James Leonard Hewitson

Expect a distinctly alt 70?s vibe at Durham?s Claypath Deli on the 20th of April. Scott Hepple and The Sun Band will be purveying their own brand of fuzzy, garage psych rock and clearly James Leonard Hewitson has served his time worshiping at the church of The Velvet Underground but it is Jonathan Richman that comes to mind listening to the stripped back version of ?Only The Noise Will Save Me? from his most recent release ? JLH Acoustic. Scott Hepple and The Sun Band released their debut album Ashes To Wildflower last year and the opener, Letting Go, is a song that starts up like the dawning of the day and builds till it becomes a crashing wall of noise. It contains an uplifting guitar riff that sets the scene with clear Crazy Horse overtones. Neil Young is one of Hepple?s main influences but he also name checks Black Sabbath, The Beatles and Ty Segall. However, it?s not just these bands that have stimulated him, it?s that whole 60s/70s atmosphere and by recording Ashes To Wildflower in analogue with Maximo Park?s Duncan Lloyd they have created a great sounding record; the recording creates an authentic 70?s feel with added power and urgency and a pleasing rawness to the instrumentation. James Leonard Hewitson is from Hartlepool who crafted his song-writing whilst studying in Newcastle and playing trumpet for Sunderland indie darlings Frankie & The Heartstrings. In February 2020, James released first solo album ?Only The Noise Will Save Me? through Butterfly Effect on vinyl, with Steve Lamacq playing the title track on his BBC6 Music show. In 2024, James will release a second album, entitled ?More Pop?. It includes the experimental-pop song ?Stable? (2022), which has been championed by Tom Robinson on BBC6 Music. He takes influence on this record, from artists such as Sparks, Daniel Johnston and The Velvet Underground.