Mike West

Not Country Enough.
Not Blues Enough.
Not Folk Enough.
Too Heavy...
A call to arms for those open minded folks who don't care about genre. They care about music.

From Rock Ferry, Wirral in the North West of England and inspired by the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Blind Willie Johnson, Son House, Johnny Cash and Howlin’ Wolf, Mike picked up his acoustic guitar, writing, in his unique style, songs that weaved between Country and Folk, Hard Rock and Blues.

"There are million and one troubadours who ...think this stuff is easy. There aren’t many as interesting as this"

Maximum Volume Music

A walking dichotomy of genres and styles, West has found himself accepted by music fans from all walks of life with the tongue in cheek slogan of Not Country Enough. Not Blues Enough. Not Folk Enough. Too Heavy, capturing the essence of his music and live shows. His grounded storytelling and existential lyricism combined with the driving rhythms of his guitar have helped Mike build a reputation as an honest and raw musician who can captivate crowds wherever he plays.

"This UK troubadour is raw at near every note, creating haunting landscapes. And when West summons that guttural growl, it wants to tear at your soul." Global Texan Chronicles

Over 3 years since the release of his E.P Rusted, a raw, one take, three mics recording that captured his songs in their purest forms, The Next Life elevates Mike West’s work to fully realised songs in a way they haven’t been heard before. With ethereal violin and haunting pedal steel soaring over vocals that show the full range of West’s voice from a restrained whisper to guttural roar and all underpinned by his guitar, this record is the next step in his already eventful career to continue to establish himself as one of the UK’s most prominent Alt-Country artists.


Channeling his creativity further, Mike is the host of the podcast Into The Van where he sits down with guests from all walks of life to see what makes them tick, discuss their craft and inspirations and all else in between. Mike also writes and draws his own comics under Cog Life Comics. Influenced by his love of Horror tinged with Sci-fi, Universal Monsters and anything crypto-zoological or unexplained. A writer of comics, short stories and flash fiction, he wears his influences on his sleeves and strives to add his own unique perspective to his work.