Legendary British musician and songwriter Brinsley Schwarz returns with a new solo album this Autumn. Shouting At The Moon represents the third release that begun with his debut solo album Unexpected in 2016 followed by Tangled, his first album for Fretsore Records in 2021.
Founder of the 70s pub-rock icons (if icons is not too strong a word!) of the same name, and subsequently Graham Parker and The Rumour, Brinsley’s passion for writing and recording reignited in recent years following two albums and tours with that band, as well as duo shows with Parker, resulting in Unexpected.
The gestation period for the songs on Shouting At The Moon goes back even further.
“I wrote ‘The Chance’, ‘Nothing Is What It Seems’ and ‘What In The World’ sometime between the late 1990s and early 2005,” he explains. “‘Hard To Change’ and ‘It’s Been A Long Year’ were written during 2024 and 2025 and recorded during that time. So you can see a big spread in time of writing and recording; some songs were recorded and were intended for my first solo album. But we had a surplus of recorded tracks and so we could pick tracks based on how the songs seemed to gel together as an entity, as an album.”
As with Tangled, Brinsley pays tribute to his friend with a well-chosen cover: “Graham Parker wrote ‘Watch The Moon Come Down’ in the late 1970s. One of my favourite GP songs. I loved rearranging and recording it.”
Key to this revived activity has been producer, engineer and keyboard-player James Hallawell another Parker collaborator, also noted for his work with the likes of The Waterboys and Jackie Leven. “He helped me record my first album Unexpected,” says Brinsley. “We just carried on recording.”
Perhaps his most soulful album yet (the Brinsleys were not shy champions of southern soul) Shouting At The Moon hints at the influence of Steely Dan and Van Morrison, rich in Hammond and Rhodes vibes, while Brinsley’s smoky vocal and distinctive fluid soloing prevail. The groove is the thing. But like Tangled, recorded in the shadow of Covid, the new album is weighted with darker concerns: “‘It’s Been A Long Year’ is about climate change, ‘Nothing Is What It Seems’ is about the trouble ahead, ‘Hard To Change’ is about things not likely to happen any day soon… But we still got music…. Listen on!”
Pre-order on Bandcamp: CLICK HERE
More on Brinsley Schwarz:
It’s not everyday a band takes on the eponym of their lead guitarist, and this was in the days before Van Halen, but a London-based pop outfit evolved into what would become pub-rock legends Brinsley Schwarz.
Remembered for their iconic performances and breaking ground in forging the foundations of London’s pub-rock scene, the Brinsleys brewed up a storm across the capital and the music world throughout the early 70s, with opening slots for the likes of Paul McCartney.
Since disbanding in the mid 70s, the band members went on to embrace varying facets of artistic output, with Nick Lowe going on to international solo success releasing hits including ‘Cruel to Be Kind’, a leftover from the Brinsley days.
Fans will recall Brinsley’s distinctive talents on display from the early years with the Brinsleys and performances with Ducks Deluxe, the six years with Graham Parker and the Rumour and nine years as Graham’s sideman guitarist and sometime record producer.
Brinsley Schwarz Links: CLICK HERE
