Interview: Emma Bladon Jones

Emma Bladon Jones is one of the finest singer-songwriters in Nottingham, a truly underrated performer and a definite friend of NottinghamLIVE. Tomorrow she’ll be among the acts performing at the Nottingham Acoustic Gathering, which takes place at The Maze, ahead of that we decided to have a chat with Emma.

Hi Emma, how’s things?

Things are really great, I’m extremely busy gigging, busking, writing, recording etc

Could you start off by giving our readers a bit of background on yourself?

I’ve been playing guitar for about 7 years now, I started off gigging around Nottingham in a rock band called Of The Night, and it’s been about a year since I started gigging solo.

What was it that inspired you to take up performing music?

I always loved listening to music and was quite a creative kid, I started teaching myself guitar when I was 14 and so songwriting followed. It was always the perfect outlet for me and I can’t picture myself doing anything else.

Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?

I never know what to say when people ask me this because I listen to so many different kinds of music and it all influences me. I did grow up listening to The Beatles a lot though, so there’s a start.

Do you still remember the first time you performed to an audience?

It was with the first band I was in when we were all still at school, our first and only gig was at this little social club in Beeston with about 10 people in the crowd!

What have been your most memorable gigs to date?

I supported Nataly Dawn at Rescue Rooms in April, that was a huge deal for me as she’s one of my favourite artists. Another really fun one was at Beeston’s street party in March, big stage and a big crowd in the middle of my favourite town.

You’re on the line up for the Nottingham Acoustic Gathering this Sunday, it looks like being an excellent show?

Yes I’m very excited about the line-up, I’ll be there all day hopping between stages.

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/wBHoltdAF8k”]

Emma performing her track ‘Ghosts’ on the NottinghamLIVE Radio Show

The lineup for the festival is incredible, there is such a huge amount of acoustic talent in Nottingham, it must be exciting to be a part of it?

It really is a huge compliment to be asked to be part of such a fantastic line-up, I’m looking forward to a lot of great sets and hopefully the crowd will be great.

With so many great performers out there how do you ensure that you make your mark as there must be the worry that you’ll get lost in the crowd to a degree?

That’s always on my mind when I’m planning my performance. I ignore it when I’m writing and simply do the best I can do and be as honest as I can be, I write what I enjoy and hope others enjoy it too. I think a great live performance is the most memorable thing about an artist so that’s where I need to get more creative in order to stand out.

Who are your favourite Nottingham artists performing at the moment?

I really love Gallery 47, Joe Danks, Josh Wheatley, Heavyheads, Lisa De Ville, Ryan Thomas, the list goes on and on!

Obviously a lot of the Nottingham music scene focuses on the city centre, however you also perform a lot in your hometown, Beeston, how do the two compare in terms of gigs and the attitudes to local talent?

I love gigs in Beeston, they seem more special and the atmosphere’s always great. On the other hand Nottingham has the bigger venues and opportunities, so I have a nice balance. I’m very excited for Oxjam’s Beeston Takeover, last year was amazing!

Beeston has suffered a lot due to the ongoing tram works but there has been a concerted effort to promote the town with events and campaigns, which you have been actively involved in, what kind of impact have you seen this make on the town?

I played at the street party on the high road, I thought it was fantastic that in the short period of time between the road closing and the works starting the whole of Beeston came out for a party! There has been a great summer of events and I think the community put a lot more effort in to support various causes. Now we’re surrounded by florescent jackets, dust and loud machinery, which isn’t great, but hopefully it will all be worth it.

Following Sunday, what other gigs do you currently have lined up that people can check out?

27th Aug – The Golden Fleece, Notts
30th Aug – Book Cafe, Derby
6th Sept – Belle & Jerome, Beeston
14th Sept – Blue Bell Inn, Sandiacre
20th Sept – Roach Bar, Stapleford
18th Oct – Bunkers Hill, Notts
19th Oct – Oxjam, Beeston

There’s more that will go up on www.emmabladonjones.co.uk/shows very soon.

You have released one EP Life is Self Taught, which was well received, do you have any plans to release a new one any time in the near future?

I’m working on the next release, I’ve got so many plans and ideas for it. I’ve not settled on a name yet but the theme will be survival. I’m finishing some writing and I’ve started some recording, so I can’t say when it will be ready but I’m very excited for people to hear. It’s such a huge leap from Life Is Self Taught!

When you’re not performing what are your favourite places in Nottingham to relax and chill out?

When I’m out with friends we often end up at Rescue Rooms, Pit and Pendulum and the Bodega

Finally, our emergency question, who would win in a fight between a care bear and a moomin? Assuming you’re not too young to have heard of them of course!

After extensive research, I’ve come to the conclusion that a Moomin would probably win.

Interview by Darren Patterson

Photo by Robert Balmer Photography

Emma will be appearing at the Nottingham Acoustic Gathering 2013 this Sunday at The Maze along with a host of other Nottingham performers – for more information click here