Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I was born and brought up near the east coast of Lincolnshire, England, not far away from the seaside town of Skegness where the Mods and Rockers clashed in the 1960s (along with Brighton, Margate, Clacton etc.). My Aunt was an original 60s Mod and had seen the Small Faces in concert. From quite an early age I got into the UK Mod scene (around 1978 when the Mod Revival started) and initially listened to The Kinks, The Beatles, Small Faces, The Who, The Jam and Northern Soul (along with other New Wave sounds of the day) before investigating Rhythm ‘n’ Blues and Soul. Growing up and going to many events, gigs and Mod Rallies (and buying lots of records) got me into writing my own songs and then, in 1982, I formed my first band, The Threads. We were signed to Unicorn Records and had several releases in the 1980s, played all over the UK and Europe, and had an Anthology CD released by Detour in 2000. We reformed last year to record the ‘International Times’ 12” EP and will be playing a massive Mods Mayday Alldayer in London as well as a homecoming gig in Skegness that will also feature Rick Buckler of The Jam. Since The Threads, I have recorded and toured with The Deep Six (Heavy Soul Records) and, currently, The Mark Three (F.A.B. Records).
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “PHK”?
A: My songwriting style relies to a large degree on societal observation and injustice, certain questionable characters and an element of challenge and protest. It’s very much from a Ray Davies/The Kinks observational mindset but with my own twist. On this first single, I sing all vocal parts on both songs and play all instruments apart from the drums. My debut PHK album that I am currently recording is called, ‘You Should All Be Ashamed Of Yourselves’. Each PHK release, starting with ‘Sanctimonious Sue, is being pressed onto vinyl in the first instance before being uploaded to the streaming platforms. Already, this single is getting a lot of radio play in the UK, Europe and North America, has sold decent quantities into Japan and has recently been featured on music blogs in Argentina and Brazil. I am currently planning a series of ‘live’ PHK shows in the UK.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Paul Weller remains an inspiring artist for me, especially the fact that he continues to release contemporary records regularly and pushed the boundaries. I still like all of the classic writers i.e. Lennon/McCartney, Ray Davies, Townshend, Marriott/Lane, Weller, Morrissey/Marr and Noel Gallagher. But there are some exciting bands and artists coming through in the UK such as Sharp Class, The Dave Barker Collective, Cian Downing, Laurie Wright, The Mark Three etc. My inspiration for writing new music these days comes from seeing the misdemeanours of others, whether it is the political classes focusing on themselves rather than the people they were elected to represent, people just not being very kind to others, or the continual conflicts and hardships around the world; calling them out wherever possible.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Sanctimonious Sue.”?
A: It’s about people who always think they know best and prevent others having a voice, usually to the detriment of the situation as they often make matters worse or do things for their own ends. Then they wonder why everyone around them gives them little or no sympathy when it all goes wrong. And there is actually a real person called Sue who this song was based on.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Powerpop.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Sanctimonious Sue”?
A: I wrote ‘Sanctimonious Sue’ during the Covid lockdown so didn’t get the chance to record it straight away. It was finally recorded in October 2024, with the biggest challenge being the playing of 4 different harmonica parts over two octaves on two harmonicas in different keys. I also Produced the sessions myself, which included the 7” vinyl B-side, ‘The Luvvies Brigade’, and played all instruments and sang all vocal parts (apart from the drums).
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: There’s always a message within my songs and that is normally to call out poor behaviour and encourage people to be nicer to others. It’s nice to be nice. My main goal currently is to finish recording my solo PHK album, play some shows, and try and get the PHK sound embedded into the music scene. It’s a lot harder to break through and get recognition when you have been around a few years as you come up against a lot of ageism. People tend to forget that we were yesterday’s teenagers and some of us still have the same attitudes, beliefs and drive that we had then. You can’t help getting older, it just means that you’ve survived (and, as a positive, have more experience of the world to write about).
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: It’s probably obvious but, I would say, Steve Marriott and/or John Lennon from the past and Ray Davies and/or Paul Weller from now.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Don’t get sidetracked by day jobs, bills and money. Move to London with your guitar and play for anyone who’ll listen until you get a break. Music is the only truth.
