About

Back in 2002 Tom Murray was playing with Harrow four-piece Wasteland, and now in 2013 he's on the verge of finishing his debut long-player. The intervening nine years have seen him take to the stage at over a hundred gigs (at the very least…), form (and then disband) another group, in the shape of keyboard-wielding duo Toute Sweet, and write (and then rewrite) countless original songs.

As influenced by classic British songwriters – the likes of Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher and Mike Skinner – as he is by vintage soul singles, Motown and Jamaican reggae, Tom Murray's music is classically melodic, frequently rousing and punched through with immediately recognisable tales of real-life. Songs from the Toute Sweet era (the catchy yet melancholic Tracey being the key example) may have been stripped back, but thanks to Tom's knack for a tune they remain instantly striking slices of guitar-based music.

Armed with just his trusty acoustic, Tom Murray is regularly gigging across London, as well as working on live material with the upcoming pop songwriter Amina Bryant. With the album due for imminent release, it's tempting to look ahead to where Tom, who is 28, will find himself nine years from now – but why do so when the present day is already so exciting?