James Thompson Plays Stick Better Than Your Average Bar Fly (Marginally)

Originally just a man and his guitar from Newcastle, James Thomson released two solo albums - including his self-titled debut and Cold Moon (2015) - before eventually forming his band, James Thomson & The Strange Pilgrims. Since then they have been all over the globe and are currently in the process of recording their first album as a collective.

"We're going to be busy recording a new album for the rest of 2017 but we will have a single to release off that pretty soon," Thomson teases.

His national and international tours marked the inception of The Strange Pilgrims, further embedding Thomson in the music scene that he jokingly explains was always a tempting pursuit.

"A life of underpayment, flirting dangerously with alcoholism and spending enough time in bars to become slightly better than average pool players sounded like a dream come true for all of us."

Self-described as a "'70s West Coast sound meeting the blues", Thomson explains the main purpose of his music; "It just tries to tell a story. I prefer leaving things fairly opaque rather than spelling it out for the listener. I'm never reporting the facts in a song. I borrow from reality and imagine the rest."

While Thomson has developed a clear direction for his own music, the local live scene remains a prominent concern. "I think there is a very homogenised sound being propagated by certain radio stations, which is detrimental... people think they can only be successful making certain styles of music when that (success) should not even enter into the creative process.

"I want the sound of danger, attitude, sex, violence, madness. Life!"