Willie Dowling’s long awaited new album The Simpleton has arrived. Pre-orders for The Simpleton open on Bandcamp on the 1st of October.
The album will be available on CD and as a digital download from the 1st of November and on vinyl in December.
Willie Dowling is supporting Cats in Space this autumn, starting in Southampton on the 2nd of October. Find tour dates and ticket links here.
The Simpleton is something of a departure from the intricate, multi-layered productions of the albums that Willie Dowling has written, performed and produced for some of his previous bands.
“When I was just a kid – in fact from the age of 16 to 21 – I used to play piano and sing in hotels and restaurants, initially in Newcastle where I grew up, and then in London when I moved there, aged 18”, says Willie Dowling.
“I’d play everything from cheesy standards to Tom Waits and Billy Joel, largely as background noise to wealthy people sucking up soup. I came to hate it, and for the sake of my sanity I quit aged 21, formed my first rock band The Grip, which lead on to Honeycrack, SugarPlumFairies, Jackdaw4, The Dowling Poole etcetera.”
“During lockdown I found myself wondering whether I could still write a stripped down, piano-driven song, without the same level of complex arrangements or production techniques that I would use for Jackdaw4 or The Dowling Poole, and I wrote the song The Simpleton. To my surprise, I found I enjoyed the experience so much, I ended up writing an album, with enough left over for a huge pudding should I fancy a wee bit more.”
The Simpleton features ten songs that can be described as piano-driven pop/rock, featuring Willie as writer/producer and performer on vocals/piano/occasional bass guitar. Guests musicians on the album include Darby Todd (drums), Andy Lewis and Jon Poole (bass) and Jo Lewis (cello.)
Willie Dowling is special guest on a nationwide UK tour this autumn, supporting the spectacular Cats in Space. Ticket links here.
“It’s odd to be sat behind a piano again after so many years of fronting a band from the centre of the stage, surrounded by three or four others and always with a guitar strung around my neck. But this year I’ve supported Hillbilly Vegas and Quireboys and I’ve found I rather like playing piano. And it was very flattering to be asked to open up for Cats in Space this autumn.”
About Willie Dowling
Willie Dowling is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and producer.
Willie has fronted, written and produced albums for his previous bands, influential rockers The Grip, mid 1990’s ‘quick-flash and gone’ Honeycrack, followed by SugarPlumFairies, Jackdaw4 and The Dowling Poole.
He has played studio sessions and toured with a wide variety of artists including Dr Hook, Midge Ure, Hot Chocolate, The Wildhearts, Shane MacGowan, Maroon Town, Andy Taylor, Quireboys and numerous acts besides, on keyboards, guitars and vocals, along with occasional other instruments.
In addition to band/artist production and touring work, Willie Dowling is a renowned composer for film and television in a wide variety of styles and genres.
He recently wrote songs and underscore for the return of the legendary satirical puppet show ‘Spitting Image’, and over the years has worked on many other TV shows and films starring luminaries such as Steve Coogan (Dr Terrible’s House of Horrible and I Am Not An Animal), Rob Brydon and Julia Davis (Human Remains), Stephen Fry and Rik Mayall (Snow White The Sequel) Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer (Catterick), Lenny Henry (In Pieces), Armstrong & Miller and many more (williedowling.co.uk for longer list of credits)