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David Potts releases "Coming Up For Air"

Mancunian songsmith David Potts aka ‘Pottsy’ is back with his first solo album, a highly energetic, hits-packed offering ‘Coming Up For Air’ in January 2007. Those who remember Pottsy from Monaco and RAM are about to have their patience rewarded.

This album has been a journey which has mirrored Pottsy’s own. “I had to put some distance personally and musically between Monaco and myself.” says Potts, “I’m proud of what we achieved but it’s been a mixed blessing. Reactions to the music now make me realise that I’m out of that shadow for good. ‘Coming Up For Air’ is about just that, being able to breathe again”. This is the theme of an album which charts a very personal fight to be recognised as an individual talent.

So has he arrived? “It’s made me connect with the music I love and want to make” says Pottsy. “Setting up my own label was an important step, a statement I suppose that I no longer needed a mainstream music business to get out there.” Each track stands proud and shows off Pottsy’s diverse influences from The Who to The Kinks, and The Beatles to The Jam. Essentially ‘Coming Up for Air’ demonstrates Potts’ abilities as a first class songwriter in a time when they are few and far between.


Opening the album is 'Got to be someone', a song capturing the feeling of isolation and not fitting in or being part of the world around you. “I think I wrote it after watching Quadrophenia for the umpteenth time. I wanted to keep the music quite intense and claustrophobic, sticking to three chords round and round with a Motown beat.” says Pottsy.

The first single from the album ‘I’m the Greatest’ is a comment on the celebrity delusions of rock stardom. “I wrote 'I'm the greatest' as a reaction to writing slow/mid tempo songs or relationship based lyrics. This was the two fingers to all those tunes, basically putting myself in a role of someone like Ali, Liam Gallagher or Hurricane Higgins. People whose self belief in their success was the most important goal in life.” It’s already received Radio 2 plays (Mark Radcliffe, Dermot O’Leary) and is Clint Boon’s ‘Single of the Week’ on XFM Manchester. “I’ve had great feedback from the Manchester lot; I’ve had comments about being Manchester’s Modfather. Weller is a hero, so I’m well flattered by that!” Potts.

‘Roll Up!’ is essentially about escaping the world around you and features Peter Hook on bass guitar; how did that happen? “The track just needed that sound and it was quite a cathartic thing to do” says Potts, “I called him up and we did it, a bit like old times. I think he’d like to be mixed a bit louder but it sounds ace”.

Continuing with his frank descriptions, Potts says “’Faces’ is quite an old track written as a thank you to George Harrison for all the years of musical pleasure he and the rest of the faces (Beatles) have given me. I'm


really f***ing proud of these lyrics. Once you know who it's about, it'll make perfect sense. I don't find writing lyrics an easy process but these just flowed.”

‘Richard Parker’ is a heartfelt song about losing a part of yourself, in this case Pottsy’s ex-wife. “I had to ween out the sad songs after splitting up with the missus but this is the one that stayed. It was written just before we split. I played it to her in the studio and she just wept and wept because it confirmed things were coming to an end. I'd just read Life Of Pi and used the story as a cover to what was going on at the time, hence the tiger, Richard Parker who needed Pi to survive...you get the drift. I sent the track to the author, Yann Martell, who replied saying he really loved it. I love the ending... very Gainsbourg.”

Anyone who knows Pottsy, will know ‘My Favourite Onion’, showing off the fun side of his talents, and the tongue in cheek Macca nod. Potts talks about the last track on the album, “’Dream away’ is my favourite track of the album. I wanted to capture the sound of those 60's American male whiter than white vocal groups that my gran used to have tapes of. A white sports jacket with a green carnation, wah wah wah. It was a very sound-tracky era in which I wrote it. Axlerod, Barry and Morricone. The ending is fookin’ bliss. The whole song’s off it's 'ead!”

‘Coming Up for Air’ was recorded, produced, and almost entirely performed by Potts himself, mixed by Tom Knot (The Earlies) at Airtight and mastered by Guy Davie (Royksopp, Badly Drawn Boy) at The Exchange.

David Potts’ live band members are:
Paul Kehoe - live drummer (has played for Monaco)
Steve Brannan - live bass (ex-Alpine Stars; also plays in Echo and the Bunnymen)
Sara Lowes - live keys (plays for Jim Noir, The Earlies and King Kreosote)
Andy Hewitt - live guitar (ex-Alpha Western)

Album tracklisting:
1. Got to be Someone
2. I’m the Greatest
3. World Isn’t Over
4. Roll Up
5. Faces
6. Richard Parker
7. Free Yourself
8. So Low
9. And I…
10. My Favourite Onion
11. Warm and Happy Soul
12. Kite
13. Dream Away

http://www.david-potts.com
http://www.myspace.com/davidpottsmusic

You can buy the album online:

Amazon (UK)
Amazon (USA)

Excerpts taken from David Potts.
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