on website Music Magazine said: "Nick Aslam goes down as one of Derby's most accomplished singer-songwriters.

"Nick's influences are obviously driven by the sounds of Oasis, Stone Roses and other bands from the Indie scene.

"His delivery is highly polished and has a range of songs which can sound haunting and melodic, yet still mainstream.

"Another one who will be recording – one to keep an eye on!" - Derby Evening Telegraph

Date: August 24, 2015
Venue: Rough Trade, Nottingham

With an awkward gait, a resemblance to Graham Coxon but without any of the political rhetoric or self-righteousness, Nik Aslam takes to the Rough Trade stage bespectacled and donning an attire which screams can’t be arsed (think Jake Bugg, holler Alex Turner). But it’s not a criticism. His non-plussed geek chic is part of his charm.

“I’m not a country singer; Nottingham already has one” he resolutely declares, in reference to the city’s country wunderkind Jake Bugg. But despite his denial, you can’t help but compare his black-clad acoustic oeuvre with that of Nottingham’s finest musical export.

Although with that said, he lets more of his own personality into his songs, something Bugg shys away from, preferring instead to mask his Clifton roots with a Nashville twang.

Even with an ode to 1960s American pop nugget Bobby Vee, Nik isn’t fooling anyone. His Midlands accent (Burton upon Trent to be precise) is far too strong, which is where the similarities with Alex Turner come to the fore.

“I’ve got a new EP out which is available downstairs”, he says hopeful of a few sales of his four-track EP, Scraping for Change. A benefit of playing in an actual record shop

But with a low attendance, and this being a free gig, Nik can forget about giving up the day job just yet. But if he carries on writing deliciously lifting country-indie songs like Welcome, he may earn himself a few bob yet. That song is one of a few that displays his amazing dexterity and skill with his acoustic guitar, fingering his fretboard with breakneck speed

“This is a new one so only I know it”, he announces before Derailed, a song that somehow sounds like Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain with Banarama’s She’s Got It at its base. Confused? Well don’t worry, it worked. Somehow

Waiting in the Kitchen drills home those Jake Bugg comparisons with more power. It’s a rollicking blues-folk song with modern values and a whistled chorus

Occasionally he’ll peek and troth between high and low notes; a nadir that has him rolling words off his tongue and a maxim that squeaks out a falsetto unexpectedly.

He finishes with This City is Ours, again mesmerising his small yet captive audience with his trembling fingers swiftly fondling his strings to deliver his most indiest of songs. It’s like The Manics jamming with Future Islands and it’s excellent

He may still be a newbie on the music scene, but there’s an appetite for this kind of artist, and with a bit of luck he’ll make the break. - Phil Viles

AN acoustic singer and songwriter from Burton has been very busy making himself heard across the country.

Nick Aslam's second EP 'Scraping for Change' saw its digital release this May, after his first offering, 'Fingerprints', came out in 2014.

He has been working with Martin Glover, who has successfully combined strengths with acts like The Verve and Paul McCartney, and this experience has been a great start to a journey of continual progress.

The working relationship between Nick and UK producer Martin has been a very successful union.





Nick said: "Me and Martin have sat down, recorded a few tunes and are constantly working on re-inventing my sound. He's a great person to work with. This opportunity is an amazing experience."

"I'm working hard and delving into things I've never done before, like reading, so obviously I should have paid attention in school.

"I'm reading a lot of poetry, books, and different authors, such as Ernest Hemingway. I am constantly urged by Martin to dig deep and that's what I'm doing."

As an artist with two EP release notches under his belt, the 28-year-old has his sights set on producing a full-length album sometime in the nearest future.

He said: "It's definitely something for next year, and I have 14 songs to record later this year.

"My musical sound is still the same, but working with Martin has made it more traditional. It's still indie, but has more weight and depth to it."

Nick's sound is driven by multiple bands and acts that serve him as an inspiration, such as Oasis, Stone Roses, and Johnny Cash, but in the past year new influences have come along.

He said: "In the past year a really big influence has been Neil Diamond. The Kinks, The Shins and Richard Hawley have been artists I've been into a lot.

"Father John Misty, an American artist, has music that I instantly liked, but I don't think a lot of people have heard of him."

The EP 'Scraping for Change', according to the artist himself, was only ever intended as a digital release, but that is about to change.

He said: "Rough Trade Records have clocked on to it, and I'm now proud to say it will be physically going on sale on Friday, August 14.

"Then Scott Bugg (The Swiines) and I will be playing a show at Rough Trade Records in Nottingham on August 24 to mark another great milestone for me."

Outside the studio and through close work with Martin, Nick is constantly performing in front of audiences.

Nick said: "I'm still gigging, so there's no rest for the wicked." - Burton Mail