Fast-rising artist Tom A. Smith returns with the explosive new single 'Could I Live With Being Fake', out April 20th
LISTEN TO ‘COULD I LIVE WITH BEING FAKE’ HERE
Following on from the enormous support for his incredible debut collection ‘EP1’, which earned radio play on BBC Radio1 (Jack Saunders ‘Next Wave’), BBC 6Music, BBC Introducing (Fire Five), Radio X (John Kennedy’s X-posure playlist & session), KCRW, Triple J, and Amazing Radio, media support from The Times ‘Best New Tracks’, CLASH, Dork, Louder Than War, Songwriting Magazine, Hot Press, NARC, RTE, The Sunderland Echo, FredPerry SubCulture, and This Feeling amongst others, as well as countless adds to official playlists from Spotify, Deezer, and Apple Music, Sunderland’s Tom A. Smith is back once again to unveil his explosive new single ‘Could I Live With Being Fake’. The new single premiered with a BBC Radio 1 Jack Saunders ‘Power Play’ today.
Picking up straight where he left off, ‘Could I Live With Being Fake’ continues his pursuit of bright and anthemic indie-rock textures. With his raw and distinctive voice riding a bed of uplifting guitar hooks and thunderous drums, this new effort looks to cement him as one of the most compelling names rising on the scene right now.
Speaking about his latest release, he said, "I wrote this at a time when I’d turned down doing some things that guaranteed some high profile publicity and maybe even success, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do or feel passionate about. It didn’t mean I didn’t doubt if I was doing the right thing, but deep down I knew I was right and should believe in myself."
Having already played a ton of gigs since the release of his debut single 'Wolves' last year, including supporting Courteeners, Martha Hill, Vistas, Blondes, The Pale White, Eliza and The Bear and most recently Gang of Youths on their recent UK & Ireland tour, Tom A. Smith has also announced a string of live dates for the forthcoming year, including shows at Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape, Barn on the Farm and Neighbourhood Weekender, as well as support slots for Miles Kane and Sunset Sons. See his full list of live performances below.
Tom A. Smith Live Dates:
April
21 - Sunderland The Fire Station - Sunset Sons support
22 - London Heaven - Sunset Sons support
23 - Brighton CHALK - Sunset Sons support
25 - Bournemouth The Old Fire Station - Sunset Sons support
26 - Bristol The Fleece - Sunset Sons support
May
1 - Liverpool Liverpool Sound City
12 - Brighton The Great Escape Festival
23 - Cardiff Tramshed - Miles Kane support
24 - Birmingham O2 Institute - Miles Kane support
25 - Manchester Albert Hall - Miles Kane support
27 - Sheffield The Leadmill - Miles Kane support
28 - Warrington Neighbourhood Weekender
29 - Leeds O2 Academy Leeds - Miles Kane support
31- The Roundhouse - Miles Kane support
June
4 - Birmingham Sonic Wave
18 - Czech Republic - Hradec Kralove Rock for People
July
1 - Gloucester - Barn On The Farm
2 - Gloucestershire - Nibley Festival
23 - Chester le Street - Little Lindi
August
6 - Bingley Bingley Weekender
Despite still being a teenager, Sunderland-based newcomer Tom A. Smith has already achieved more than most artists do in a lifetime. He played his first ever gig aged just eight, supporting local psychedelic rockers Detroit Social Club at legendary Newcastle venue The Cluny, performed at Glastonbury before he was even in secondary school, and Tim Burgess handpicked him to play his stage at Kendal Calling, making him the festival’s youngest ever performer. He has played live with local hero Sam Fender and Catfish & The Bottlemen, as well as supported other Northern acts on the rise like The Lathums and The Mysterines.
Tom A. Smith’s self-uploaded performances have won him fans amongst rock and roll royalty. The week David Bowie passed, Bowie’s widow Iman shared Smith’s cover of Bowie’s Lazarus online, commenting on the emotional impact of Smith’s rendition. Blossoms recognised him from one of his videos as he was watching them from the crowd and invited him backstage, while Morrissey - not a man known to lavish praise or endorsements on others - played Smith’s cover of Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want as his walk on music on a recent US tour. Nile Rogers, James frontman Tim Booth, indie legends The Coral, and many more besides have shared footage of his performances across the globe.
“It’s never normal. Every single time it happens it’s surreal,” reflects Smith on the countless pinch-me moments of his career so far. “Music is always what I wanted to do. I just fell in love with it. I asked for guitar lessons when I was four. It’s all I’ve ever known.”
Having achieved so much so soon you might think Smith would be content to rest on his laurels a bit. Been there, done that sort of thing; fire up the PS4 and tell your mates about that time you played Glastonbury. All his achievements so far have done though is to stoke Smith’s creative fire and make him want to achieve more as an artist, a performer and a songwriter.
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