Videos and awards!

'DRIFT'

Hello. Firstly, here's the brand new video to 'Drift' from my debut album, 'Travelling Man'. It was recorded by Tali Trow in his music room in Tooting with Tali on electric instruments and the wonderful Kerenza Peacock on strings. 

This video was made on a tiny budget by Infinite Pictures, written and directed by Zoe Beck, produced by Gavin Fry and filmed by the docks in Gravesend. The violinist in the video is also a talented actress, Helena Gullan. Huge thanks to everyone involved. 

The Drift filming dream team!

  Want to buy a copy of this track or the whole album and help me make more music? Click here for all your options, and thank you!


'5476 Miles' - AWARD WINNING

The amazing hand-made stop-motion video to '5476 Miles' has been doing the short film festival rounds and has just won 'BEST MUSICAL SCORE' at the 'WildSound Toronto Film Festival'. 

Check out some of the lovely audience feedback (I need to gig in Canada, clearly!) 

The full music video was made by my hugely talented younger brother Terry Thomas and can be seen here. 

Also an official ASFF selection

DARLING BOY 

Darling Boy and I have done many musical things together. One thing we've NEVER done is work on his debut solo album together - UNTIL NOW! Using his sticky musical tentacles he gathered some of the finest musicians on the planet at Vader Studios with Matt Terry (The Enemy, Boy Kill Boy etc) and we made beautiful music together. Teaser video coming soon...

Handsome fellows

 

Not too shabby

Matt Terry at the controls

McCartney says 'Oooh'

ACTING

I've had a spate of commercial acting jobs - which is handy for getting funds ready for recording the next album. I also got to work with some really great cast and crews, I'm very lucky. 

Here's the first video for Nuffield Health, humungously fun to film, though some of the scenes left me needing genuine physio...

 




Next up, we've a promo for BT Sports with lots of rugby players...

Just a short one for Ikea...

And one for LG which features a REAL SHARK shaped fin...click here for that one.
 
AND FINALLY...

I still can't quite believe Gene Wilder is dead. His unique acting style has influenced my own performances a great deal, I would have loved to have worked with him. 'Stir Crazy' is probably my favourite Gene Wilder film, here's a little clip. 

THE NEXT BLOG WILL FEATURE brand new songs as I get ready for the next album.

Cheers, 

Nigel.

P.S. I stumbled across this article on Twitter about how we're actually living in a Golden Age. I'm inclined to broadly agree.  
P.P.S. Bill Hicks 'Sane Man' is now on Netflix. Watch it immediately. 
P.P.P.S. Do you want to see Johnny Depp and Paul McCartney jamming with a load of epic blues guys? Of course you do. 
P.P.P.P.S. Watching a live kitten-cam is strangely addictive and calming.

Isle of Wight Festival, XPO North and the future...

Well, it's been a crazy few months - I've held off writing a new blog because there's been a few more important things happening in the world - as well as a lot of suffering, arguments and unhappiness. 

It's easy to feel helpless when the world feels this messed up - if everyone could just be a little bit nicer, more thoughtful and more understanding and considerate of each other, it would be one small step in the right direction. 

I also want to thank everyone who's supported me in any way over the last few months - it's always noticed and I'm always grateful. 

Travelling...

True to my album title, I drove over 1,369 miles to play XpoNorth in Inverness and the Isle of Wight Festival the day after. Driving through the epic fog and rain of the Scottish hills at 2am on my way back was breathtaking, as was the traffic I encountered in London much later that day.


XpoNorth 

I was very proud to be the only English act to have been selected for XpoNorth this year, a wonderful festival of music, film and art. Here's a video of Darling Boy joining me for a filmed session earlier in the day. Huge thanks to everyone at XpoNorth plus the wonderful Ross Calder, Badger, Kev and Steve Robertson.

One highlight of the visit was wandering randomly in HMV in Inverness and hearing 'Fever' being played in the store! Click here for my excited video clip.

Photo dedicated to my dear friend Ross :-)

I had a tremendous gig at the Isle of Wight Festival playing the hugely popular Kashmir Cafe stage. Here's a very funky version of 'Travelling Man' -

Huge thanks of course go to Doug Alldred (who played a blinding set himself) and everyone at the Kashmir Cafe, plus the wonderful musicians Jon Bretman, Tali Trow, Patrick Kenneally and Dave Holland - plus of course, Sir Alex Gold and Gemma Corker.

Darling Boy is 99% vegetables

Ready, set...

"You've got to have a wristband, my man..."

Interview 

Click here to listen to a great interview I did with Phil Lickley about 'Travelling Man.'

Jon Bretman

Speaking of Jon, who did a lot of great guitar work on 'Travelling Man' not to mention The Foxes (although I just have), he's got a fantastic EP out called 'Profit & Loss' which you should immediately listen to here. 

Just pretending

A few photos from some of the recent acting work I've been doing - I can't wait to show you the moving pictures.

'Interception'

'What You Were Looking For'

LG

The future...

Much love, 

Nigel. X

P.S. Check out Tali and his awesome cover of '50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.'
P.P.S. It's not a huge change in their sound, but Dark Necessities isn't half bad.
P.P.P.S. Read 'Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follett. It's epic. 
P.P.P.P.S. Speaking of Paul Simon - 'Wristband'. Its new and brilliant. 
P.P.P.P.P.S. You didn't fall for the clickbait did you?


"I believe the ability to think is blessed. If you can think about a situation, you can deal with it. The big struggle is to keep your head clear enough to think." Richard Pryor.

"I never used to believe in fate. I used to think you make your own life and then you call it fate. That's why I call it irony." Gene Wilder. 

ALBUM UPDATE #2

KBPS

I'm on the cover of the latest edition of KBPS magazine in card format, which suits me I think. You can read the full interview here. 


'TRAVELLING MAN' REVIEWS #2

The glowing reviews for 'Travelling Man' are still coming in - 

'Anyone looking for an engaging guitar record should look no further than this LP.' Rocky Road

'High quality English pop music'. Aural Delights

'Thomas has a youthful, magnetizing voice that’s perfect for the kind of rock-jazz combo he creates.' Indie Band Guru 

'...he continues to prove himself as a gifted songwriter, vocalist and guitarist.' Indie Biscuits 

'An accomplished collection of songs from a man whose own musical journey has hopefully only just begun.' The Hearing Aid
 

More reviews here. 

If you've not yet bought a 'Travelling Man' it's available on heavyweight vinyl, CD and download. Links to all options here, grab your copy NOW!
 


XPO NORTH 

I'm delighted to be playing XPO NORTH in the beautiful city of Inverness this year, the only English artist to have been chosen. 

I'll be playing at the Blackfriars venue on Wednesday 8th June at 10pm...then driving straight back to London as I've got to get a ferry to a certain island to play a gig or two on that island...shhh....;-)

Full music schedule can be found here, there are some truly fantastic acts on the bill, it's an honour to be playing with them. 

 "XpoNorth’s influential music showcase takes music stars of tomorrow from the UK and beyond and places them on stages across Scotland’s most northerly city." 


AMAZING RADIO

Speaking of Scotland, huge thanks to a DJ who is one of the greatest supporters of new music, Jim Gellately who recently played 'Ghost Hunter' on his Amazing Radio show. You can hear him playing it here. 

Thanks also to Lizzie Capener who featured '5476 Miles' on her eclectic new RNIB music show 'Vibrant Vocals'. Hear it here and watch the stop-motion music video below. 
 

TIM ARNOLD 

On 1st June I have the good fortune to be playing with (and a solo set before) Tim Arnold who's launching his new single 'Money Kills Love', taken from the film Blood Orange starring none other than Iggy Pop! Full event details here. 

Tim also has a rather epic fundraiser with some fantastic rewards (I'm getting the vinyl), which I urge you to investigate! 

Tim, Darling Boy and I also have an exciting new musical project in the works. More on that to come.  

CANDLESTICK UNSTUCK
 
My feature film 'Candlestick' is now available on UK, US, German and Japanese Amazon Prime, so you can watch it for free if you're a member. 

Here's the UK link - enjoy! 

The haircut of champions

 
Big gig announcement coming soon. 

Much love, 

Nigel.

"Music itself is going to become like running water or electricity. So it’s like, just take advantage of these last few years because none of this is ever going to happen again.

"You’d better be prepared for doing a lot of touring because that’s really the only unique situation that’s going to be left. It’s terribly exciting. But on the other hand it doesn’t matter if you think it’s exciting or not; it’s what’s going to happen."

David Bowie, in 2002, gives the New York Times a prediction about how the music industry will be in 2012.


"Movies are real! Music is real! It affects people, it's real. … The other night I went to a club and I watched a DJ control an entire room. Even politicians can't do that." 

Prince.

ALBUM UPDATE #1

'TRAVELLING MAN' REVIEWS

Well, 'Travelling Man' is now out and I've been genuinely taken aback by how overwhelmingly positive the reviews have been. Here's a small selection so far:

'I wouldn't be at all surprised if Travelling Man appears on a number of Album of the Year lists.' Digital Journal

'...a masterfully crafted collection of songs.' Stephen Brolan

'...one of the most soulful modern indie rock albums you’re likely to hear for a while.' TeeTotalGuitar -

 '"Ghost Hunter" has the funk-fueled, garage rock that will make Thomas an indie-music star...wonderful songwriting.' JP's Music Blog

'...the melodies are beautiful...you will love this album.' Rock at Night

'It’s hard to find a favorite track on an album this well crafted. Bravo!' Jammerzine

(More press on my wesbite)

WATCH

Here's the fantastic stop-motion video to '5476 Miles' created by my youngest brother, Terry. It's entirely hand made and is the work of thousands of hours. Check out Terry's blog for lots of behind the scenes images and to see how he brought this video to life.

Terry also made the video to The Foxes 'No Reply' video. 

LISTEN

'Travelling Man' can be heard in full on Spotify and Soundcloud. All my lyrics are on my website.

BUY

A lot of people who enjoyed listening to 'Travelling Man', have bought a copy and supported me - please do so too so I can carry on making music.

Buy CD and heavyweight vinyl (buy direct from me and who knows what extra goodies might be included...)

Download via Amazon
Download via iTunes

Already bought the album? Please leave me a review on Amazon or iTunes - it really helps. 

INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOPS

I love independent record shops - you get a level of service, knowledge and passion that big chains just can't provide.   

I'm proud that you can buy 'Travelling Man' on vinyl direct from an ever growing number of independent record shops, including:

Rough Trade, (off Portobello Road and East stores) London.
Sound It Out Records, Stockton-On-Tees. 
Carnival Records, Great Malvern.
Turnstyle Records, Streatham Hill, London. 

If you know a great record shop, please do let me know about it in the comments section below. 

LAUNCH PARTY & THE SUNDAY SESSIONS

Huge thanks to everyone who came to my launch party at The Camden Barfly. What a great night! My thanks also as always to the musicians who play with me (and who also played on the album) - Tali Trow, Jon Bretman, Patrick Kenneally and Dave Holland.

Allan McKay copyright photos are courtesy of musicriot.co.uk

The day after the launch party, I had the pleasure of headlining another 'Sunday Sessions' night for Cambridge TV at The Portland Arms, Cambridge. It's only just been on TV, so I'll let you know when you can watch it online. Huge thanks to Ben and Paul from Sunday Sessions - they're truly passionate about what they do. 


'GHOST HUNTER' ON TV

You'll soon be hearing 'Ghost Hunter' on TV (not an advert!) I can't say anything else at the moment! 
IT'S ALL AN ACT

I'll leave you with some music that isn't mine - I somewhat randomly had the good fortune to end up acting in this very touching music video for Nathan Grisdale's track 'What You Were Looking For' (along with talented actress Stephanie Tripp). Enjoy!

 
Nigel. X

P.S. I'm again featured in this great podcast, 'Addictions and Other Vices' - they paired my track 'Anne' with Blur's 'She's So High' - I can't complain. 'Anne' starts at 1.27.58. 
P.P.S. The mighty John Clay strikes again with this lovely video review of 'Travelling Man'.
P.P.P.S. Gallant Vermin. Get it?


"You get a good review, and it’s like crack. You need another hit. And another. And another." Alexandra Bracken. 

"When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had, and never will have." Edgar Watson Howe.