John J Presley

It is a story of breaking the mould; a love affair with tone; light and shade; a strict discipline and a desire to create something different. From a record collection that journeys through early jazz and blues, to the might of huge iconic soundscapes from bands like Mogwai; and a huge respect for the songwriting mastery of Tom Waits and Nick Cave, John J Presley has certainly honed his own sound and approach.

After two single releases in 2014, John J Presley saw huge support across the UK, with radio plays from Zane Lowe, John Kennedy, Tom Robinson and Phil Taggart, with an addition to XFM’s Evening Playlist on top. Many shows followed for John and his band: personal guests on the last ever Jim Jones Revue tour across Europe, and countless other shared stages with the likes of Pulled Apart By Horses, Amazing Snakeheads and Band of Skulls. Their BBC Introducing performance at Reading and Leeds being hailed a highlight in The Times.

'...this is an altogether darker variant of the form, one that finds itself rubbing shoulders in the twisted and twilit worlds of Tom Waits, PJ Harvey and Nick Cave. As exemplified by his two coruscating singles, 'Left' and 'Honeybee', Presley doesn't just sing his songs; he inhabits them and in doing so invites the listener to be complicit in his shadowy tales.' The Quietus

2015 has already seen him named as one of XFM's Great X-Pectations for 2015 and sign to Vital Music Group. John J Presley and his band will be releasing their debut EP in June with a UK tour and festival appearances to support the release.

“If Bukowski was to join a band of our time I think it’d be this one. The vocals remind you of Tom Waits or Johnny Cash, while the guitars have the same drive, as Jack White’s or the Black Keys do, only much dirtier." MusicNTing Blog