LEO Stannard, acoustic/indie artist from Leicester will tour Ireland for the first time this week dropping into Dolan’s, Limerick this Thursday July 7.
A stunning percussive guitar style and a strong set of fine songs as seen the young artist rack up online views in the 100,000s.
Having been taught classical guitar since the age of nine, he has developed his own unique percussive style. He told Limerick Post this week that he has taking inspiration from the likes of John Martyn, John Butler Trio and Ben Howard.
“I tried to do their kind of style but couldn’t work out how they were actually doing it. So I made up my own style and that is the what you are seeing on the video for ‘Please Don’t’.”
Stannard was discovered by his manager Mark Murdoch when he performed an acoustic version of ‘Please Don’t’ on RT television station (Russia Today).
The tiny village of Ragdale, Leicester provided the solitude for a young Leo Stannard to hone his craft. His second EP ‘Notions’ (2014) featured standout tracks ‘Please Don’t’ and ‘Eliza’, which were both blog favourites and critical successes.
His recent EP ‘Free Rein’ was released via Black Butter Records as was his debut single ‘19’. The song is centred around personal experience for Leo.
“It’s about that first city experience and the loneliness that it brings. It’s about needing that one familiar face for comfort and acting impulsively to see that person.”
Leo has spent the last few months in the studio on the debut album, due in 2017, alongside producer Rich Cooper who has worked with Temper Trap and Tom Odell.
“Rich is amazing, I can come in with lots of crazy ideas and he is an incredible producer and an amazing engineer and is really, really easy to work with as well. “
Though spending more and more time in London now, Leo has been taking time to soak up the atmosphere in his native Leicester since the football club pulled off one of sport’s biggest surprises winning the premiership in May.
He says the mood in the city “is great, everyone is obviously loving it”, though he has ruled out writing a Leicester City FC tribute song just yet.
For this tour Leo is going it alone and has played extensively around England and Scotland already and sets foot in Ireland for the first time this week.
“I’ve been all around Scotland and the UK. I’ve just been turning up to the gig. It is a very kinda relaxed atmosphere. I can tweak the set list and do whatever I want, go with the flow and see how the room feels.”
In his rapidly rising career Leo has gigged since he was 15, playing alongside Maverick Sabre, Tom Odell, Rae Morris and Lewis Mokler, and the like.
But the singer/songwriter is in no doubt as to what his favourite shows have been so far.
“Probably, going on tour with Rudimental around Europe. That was a pretty crazy experience.
“The shows they play are massive and it was a tour that came out of the blue, and we said ‘yeah, we will definitely do that’.
“A crazy time, in a good way!” he laughs.
Leo Stannard will play an acoustic show in Dolan’s this Thursday July 7.
