Dave Giles

In a world where success is defined as who is earning the most money and playing to the biggest crowds, Dave Giles is a breath of fresh air. He defines success as being able to make a living off of playing his music and everything on top is just a bonus. This doesn’t mean he isn’t ambitious or shy of a big crowd, far from it, but it does mean his approach to his audience and the industry is very different from almost any musician you've ever met.

A full time self-employed musician since July 2007, Dave graduated from being a guitarist who sang backing vocals to a stage centre singer/songwriter in October 2010, when he released his debut EP with a sellout show at the Camden Barfly. Since then, he has been on countless UK tours, a handful of Irish tours and even a tour in Australia. He has released seven self produced EP’s and one full length album "Love, Life, Loss and Tea" (produced by Nigel Pulsford of Bush fame) on his own record label Cheeky Chimp Records. He has sold out venues all over the UK and played hundreds of house shows in living rooms, conservatories, gardens, kitchens and even in a shed.

In January of this year Dave spent three weeks in Nashville, Tennessee to record his second full length album. This is currently being mixed and the release is currently being planned for some point in the second half of 2018. Making an album in Nashville is expensive and Dave managed to raise £23000 in 8 months without just his own website and social networks in order to do this. He hired producer Dean Dichoso and the album was recorded live onto tape at Welcome To 1979 studios. It is without doubt the best thing that Dave has ever made and shows the huge growth he has had as an artist over the last 8 years.

When doing interviews, there is one question that Dave struggles to answer: “What do you sound like?” - It’s not that he has created a new genre, it’s just that he likes to do lots of different things. He can be folk, blues, rock, pop, country and even a bit jazzy at times. He’s recently coined the phrase “genre fluid” or “pan-genre” and jokes that his songs like to be referred to as “them” or “they” instead of “he” or "she”. Lyrically, he tries to tell stories, and often they are very personal. He really does wear his heart on his sleeve.

His live shows are always full of charm. He’s recently taken to finding the smallest possible venues and creating really intimate settings where everyone feels at home. Any tour he has organised since 2016 has featured first come first serve “Pay What You Want” tickets and he will continue to do this (obviously support slots don’t allow this option). Partly in protest to the huge rise in ticket prices and the greed he sees within the industry; not just from artists, but from all the other people involved in live events who are taking a huge cut, but also because he thinks that live music is an art form and it should be experienced by all. Just like your favourite museums are free with donation boxes, Dave’s gigs are now about allowing live music goers from all backgrounds and circumstances choose their own price, even if it’s nothing. This is one of the many things that Dave has done to build an extremely loyal hardcore following. When his chips are down, they come through in more ways than any artist could ever expect and he does everything he can to break down the barriers of the “them and us” approach that some musicians adopt with their audiences.

Basically, Dave isn't one of those stylish, good-looking singers.
He just does his music and hopes that people listen and he treats those who do like they’re real humans rather than just statistics that he can use to impress people.

If there are games to be played in this industry, Dave is on another pitch altogether. For better or worse, he’s doing it on his own terms.