Photo: Mark Wilkinson

First record you bought 
My brothers had all the Dylan and Beatles albums, so I listened to them a lot but the first record I physically went and bought myself was Space Oddity by David Bowie.

First gig you went (who, where, when)

The Beatles at the Liverpool Empire when I was 7 years old. I went with my brother because my Dad said he wasn’t allowed to go unless he took me with him.

First band you fell in love with

Velvet Underground. I loved lots of songs growing up, but they were the first band I heard where I felt like I had discovered a secret and found my own band to love who no one else really knew about.

First song that inspired you

See Emily Play by Pink Floyd. It sounded like it came from out of space. I love Syd Barrett and I’d never heard anything like that ever before.

First song you wrote (any good?)

My first few songs didn’t even make it to the stage of having a title. Pretty abstract and pretty bad I’d say, to be honest!

First gig you played (how’d it go?) 

The Christmas Eve Ball at Eric’s supporting Deaf School. We didn’t really have any songs so we just jammed reggae in different keys for half an hour.

First musical hero

Tom Verlaine. Marquee Moon seemed like the perfect album in every way. What a record.