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FIRST SINGLE IN OVER A DECADE FOR LEEDS BASED SINGER-SONGWRITER
09th March 2026 - 0 comments
Gary C Williams
FIRST SINGLE IN OVER A DECADE FOR LEEDS BASED SINGER-SONGWRITER
It's been 14 years since Gary C Williams released his last single, Three Cheers For the Underdog, as Mr Gary C. But all that is about to change with the release today of Freckly Jill, recorded at Loom Studio in Birstall, Leeds.
So where has this hugely talented musician been for all these years? Williams says:"I've been away from the [live] music scene since just before Covid. I felt that I'd achieved a great deal, done what I wanted to do, and in all honesty, I was getting a bit tired of the songs I was playing. I took my time away to focus on my family and to work on songs that I considered reflected on my influences better."
Williams' music has a retro 1960's feel to it, with influences from Rubber Soul era Beatles, Laurel Canyon bands, Baroque Pop and French Ye-Ye, reminiscent of simpler times when the sun always seemed to be shining.
Cover art for the first two singles
Freckly Jill is a masterful piece of songwriting, beautifully realised. But where did the idea come from?
"My favourite poet is Sir John Betjeman. I was watching an old recording of him on Parkinson, where he was speaking about his life, his poetry and his poems that had recently been set to music (in collaboration with Jim Parker). He performed A Russell Flint, which was a poem about his former secretary, Jill Menzies. My song Freckly Jill is essentially a song about an interview about a song, based on a poem, about a girl (hope that makes sense)!"
Another single, You're Not As Lonely (As You Say You Are), is planned for release in the coming weeks, as is a mini-album, out later in 2026.
Freckly Jill by Gary C Williams is out now on Bandcamp. Click the link to listen and buy ...
https://garycwilliams.bandcamp.com/track/freckly-jill
Written and Photographed by Kevin S Petch
09th March 2026 - 0 comments
In: NEWS
FIRST SINGLE IN OVER A DECADE FOR LEEDS BASED SINGER-SONGWRITER
It's been 14 years since Gary C Williams released his last single, Three Cheers For the Underdog, as Mr Gary C. But all that is about to change with the release today of Freckly Jill, recorded at Loom Studio in Birstall, Leeds.
So where has this hugely talented musician been for all these years? Williams says:"I've been away from the [live] music scene since just before Covid. I felt that I'd achieved a great deal, done what I wanted to do, and in all honesty, I was getting a bit tired of the songs I was playing. I took my time away to focus on my family and to work on songs that I considered reflected on my influences better."
Williams' music has a retro 1960's feel to it, with influences from Rubber Soul era Beatles, Laurel Canyon bands, Baroque Pop and French Ye-Ye, reminiscent of simpler times when the sun always seemed to be shining.
Freckly Jill is a masterful piece of songwriting, beautifully realised. But where did the idea come from?
"My favourite poet is Sir John Betjeman. I was watching an old recording of him on Parkinson, where he was speaking about his life, his poetry and his poems that had recently been set to music (in collaboration with Jim Parker). He performed A Russell Flint, which was a poem about his former secretary, Jill Menzies. My song Freckly Jill is essentially a song about an interview about a song, based on a poem, about a girl (hope that makes sense)!"
Another single, You're Not As Lonely (As You Say You Are), is planned for release in the coming weeks, as is a mini-album, out later in 2026.
Freckly Jill by Gary C Williams is out now on Bandcamp. Click the link to listen and buy ...
https://garycwilliams.bandcamp.com/track/freckly-jill
Written and Photographed by Kevin S Petch
FIRST EVER CHRISTMAS SINGLE RELEASED BY JON GOMM
01st December 2025 - 0 comments
01st December 2025 - 0 comments
In: NEWS
FIRST EVER CHRISTMAS SINGLE RELEASED BY JON GOMM
Jon Gomm, the Blackpool-born acoustic guitar virtuoso, has released his first ever Christmas single. It’s his very own take on Shchedryk (Carol Of The Bells), a folk song originating in Ukraine, during the early part of the 20th century.
Jon Gomm
This is an instrumental version of the song, with the original lyrics telling of seeing the first swallow of the year, meaning winter must be nearly over and spring is coming. It’s a beautiful, ethereal reinterpretation, full of Gomm’s trademark guitar techniques, both hypnotic and dreamlike in equal measure. His playing, as always, is crystal clear and note perfect.
Shchedryk (Carol Of The Bells) by Jon Gomm
Jon says: “I reinterpreted the music a fair bit, so when I play it live I introduce it with a different title - Shchedryk v Hrad.
‘Hrad’ is the Ukrainian word for hail or hailstorm, so you can think of it as A Swallow In A Hailstorm. ‘Hrad’ is also the name the Russian army gave to their rocket-launcher tanks, which shoot a hailstorm of destruction, like those which totalled the apartment of my friend Serhii Radzetskyi and his family. This piece is dedicated to him, and my other Ukrainian friends Inna and Vlad, and all those that have suffered as a result of the war.”
Shchedryk (Carol Of The Bells) is out now and available to buy on Bandcamp, plus all the usual streaming sites and YouTube. See links below.
Written by Kevin Petch
Shchedryk (Carol Of The Bells) is available to buy: https://jongomm.bandcamp.com/track/shchedryk-carol-of-the-bells
Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhVhqHKc_j0
Website/store link: https://jongomm.com/shchedryk
Jon Gomm, the Blackpool-born acoustic guitar virtuoso, has released his first ever Christmas single. It’s his very own take on Shchedryk (Carol Of The Bells), a folk song originating in Ukraine, during the early part of the 20th century.
This is an instrumental version of the song, with the original lyrics telling of seeing the first swallow of the year, meaning winter must be nearly over and spring is coming. It’s a beautiful, ethereal reinterpretation, full of Gomm’s trademark guitar techniques, both hypnotic and dreamlike in equal measure. His playing, as always, is crystal clear and note perfect.
Jon says: “I reinterpreted the music a fair bit, so when I play it live I introduce it with a different title - Shchedryk v Hrad.
‘Hrad’ is the Ukrainian word for hail or hailstorm, so you can think of it as A Swallow In A Hailstorm. ‘Hrad’ is also the name the Russian army gave to their rocket-launcher tanks, which shoot a hailstorm of destruction, like those which totalled the apartment of my friend Serhii Radzetskyi and his family. This piece is dedicated to him, and my other Ukrainian friends Inna and Vlad, and all those that have suffered as a result of the war.”
Shchedryk (Carol Of The Bells) is out now and available to buy on Bandcamp, plus all the usual streaming sites and YouTube. See links below.
Written by Kevin Petch
Shchedryk (Carol Of The Bells) is available to buy: https://jongomm.bandcamp.com/track/shchedryk-carol-of-the-bells
Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhVhqHKc_j0
Website/store link: https://jongomm.com/shchedryk