FFA caught up with a very busy Blair Dunlop, burgeoning singer/songwriter and Albion Band member, to discover a little about his solo career and collaborations, The Albion Band, and what the future may hold for this young talent….

FFA - Some say being a Singer/Songwriter performing your own music is the most difficult of talents to master – would you agree?

Yeah …. But it’s no more or less than any other aspect of being a musician… I dunno – you’ve got to hold an audience on your own – you are very vulnerable and often the subject material isn’t particularly friendly to a larger audience... So you need to be either really enchanting or have a really big character – so in that sense yeah - but it’s really freeing, and performing with a band has its pros & cons.

FFA – Which camp are you - “enchanting” or “big character” … or are you both? FFA quipped.

…. Oh I wouldn’t like to say that (laughs)… I do like to tell a story when I sing… I try to keep it all literate (laughs again).

FFA – There is a strong Fairport Convention influence and a talented family background (father Ashley Hutchings) in your life – how importantly would you rate Fairport and the ‘Fairport Family’ of bands in your musical development?

Immeasurably – I grew up listening to those records and having seeing Fairport live over the years and other folk-rock acts in that ‘family’  - The Albion Band for instance,… of course its shaped me in that I’m really interested in Trad material... I found myself getting really interested in the traditional elements of folk about four years ago. I like to think it keeps me slightly separate from other singer/ songwriters in that aspect… for better or for worse, but at least it’s my own meld of influences you know.

FFA – how would you define ‘Separate’?

Every singer-songwriter is separate from each other with different influences... and whether you like folk - well it might turn people off me or might turn people on to me - but part of the difference is that I like to do traditional material and have a strong storytelling aspect … I like to think that keeps me slightly aside.

FFA - in a recent interview FFA discussed with Simon Nicol that Fairport could be viewed almost as a transient core of musicians with ‘satellites’ of fellow-travelling musicians who move forwards, almost collectively, with a single musical ethos … would you ever consider yourself as part of that?

I don’t know if I’m positioned to say I do or not (laughs) but if anyone considers me that’s an honour because its people I’ve grown up with, people I really respect as talented and creative musicians …. To be part of that, well yes I would really love to be considered…. You’d have to ask people (laughs). I’d like to be considered to have earned it rather than purely family ties…. It’s lovely to have the association but it does come with prejudices and drawbacks … I’m at a stage now when I’m standing on my own feet and that’s really freeing.

FFA – what about collaborations – e.g. Larkin Poe on Killing Time EP and Richard Thompson gave you a song. Does this provide another outlet by expressing the ideas of others too? ….

Along with my own material of course it’s great, it’s another aspect, but I still get the greatest pleasure from playing my own material whilst I’m still trying to create a body of work I’m proud of…. But it’s amazing to learn other peoples work and playing with amazing musicians - and having an equal input and coming up with stuff together … there is a great art in that… it’s important if you want to be around other musicians to be able to work with other people. I feel so blessed to have done it. The stuff with Larkin Poe is amazing for me because about 18 months ago they were my favourite band and I’d never met them or anything... A year later to be right in and recording is just incredible… that has honestly been the most satisfying thing of my career so far. …I’ve won awards recently and that was great but I can’t express how much of an honour it was for me working with Larkin Poe.

FFA – Does being a member of The Albion Band compromise or complement your solo career?

We’ve yet to find out (laughs) …. Things look really interesting for the future …. We’ve all got other projects which are all doing pretty well at the minute so we’ve got to devote time to that… so I think we’ve got to do it in bursts and really concentrate it – do a record and tour it and then maybe go our separate ways for year or whatever and then come back to it again. I really like that idea…I think that works for everyone at the minute .. .but who knows what the balance will be in the future.

FFA – Could it continue on a similar path to Fairground where the current incarnation of The Albion Band becomes a looser amalgam of musician people drifting in and out – but the band itself will still move forwards & grow  … is that a fair assumption? 

That’s totally right I think. I think it’s important to focus on one thing at a time but my involvement will be frequently enough .. but right now I feel good about the cross section of things I’m doing. I’m learning a lot and in these kind of formative years and I want to experience a lot of different things... I may want to focus on fewer things as I get older but right now I think I’ve got a really nice balance.

FFA - There is talk about you being part of a new wave of young British acoustic / folk / folk-rock (your label here!) artists – how do you feel about that?

People can call me what they want… if they like the music that’s good if they don’t then that’s… absolutely fine. (laughs) They are going to call me whatever they like! If it’s a positive tag that’s fine – if people what to consider me as part of anything like a wave – well that seems positive enough! (laughs louder).

FFA – what’s happening in 2013 – do you have a concept for the year?

Yes I have! I’ve a lot of irons in the fire at the moment – I’m working on writing my second album, I’m playing as a trio, and sometimes as a band … so I’m putting together my band and we’re going to hit the road at the end of the year. I’ll be touring Blight And Blossom and maybe a couple of things from the collaboration with the Americans and stuff from the new album ….and then hit the new album.

FFA – you are touring the festival circuit, including Off The Tracks in May – looking forward to it?

Yeah Off The Tracks is going to be wicked! There are some guys I jam with and they are going … oh man I can’t wait for it. (laughs)… So I’m looking forward to having a good weekend with good people!

Here’s to the future!

More about Blair HERE.

Article by Barrie Dimond