To celebrate the launch of his sixth studio album ‘The Glass Age’ Dan Whitehouse is currently on a tour of the UK, showcasing tracks from it. We were invited along to the opening night in Totnes to meet and watch Dan’s fine band in action, read on to see how the evening progressed. 

Opening up the entertainment was ‘Sounds Like Lily’, having seen her a couple of weeks previously at The Barrel House in town, I was keen to enjoy her output once again, this time, a little more stripped back than before. She appeared with her guitarist, Rowland and it was soon apparent that with his reverb control set to ‘infinity and beyond’, his guitar was echoing beautifully around the church which was a delight in itself. Couple this with Lily’s almost effortless jazz/pop and soul-tinged vocals and you have a wonderful set comprising of some engaging and thoughtful numbers that kept the audience involved for the duration. Lily said that her new single ‘This Feeling’ will be available on all streaming platforms from September 22nd and to check out her latest single ‘Penny’ which is available now. 

Dan Whitehouse was kind enough to take part in an interview feature a few weeks ago where we discussed the new album in detail and I learned a lot about the thought process behind it. It was great to finally meet the man behind the music and we chatted about Stourbridge and Wolverhampton and especially of the late 80’s and early 90’s music scene which came out of these areas and how important (to me) they were, who knows what would have happened if it wasn’t for the likes of The Wonderstuff, Pop Will Eat Itself, The Sandkings and of course Ned’s Atomic Dustbin having such a profound effect on me as an easily influenced teenager (I could have gone down the ‘hair-metal’ route which wouldn’t have been good for anyone!) Anyway, I digress.... 

Dan Whitehouse appeared with his band which comprised of keys, drums and vocals/occasional guitar. He introduced the evening and announced just how excited he was to be performing once again in Totnes in a church which made the opening night of his UK tour that little extra special. Tonight was all about his latest record, ‘The Glass Age’ and as he launched into the opening track ‘Campfire’, I revelled in his approach to his art, he was focussed on the job in hand and the track rolled on seamlessly. His keyboard player (Rob) had only one rehearsal before playing tonight’s show which was interesting to know as he sounded like a seasoned pro, a testament to the fact that Dan only uses the highest quality musicians to join him on the road when showcasing his music. 

During our interview, Dan explained that we’re living in the age of glass and went on to tell me that the term ‘The Glass Age’ is a term first coined by Chris Difford (of Squeeze fame) during an online song writing workshop. He went on to explain that ‘TGA’ is a reference to the way that we’ve adopted devices as part of the family and communicate now via screens (glass) and in the new record, he examines the thin layer between digital and emotional life. Dan went on to explain that he is referring to how our feelings for each other haven’t changed but the way we communicate them has and with communication exclusively via a screen where you can’t hug someone and body language is drastically altered he’s noticed that this can be a catalyst for more direct proclamations of love and other positive feelings. 

Positive feelings were exactly what I was getting from the album run through, tracks such as ‘Rainbows Never End’ particularly piqued my interest and I since learned that the track was written for his son who resides in Japan and the deep bond and connection that is strong enough to overcome all barriers of borders, land and sea. Similarly, ‘New Love’ was of particular interest to me and I was overjoyed to hear that it was written whilst Dan was on a writing retreat with the aforementioned Chris Difford. I was surprised to hear that the song was not written with a band at all as Chris had put Dan in a virtual room with other musicians and after some initial conversations and ideas, the song was born! After a rough demo, followed by Beth Aggett adding her beautiful voice and amazing choral parts, it came together beautifully and sounds so special.  

Live, the album came across really well, yes the tracks were missing the magical addition of guest backing vocals and other studio-based wizardry but as a trio, they managed to convey the mood of the record to the audience in such a beautiful way, it defied the sound of a traditional trio. Watching all three in action was mesmerising, the drummer not only kept perfect time but also provided backing vocals and other digital additions to the sound which gelled well. Rob on Keys was an incredible addition and seeing as the record was translated from acoustic guitar to a synthesiser, I dare say that he had the toughest job in holding it all together.  

They finished with a reprise of ‘The Glass Age’ and as the final bars rang out around the church, Dan thanked everyone for their attention and mentioned that ‘TGA’, all 28 minutes of it matches the running time of Dylan’s ‘Nashville Skyline’ album (remember that nugget for future pop quizzes). 

Owing to the short running time of ‘TGA’, Dan announced that they would perform a number of tracks from his previous album ‘Dreamland Tomorrow’ which I was keen to hear. He launched into a tremendous track called ‘Glass’ which was written about King Charles VI who had supposedly written in his Commentaries that there were times when he thought that he was made of glass, and thus tried to protect himself in various ways so that he would not break. He reportedly had iron rods sewn into his clothes so that he would not shatter if he came into contact with another person. This condition has come to be known as glass delusion and was the perfect subject matter for the track which concluded with an incredible guitar solo from Dan, proving his talent as not only a super-talented songwriter but also an esteemed guitar player too. 

All in all, a tremendous live show and what a way to kick start his UK tour which is happening right now across the country. Remaining dates include Leicester, Birmingham, Newcastle and London, if you’re interested in any of these dates (and you should be), then head to www.dan-whitehouse.com/live for more information. 

‘The Glass Age’ will be available to stream, download and purchase on CD from July 22nd but if you want a sneak preview, head to https://shop.dan-whitehouse.com/ where you can hear the title track of the album as well as pre-order the record on your chosen format. 

BBC 6 Music refer to Dan Whitehouse as ‘Wonderful’, RnR Magazine, say that he is ‘Nothing short of beautiful’, we here at musomuso.com say that Dan is a national treasure who has proven himself to be a profound, innovative and talented songwriter who we hope to hear much more from in the future. 

Words and Pictures by ©Steve Muscutt