Newton Faulkner - Making a play for stardom

Words by Matthew Williams

A brief history

Newton Faulkner has a style all of his own. Whether it’s his long ginger dreadlocks or the funky acoustic grooves and soulful blues of his voice, he is truly one of a kind. Once often seen strolling through Reigate with his guitar permanently attached to his side, he is now becoming a fixture on the lips of music lovers across the country.

Newton, now 22, attended the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford where he developed his distinctive style under the tutelage of the legendarily innovative guitarist Eric Roche who sadly died in 2005 aged only 37. Now making quite an impact on the national music scene, Newton is currently working on his first album, receiving national air play and recently blew Radio 1 listeners away with his beautiful version of Massive Attack’s Teardrop.

Last spring, he released the Full Fat EP, which reached number one in the Amazon singles chart, and at the end of last year his second release, the UFO EP, led him to being one of the most hotly anticipated live acts in the country. The future is most certainly bright for this young thing from Surrey and Newton Faulkner will undoubtedly be a household name before too long.

When did you start playing the guitar?
I began playing when I was around 14 or 15. I started playing drums when I was tiny, then some keyboard, then bass (in what was essentially a Green Day tribute band), and finally I got to the guitar.

You still live in Surrey - was there anyone or anything in your hometown that inspired you towards where you are now?
Yeah, definitely. I went to the ACM (Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford) at the age of 16 for a couple of years, where I was lucky enough to meet Eric Roche who has probably had more influence on me than anyone else. Obviously, it's also where I live, so the landscape is engraved in my brain

What has been your favourite gig of your career so far?
I had some crazy ones down in Cornwall. The Little Noise Session (a Mencap charity gig) was awesome. I was on just after Chris Martin and just before Lilly Allen... still not quite sure how I got away with that...

Who is the most famous person you have played music with?
If you mean on the same bill as, then the two people I just mentioned rank pretty highly. As for with, I had a wicked jam with Paolo Nutini and Susie Clarke singing I Just Wanna Make Love To You in juicy three-part harmony.

What inspires you to write your songs?
Absolutely everything.

How would you describe your musical style, and at what point did you decide to go solo?
It's acoustic groove-based… Things just naturally developed towards me going solo. Every time I put together a band, people always said they preferred it solo. It just kind of happened.

You’re appearing at GuilFest this month – are you excited about doing a home gig?
I'm definitely looking forward to it, but to be honest I have absolutely no idea who else is on the bill. I'm recording my first album at the moment so I spend most of my time underground.

Are you doing any other festivals this summer?
I’m playing most of them this year. The best thing for people to do is check out my Myspace. I'm seriously looking forward to Glastonbury.

You were on Radio 1 recently with your cover of Massive Attack’s Tear Drop - how does it feel to be making that sort of impact on a national level?
Pretty good; all I've got to do now is keep it up.

For more information, visit www.newtonfaulkner.com or www.myspace.com/newtonfaulkner

If you know of a potential new Surrey star, why don't you join the Surrey Life community

---