Tommy Ashby – in session for Roddy Hart – The Quay Sessions – May 17, 2023 – BBC Scotland
Taking it down a few notches this Friday night with a set from Tommy Ashby, recorded for BBC Scotland.
With his father’s guitars strewn about the house, Tommy’s childhood was always going to be musical. Traveling the country playing guitar in his father’s traditional blues band and raised on the Scottish pub sing-around culture his initial musical experiences were immersive and natural. His teens were spent pouring over his parents record collections of American songwriters such as Neil Young, Simon and Garfunkel, Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings and Jeff Buckley. The eclectic mix of American roots, blues and country music combined with his Scottish folk roots and the agrestic simplicity of his hometown life all seeped into his music.
Tommy spent his early twenties in academia, studying and modeling the human perception of sound. The world of lab coats, vast loudspeaker-arrays, and pitch-black sensorially-deprived listening rooms is far removed from the raw and natural world he now inhabits with his music. His songs contrast introspective lyrics with expansive harmonic landscapes, creating an atmosphere that transports you straight to his small hometown nestled in the hills of the Scottish Borders. Upon finishing his PhD, Ashby went straight out on the road supporting Rhodes on his tour of the UK and Europe. Further tours supporting Nina Nesbitt and Tom Speight followed, along with a sold out first London show at The Islington. His debut EP, recorded with Mercury music nominated producer Chris Bond (Ben Howard), was released in late November 2016 and entered at No.5 in the iTunes singer-songwriter chart.
Tommy has also made a name for himself as a session guitarist for films and television featuring on soundtracks including Doctor Who, The Inbetweeners and Taboo. He is in demand for various touring artists and is a highly experiences performer on the European festival circuit.
Enjoy the set, recorded just a few days ago at BBC Scotland.
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