PAUL DAFFURN
MUSIC

Paul Daffurn is a songwriter and singer based in the UK.  He writes in a vein laced with Blues, Alternative Rock and Folk influences and his reflective lyrics communicate a deep, emotional charge. Paul’s current work is essentially acoustic but it still retains all the energy found in earlier band-based performances of his original material with 30 Seconds, Lucyhouse and Greg Ridley (Humble Pie/Spooky Tooth).

 

30 Seconds were signed to the Initial label in 1981 and their well-received debut single Automatic gained the band BBC TV and Radio air time. In ‘83/84 they recorded (then re-mixed for MCA’s Stuart Watson) an album’s worth of songs, including Two Worlds Collide with session violin by Stuart Gordon (The Corgis), at Woodside and Rockfield Studios.

Following this, Paul went on to attract the interest of Tom Zutaut, then A & R executive at Geffen Records in Los Angeles.  In 1985 they spent some time, in the UK and US, developing Tom’s vision of a project to be fronted by Paul with the addition of American musicians, introducing keyboard player Brian Leach and additional guitar by Ian Espinoza.  The possibility of a working relationship with John Crawford and Rob Brill (ex Berlin) was also explored in L.A. in 1987, again under Tom’s auspices.

 

After returning to the UK, Paul and 30 Seconds guitarist Tim Price rekindled UK record company interest as they sought to put another band together.  In due course, this resulted in the formation of Lucyhouse and more songs were written, recorded and occasionally gigged during the 1990s.

Paul was playing regularly with Greg Ridley during this period and also wrote additional songs with his characteristic bass in mind.  In 1998 they recorded a batch of these tracks before Greg re-united with Spooky Tooth and Humble Pie.  Poignantly, Paul and Tim performed a selection of the songs at The Party for Greg (The Carling Academy, London) with Mike Kellie and Friends, on November 20th 2004 following Greg’s untimely passing in 2003.

 

Many of these previously recorded tracks stand the test of time and are now in the process of being re-mixed for release.

 

Paul Daffurn’s new songs have an intimate, unreserved quality and require minimal accompaniment, having always been intended for solo performance.  A raw acoustic groove drives them.  As the completion of his first solo album approaches he is gigging again, sometimes joined by Paul Cobbold whose distinctive bow bass adds layers of texture and colour to the hard-edged, percussive guitar sound.