Johnny Flynn's debut album
A Larum dropped in mid 2008 on Vertigo Records, and even though it received critical praise, the young singer-songwriter hasn't fully broken into the scene just yet.
Flynn followed up his album release with a US tour opening for
Mumford & Sons and Mercury prize-winner (and close friend)
Laura Marling in last fall.
These guys are at the center of the nu-folk scene in London along with bands like
Noah and the Whale, but
Johnny Flynn has a few little tricks that really make him a stand out. First of all, the South African born Brit is a Shakespearean trained actor, and cites Shakespeare along with W.H. Auden and Thoreau as creative influences.
Flynn actually eased into music through literature; before he even picked up a guitar he was a poet, and gradually he began setting his compositions to music. His roots as a writer are very evident throughout
A Larum, song like "Sally" and "The Box" are witty and sharp, while "Brown Trout Blues" and "Hong Kong Cemetery" are arrestingly melancholy and graceful.
Flynn also has a charming knack for channeling images of ye olde England; his music has an air of idyllic nostalgia while still remaining fresh and at times downright poppy.
Johnny Flynn (with his band
The Sussex Wit) is set to release a new EP entitled
Sweet William in early November, and is currently touring around the UK.
Flynn has also announced a new full-length album that is due out early 2010. Until then, He has been posting monthly demos on his
myspace page, lovely ditties he's writing while on tour, some nice little previews of the up coming album. As the days get shorter and the winter comes creeping in, there isn't a better time to get acquainted with
Johnny Flynn's warm melodic folk music. -
amelia trask
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Johnny Flynn on Myspace