Introducing.....Mr Joe Hurworth

We recently announced Joe would be supporting the guys at a live event in June, so we thought it would be a nice idea to find out a bit more about him.   

Where are you based?

I was actually born in Essex but have lived in Newquay for about 20 years.

Do you come from a musical family?

Yes. Dad is a drummer. He has played mainly in functions bands, a Blues Brothers type band, and also played on tour with the singer from the Foundations (who released ‘Build me up Buttercup’.

Dad loved soul music, and so I grew up listening to that, the likes of Stevie Wonder etc.   

Me and dad also write songs together, so overall he has a great influence on my music.

How did you first venture into music?

I did music at school and began playing keyboards and then guitar. I didn’t think of myself as a singer at that point but my music teacher encouraged me to sing and play together (with the promise of a better exam grade!)

From that I started doing loads of open mic and songwriter nights, and this resulted in one of the venues offering to pay me to play and sing. Like most artists I was doing purely covers initially, but then started mixing these with my own songs.

A friend of dad’s had a small recording studio, so once I’d perfected a few songs we made a CD to give out at gigs.

What were your early musical influences?

Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway - simple soul music

Later Fleetwood Mac, indie soul sound

What genre would you say your original music falls into?

Always a difficult question as I’m still experimenting,

I’d say acoustic pop soul, and maybe more recently R&B soul.

Lyrically my songs are upbeat and happy, with sunny uplifting vibes.

Which current artists are you listening to at the moment?

Allen stone, an American artist who isn’t greatly known in the UK –but he has a very authentic old soul sound.

Sam Fender

Tom Misch

Will Heard

Can you talk us through your recording history?

Everything released to date has been self-funded from gigging and recorded at Cube Studios in Cornwall.

My recording history goes back to 2017, with my first couple of single tracks, followed by an album and EP.

I started recording further new material in 2020, but wasn’t able to finish it due to the covid lockdowns.

I’ve been busy the last year or two getting that material perfected and ready for release, and also recording new material collaboratively with Will. Fingers crossed you’ll see the fruits of these labours this summer. It will be great to finally get new music out there. Watch this space!

I can see you’ve collaborated with a few different artists along the way. Can you tell us about these and how they came about?

Yes – I love collaborating with other artists, as it always brings a new dimension to a performance, and potential influence to my own music.

Dr Funk – He was a contact of my dad’s, and plays in a band called the Big Sets.  He wanted to do some solo gigs and asked me to sing and play with him. It was great fun.  

Daisy Clark – We’d played at some of the same venues and gigs/festivals, and just happened to be doing our own things at Cube Recording studios on the same day. I asked her if she fancied doing some harmonies on a video track we were recording, and she agreed. It was all very spontaneous, and I think the result was great.

Will Eason –I saw Will at a festival and got chatting to a friend of his who invited me to hang out with them. I got chatting to Will and suggested we do some gigs together. We’ve collaborated on a few things since, both live and recording wise. Will is an awesome multi-instrumentalist and a great producer. We’re very much individual artists but have a great time when we work together.

What impact did covid have on your music career?

I guess I was luckier than most in that it gave me time to be creative, practice and write new material.

Best live performance to date?

So far, it would be playing the main stage at Tunes in the Tunes festival, but I’m playing with Will’s band this summer at Boardmasters which will be even bigger.  I cant wait.

What are your musical ambitions?  

Just to keep it simple, release music I’m proud of and that makes people feel good.

I’d love to tour as a support act, and generally play proper stages.  I did Keay Theatre recently with True Foxes and I’m really looking forward to playing Penlee Park Theatre with the guys in June.

Check out Joe’s music on Joe Hurworth - YouTube

You’ll also find him on Instagram, Bandcamp, Soundcloud etc.

Joe will be supporting (and hopefully collaborating with) Boundless Brothers on Sunday June 9^th 2024 at Penlee Park Open Air Theatre – tickets available here: Penlee Park Open Air Theatre

Hope to see you there. 

Gordon