Thanks to a bunch of spins on BBC Radio 2 of his beautiful song ‘Pieces’, Dan Wilde’s year is about to become a whole load busier.
Wilde has been performing his own brand of richly observant folk both in the UK and around the world for the past five years, and in that time, he’s developed a growing fan-base and a reputation amongst those who know as “a fantastic songwriting talent who without a doubt will deserve and demand your attention” (Eclectically Challenged). But that secret is about to be exploded.
Two albums in, the evidence is clear he’s an extraordinary songsmith, while his ‘stunning’ guitar playing (Maverick Magazine) has led to an endorsement from Fylde guitars. Previous releases, ’This Is The Place’ (2010) and ‘With Fire in Mind’ (2013), have cemented his reputation but this third album, ‘Rhythm on the City Wall’, shows a songwriter arriving at full maturity.
Profound lyrics if you listen to them, melded with a sharp melodic sensibility, reveal a poetic commentator and keen observer of everyday life’s patterns and tapestries in his songs akin to Damien Rice and David Gray. Wilde’s words have been described as “deeply personal and introspective but engrossing and charismatic” (Folkwords); they reflect his peripatetic restlessness.
Originally from Blackpool, Dan now lives in Cambridge — but his wanderlust has taken him touring through the USA, Germany, Switzerland, Holland and the Czech Republic, and he has recently returned from a stint in Russia, where this album was recorded.
In the last two years he has been supported Ethan Johns, Cara Dillon, Karine Polwart, Sam Carter, John Smith and Martin Taylor to name a few, and performed at some of the UK’s best-loved folk festivals — Cambridge Folk, Kendal Calling, Beverley Festival and Galtres.
Intimate and moving, Wilde’s work has a lyrical grace which is hard to match. Allow the song ‘Pieces’ to pin you to the wall and you won’t want to come back down.
‘Rhythm on the City Wall’ and ‘Pieces’ — out today!