JAMES EWAN TAIT
James Ewan Tait is a guitarist, singer, song writer, noise enthusiast, band leader, promoter, and active member of the DIY music community in Sheffield (UK).
Tait strives to go beyond the typical singer-with-guitar format, with arrangements ranging from melancholy dream-pop to nervy noise-rock.
Tait has performed all over the UK (extensively in the north of England) and parts of Germany. He has shared stages with the likes of Richard Dawson, Cate Le Bon, Sweet Baboo, The Orielles, Irma Vep, Myles Manley, Elanor Moss, Mo Kenney, RM Hubbert, Thomas Truax, and many more, and has performed at Green Man Festival, Y Not Festival, Humber Street Sesh, and Tramlines Festival.
In recent times Tait has been working on new material with a four-piece band (guitar, bass, drums, synthesisers), and the first single with this outfit is set for release in summer 2024.
Press
“This remarkable songwriter is producing some uniquely enjoyable music. His recent EP, Everything, loads, all the time, forever, is a rich journey condensed into four masterfully crafted songs.”
Pink Wafer blog, 2018
“James cites the likes of Timber Timbre and Grizzly Bear as influences, and certainly in his spacious production and unusual percussive choices, he creates a similarly eerie and unnerving sound. Matched with the wordy lyrical delivery, reminiscent of Josh T. Pearson or Bill Callahan, this track suggests James Ewan Tait is a songwriter with a very bright future.”
‘Peace in the Dark’
“This wonderful song evaded my radar last year, and it is simply lovely. The small touches (rattling piano in the distance), the poised vocals, the acoustic folk guitar riff that sounds as though it were played on a moor around a fire a hundred years ago. And in the end it all unravels into dissonance and Tait’s plaintive howl. A fantastic achievement, and the legality of its inclusion here is comparable to that of its infamous party namesake.”
Everything, Loads, All the Time, Forever (EP)
“An enigmatic old hand on the Sheffield indie circuit, it's surprising that Everything, Loads, All The Time, Forever is James Ewan Tait's debut recording proper. Tait's unmistakable croon immediately brings to mind the late, great Jeff Buckley, and there is also a degree of musical similarity in his combination of sombre and meaningful tones with a relaxed and cheerful air shining through. Simple basslines and hints of soft organ back up Tait's deeply personal delivery and his vocal range is impressive, keeping his performance consistently interesting. Like all the best vocalists, Tait allows his voice to become strained and cracked with emotion as he reaches the highs and lows of expression.
'Portrait' provides the most dynamic variation, deploying trumpet, organ and backing vocals in soulful crescendos which show Tait's ability to elevate what could be very typical singer-songwriter style tracks. There are more than a few hints to another great, Johnny Cash, particularly on 'Peace in the Dark', a track where the vocals are given an even greater spotlight, owing to Tait stripping the track back to acoustic guitar and voice alone (and a track whose title cannot be coincidentally named after Sheffield's annual Peak District rave).
'Hippie Shakedown' is a ragged, rousing end with an unsettled undercurrent, complete with handclaps and staccato piano lines to get people moving, proving beyond doubt that Tait can master the whole spectrum of honest emotion.”
Now Then magazine, November 2017