The Kev, thanks for being with us at Planet Singer! Your music is intriguing, fun yet extremely realistic. We are thrilled to know more about you and your artistic journey, so let’s start from the very beginning. When did you discover your passion for music?

I got my first guitar in 1997 when my hero was Noel Gallagher of Oasis. Some people think it’s a sign of societal decline that so many kids want to be famous, eg. be reality stars and Instagram influencers instead of teachers, bankers, and lawyers. But to me, it’s just a case of kids going where the respect is, and in some children’s lives, role models may be thin on the ground.

In subsequent years, I gradually lost interest in being famous and became obsessed with the craft of creative writing, and by the end of my twenties, songwriting was apparently my best means of communication. 

Your song, “Cheap Hotel,” is brilliant. Can you tell us the story behind this track?

Two of my favorite musical comedy acts had songs about extramarital affairs. These were ‘Let’s Go to a Hotel’ by Fascinating Aïda, and ‘Seedy Affair’ by KATG. The latter made a habit of pulling a woman out of the crowd to be serenaded during the song. 

Both of those songs were in minor keys to achieve a sordid atmosphere, and the first part of ‘Cheap Hotel’ I wrote was the part in B-minor which begins “It’s becoming quite clear that your marriage is far from healthy”, it was only after a couple of weeks that it crossed my mind to write the song in a major key and give it a singalong quality. 

I write songs about failed romances, or in this case, romances that were only imagined. As I explained to a live audience, I am basically Taylor Swift with dick jokes. 

Your live shows are very engaging, not only thanks to your music but also thanks to the way you manage the stage and the audience, making them feel part of the show. What is, for you, the best part of being on a stage?

I treat the audience the way that little boy treats the tiger in ‘Life of Pi’, as both a friend and a threat. Both the songs and the between-song chit-chat are things that I write, rewrite, and rehearse down to the last detail. 

Of course, there is always the unexpected. As Dwight Eisenhower said, “Plans are worthless, planning is everything.” Audiences will misbehave and do things the performer doesn’t want, but the better prepared the performer is, the more able they are to deal with challenges. 

Entertaining lyrics, but also a solid musical base. Can you reveal what your creative process is? How does your music come to life?

I started writing songs when I was fourteen, so some of the songs on my The Kev albums (the first of which I released when I was 36) are tunes that I wrote as a teenager. These include ‘Truth Be Told’, ‘The Great British Indie Song’, and ‘Sometimes’. 

But where I get inspiration varies a lot. I read a lot of comedy, The Onion, The Daily Mash, The Viz, and I find them to be indispensable when it comes to looking at modern phenomena with a twist.