FEATURE: Spotlight: Willie J Healey

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Willie J Healey

___________

EVEN though I think this year has been defined…

by women and the music that they are making, there are some great male artists who are producing astonishing work. The track, Songs for Joanna, is one of the year’s best and I am reminded of Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler when I hear him sing. He might not have had Knopfler in mind, yet it is hard to ignore a similar tone on Songs for Joanna. It is a breath of fresh air in modern music and I think it adds something brilliant to his instantly memorable music. Healey’s new E.P., Hello Good Morning, is out now and I will come to that very soon. When Healey released People and Their Dogs in 2017, there was a lot of curiosity and interest around this new artist. You can read interviews he gave at the time and, when you listen to that album, you notice the differences between his 2017 output and what he is releasing now. There is a lot of chat around Willie J Healey because of his new music and the fact he is contributing something rich and original to the scene. Rough Trade sum up Healey pretty neatly:

“Willie J Healey operates within his own lane. This is a musician who can write about any topic that grabs his attention: from wry observations and the innocence of young love, through to gothic visitations from the devil and alien abductions. He’s unconstrained by genre, moving at will between scrappy garage-rock, evocative Americana and sumptuous psychedelia. And it's all his own work, the product of obsessively writing song after song in his studio/garage/bedroom.

PHOTO CREDIT: Leonn Ward

As an unconventional musician, it’s little surprise that he’s an unorthodox character too. On social media, he comes across as easy-going and carefree. In person, he’s unguarded, considered and immediately friendly. It’s unfathomable to imagine him being angry, but he’s adamant that he’ll do anything to protect his creative integrity, much like his hero Neil Young. He’s a curious mix between a young man with the world at his feet and an old soul.

As such, it makes perfect sense that he puts a contemporary filter on timeless ‘70s-flavoured sounds. It’s all there in his forthcoming EP ‘Hello Good Morning’ and his new album that will follow next year. It continues his relationship with new music champions YALA! Records, who released his previous EP ‘666 Kill’ in 2018.

Lead track ‘Songs For Johanna’ takes Willie’s pop nous to new heights, as if YALA! labelmates The Magic Gang teamed up with Elvis Costello. It’s a snappy tale of age-old teen dilemmas: love triangles, confused sexual identity and unrequited passions.

The idea, says Willie, came from his ability to tap back into that angst. “There’s so much confusion and all these emotions. Friends and family tell you that it’s all insignificant, but you don’t know that until you’re through it. Everything will pass.”

The rest of the EP also pulsates with his freewheeling, out-of-time approach. Inspired by John Lennon’s ‘Gimme Some Truth’, ‘Polyphonic Love’ is a bluesy/grunge hybrid - a simple plea to simplify life and leave the creativity to Willie. It’s followed by his purest love song to date, the Tame Impala meets ELO slow jam ‘For You’ and the rousing orchestration of the Brian Wilson-flavoured ‘Thousand Reasons’.

It tees Willie up to finally make the impact that his prodigious talents deserve. But what does he consider success to be?

He cites his high profile fans (and now friends) - including Laurie Vincent of Slaves, Orlando Weeks, Jamie T and Gaz Coombes - as inspirations. “It blows my mind because I love them all as artists. I can see why they’re all in the position they are and I want to be like that. But I’m flattered when anyone knows and likes my music. We get some hip kids at the shows and that’s cool. And we get some not-so-hip kids too, and that’s great. Everyone’s welcome”.

The reviews have come in for Hello Good Morning and it seems Healey is on the rise. He has grown in stature and his fanbase is growing. Tonight (18th November), he is at Rough Trade West to perform a live acoustic set and do a Hello Good Morning signing (from 6 p.m.). You can buy Hello Good Morning now and see why so many people are tipping Healey for big success. If you get the chance to see him on the road, then make sure you do! I have been aware of Healey since he put out his E.P., 666 KILL, last year. It is interesting to see Healey sort of sandwich albums with E.P.s. I do wonder whether he might put out an L.P. next year because it seems like he has the ammunition and impetus.

The 666 KILL (or 666 Kill) E.P. is a remarkable work:

“666 Kill is an EP with an unusual genesis. Healey set himself an experiment: to rapidly put together a body of work from his first idea to completion without overthinking any part of the process. And so he’d write lyrics in his bedroom that were rich in violent gothic imagery – an ominous home invasion from the devil (666 Kill), an existential bullet-in-the-head (Lovelawn), and a metaphorical grim reaper (Learn Toulouse) – before rushing down to his studio / garage to record them as quickly as possible. “I was trying to touch on different ideas I had at the time: weird things like planes going missing and an obsession with death, which sounds really depressing but at the time I found it really interesting,” he explains. “We all have weird little things that run across our minds and we generally don’t say them out loud. For good reason! But it felt like an exciting process to write in that style and not put a filter on it.” A week later and it was done, with Healey having recorded vocals and almost all of the instrumentation himself. A fortnight later, however, he listened back and was pleasantly surprised at his latest creation. From the menacing country-folk of the title track to the beautifully bleak contrast of Lovelawn and the relatively uplifting closer When You’re Lonely, it echoes the low-fi introspection of Elliott Smith with the rawness of early Neil Young. A notable detour is the hypnotic rhythm and screeching sax that permeates through Guitar Music – ironically named given that it was the first song that Healey ever wrote on keys and features no guitar beyond some bass.

Not only is Healey a tremendous songwriter with that very grounded and arresting voice; he comes across in interviews as very tangible and real. That may sound odd, yet there are songwriters who can be aloof, fake or a bit boring. Healey is a really interesting talent. In this interview from 2018, the Oxfordshire musician came across as very modest and charming:

“I’m a really happy person,” Willie beams. With the sun shining and leaves fluttering about like dancing fairies, our adventure in West London's Holland Park became our magical escape from the hustle and bustle of central London. Winning over the hearts of many with his natural charm and cheeky sense of humour, Willie J Healey has fun written all over his face.

“When I first showed some of the stuff to my friends they were like are you OK?” he laughs. “I guess I’ve just played on heavier themes than I have in the past. Yala! are putting it out for me too which is great. It’s quite slow, there’s no radio hits on there, but who listens to the radio nowadays anyway...?”

Stopping to chuckle, Clash feels like he might be right: “I hope people listen to it and enjoy it.”

Taking you on a journey through his nostalgic hints and DIY approach, Willie brings a very personal touch to his songwriting. “I did them all in a week and recorded them in that time at home. The one I spent most time on was probably ‘Lovelawn’ just because it has got a lot of words in it and I would go back and forth with them and switch them round.”

Having a successful album already under his belt, Willie has established unique and mellow elements in his guitar playing. Honing a woozy, blissful, slacker-rock sound, he was snapped up and before we knew it he was releasing a string of singles, and record ‘People And Their Dogs’ last year.

“When I started out being signed to a major label and putting an album out, there is this expectation that you explode and make billions of fans and lots of money.” His voice appears soft as he continues; “Then actually in reality it’s not always like that. It wasn’t like that for me but I think quite a lot of people haven’t heard that album. The people who have heard it, seem to really like it so I think it’s a bit of a slow burner, you know”.

With tour dates, a new E.P. and kudos from some big radio stations, Willie J Healey is turning heads and I think 2020 will be a big one for him! I think there are some great male singer-songwriters out there – such as Sam Fender - ; Healey is among the most promising and diverse. I love what is throwing out right now, and I will keep my eyes peeled for sure! Take a listen to his tunes and give him a follow on social media – links are underneath -, because he will be taking to festival stages next year and, who knows, there might be some more material. Healey is a consistent, always-evolving and improving artist with a bright future. Although his songs are crafted and worked on rigorously, he is the kind of artist who amazes and stuns…