Jon Gomm Announces New UK Tour 2014 Dates

Singer-songwriter and youtube guitar hero Jon Gomm is taking a break from his international touring commitments to play a few intimate shows around the British Isles. 

He released his latest album Secrets Nobody Keeps last year, with songs described as "masterpieces inflected with tribal rhythms, pop melodic sense and Gomm’s flowing, draped over vocals that would surely make even Eric Clapton blush." Since the release he's been busy traversing the globe, with tours having taken in Africa, China, South America as well as Europe. 

But Gomm is delighted to have a bit of time to reconnect with the audiences he knows best. "Music is communication, and that's easiest when you speak the same language as the people you're performing to," he admits. "My lyrics are really personal, and I try to put that across overseas but it will be really nice to not have to work so hard in that way." 

Jon will be playing songs from Secrets Nobody Keeps, which includes the song Passionflower which has been watched 6 million times on youtube, and which was tweeted to fame in the UK by Stephen Fry, who is among other celebrity fans including Rod Stewart and Chaka Khan.

May 16: London, UK - 100 Club

May 17: Leeds, UK - Holy Trinity Church

May 27: Chester, UK - Telfords Warehouse

May 28: Redditch, UK - Queens Head

May 29: Clitheroe, UK - The Grand

May 31: The Acoustic Festival of Britain, UK

June 3: Brighton, UK - Sticky Mike's Frog Bar

June 4: Milton Keynes, UK - The Crauford Arms, Wolverton

June 5: Maidstone, UK - The Rafters

June 6: London Folk Fest - The Bedford, Balham

Jon Gomm launches Pledge Album Campaign

Virtuoso guitarist Jon Gomm is pleased to announce today that he has launched the Pledge Campaign for his new album Secrets Nobody Keeps, which is already fully written ahead of his extensive UK headline tour in September.

New are songs inspired by his travels and his brain-scrambling experiences over the past year-and-a-half as he shot to fame with his video for Passionflower that went viral after a simple one word Tweet from Mr. Stephen Fry and now has nearly 5 million views.

"I’ve had a lot of stuff I’ve needed to get OUT over the past year" says Jon in an official statement on his website "I think it's my best work yet, and I’m in the process of recording it, but I need your help. Please please visit my Pledge campaign page, where you can order the album, and you'll get it WAY before the official release date."

"If you can afford to help out a little more there's lots of other exclusive stuff you can order, like T-shirts, handmade works of art, signed CDs, a guitar lesson, and even one of my guitars. The more money I raise, the more I can use towards making my album the best it can be. I don't have any music industry support, YOU ARE my support!"

"Here's the link, please use your power by sharing it everywhere you can:

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/jongomm"

Jon Gomm plays the following dates on the Secrets Nobody Keeps UK Tour:
30-Aug-13   Newport - 200 Club
31-Aug-13   Swansea - The Garage
01-Sep-13   Sittingbourne - Avenue Theatre
03-Sep-13   London - Surya ** ADDITIONAL DATE ADDED DUDE TO DEMAND**
04-Sep-13   London  - Surya
05-Sep-13   Bristol - Thekla
06-Sep-13   Devon - The Factory
07-Sep-13   Cardiff - The Moon Club
09-Sep-13   Guilford - The Boileroom
10-Sep-13   Worcester - Marrs Barr
11-Sep-13   Birmingham - Hare & Hounds
12-Sep-13   Liverpool - Leaf Cafe
13-Sep-13   Leeds - Brudenell
14-Sep-13   Manchester - Sound Control
16-Sep-13   Nottingham - Bodega
17-Sep-13   York – Fibbers
19-Sep-13   Belfast - The Black Box
22-Sep-13   Lincolnshire - Alchemy Festival
23-Sep-13   Hull - The Backroom, Cottingham
24-Sep-13   Wavendon - The Stables
25-Sep-13   Bury St Edmonds - Apex
27-Sep-13   Eurocentral - Berits & Brown
28-Sep-13   Troon - The New Troon Folk Club
29-Sep-13   Edinburgh - The Voodoo Rooms
02-Oct-13   Preston - The Continental
03-Oct-13   Newcastle - Cluny 2
04-Oct-13   Macclesfield - Cabin 5150
05-Oct-13   Huddersfield - Bar 1:20
06-Oct-13   Penrith  - Penrith Playhouse

Tickets on sale now via http://www.ticketwerk.co.uk and http://www.jongomm.com

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Jon Gomm Announces ‘Secrets Nobody Keeps’ UK Tour Dates

Leeds based singer songwriter, guitar virtuoso and Youtube viral sensationJon Gomm is today pleased to announce a mammoth twenty nine date solo headline UK tour for September and October 2013. Following a meteoric rise to fame last year after receiving support from a certain Mr Stephen Fry on Twitter, Jon Gomm’s story is the modern embodiment of a musical, metaphorical, rags-to-riches tale that has captivated the imagination of millions of listeners.

After touring the world on the back of the success of his Passionflower video, which now stands at just over 4,249,000 views and counting, Jon is pleased to be able to return to the UK to give something back to the fans that gave his very unique take on acoustic music a voice right from the start, as well as showcase brand new material from his forthcoming album Secrets Nobody Keeps (release date TBC) that will be fan funded via a PledgeMusiccampaign.

His eclectic musical style is drawn, magpie-like, from influences includingMichael Hedges, The Beatles, Radiohead, Steve Vai, John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix and a whole host more, all lovingly appreciated and expertly crafted into Gomm’s signature sound. An ambassador for the appreciation and enjoyment of all forms of music, as well as embodying the true spirit of the 21^st century independent musician, things haven’t always been this good for Jon.

“It’s surreal; it’s really hard to cope with” Jon explains of his newfound notoriety “I’ve spent my life gigging, and the last 10 years doing my take on the solo singer-songwriter acoustic thing. I never cared about being in the shadows, and I fully expect to return to them one day.”

For a man who’s finally clawed his way to success after a long and rocky road of sleeping on sofas and playing in car parks in Barnsley, Gomm is still ever the rationalist and is at pains to stay connected to his roots and his fanbase at every possible opportunity, even if now his celebrity endorsements and TV appearances occasionally get in the way of doing what he still loves more than anything, which is sharing his music with the people who made this all possible; his fans.

"It's been a crazy and amazing 12 months for me” says Jon of the upcoming tour, humble as ever “and that's thanks to my fans here in the UK that started the snowball rolling by sharing my music far and wide, and also for supporting me at tiny gigs all over the country for the past decade. But since I got all popular all of a sudden, it seems I've been playing everywhere else on the planet, and I haven't actually had time for a solo UK tour. So it's about time all my fellow Brits got to see me play the youtube classics, and I've got some new stuff I really want them to hear as well, if that's OK."

Jon Gomm plays the following dates on the Secrets Nobody Keeps UK Tour:

30-Aug-13   Newport - 200 Club

31-Aug-13   Swansea - The Garage

01-Sep-13   Sittingbourne - Avenue Theatre

04-Sep-13   London  - Surya

05-Sep-13   Bristol - Thekla

06-Sep-13   Devon - The Factory

07-Sep-13   Cardiff - The Moon Club

09-Sep-13   Guilford - The Boileroom

10-Sep-13   Worcester - Marrs Barr

11-Sep-13   Birmingham - Hare & Hounds

12-Sep-13   Liverpool - Leaf Cafe

13-Sep-13   Leeds - Brudenell

14-Sep-13   Manchester - Sound Control

16-Sep-13   Nottingham - Bodega

17-Sep-13   York – Fibbers

19-Sep-13   Belfast - The Black Box 
22-Sep-13   Lincolnshire - Alchemy Festival

23-Sep-13   Hull - The Backroom, Cottingham

24-Sep-13   Wavendon - The Stables

25-Sep-13   Bury St Edmonds - Apex

27-Sep-13   Eurocentral - Berits & Brown

28-Sep-13   Troon - The New Troon Folk Club

29-Sep-13   Edinburgh - The Voodoo Rooms

02-Oct-13   Preston - The Continental

03-Oct-13   Newcastle - Cluny 2

04-Oct-13   Macclesfield - Cabin 5150

05-Oct-13   Huddersfield - Bar 1:20

06-Oct-13   Penrith  - Penrith Playhouse

Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday 12^th April via http://www.ticketwerk.co.ukand http://www.jongomm.com

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Cult musician Jon Gomm propelled to popularity by Youtube, Twitter and Stephen Fry

The world beckons for cult guitarist Jon Gomm after a chance posting of his youtube video "Passionflower" sent it zooming well past a million views. The posting on sharing website Reddit has brought global attention to the fiercely independent musician and won him thousands of new fans including celebrity serial-tweeter Stephen Fry who posted a link to the video on Twitter with the single word “Wow!”

After almost 10 years of touring Europe, playing over one thousand gigs, and releasing his own music, Jon’s life has changed.

Jon says: “My previous life - of driving from my home in Leeds to Vienna in my beat-up Astra to play a concert, playing up to 200 gigs a year in pubs around Britain, sleeping on sofas in Rome or floors in Reading and playing in a car park in Barnsley has suddenly changed dramatically.

“So far I've been invited onto national TV in Turkey, Portugal and Holland and, this year, will be touring in around 15 countries on three continents, and my CDs will be finding their way into stores from Germany to Japan.

“It's been crazy, but I felt lucky enough before, just being able to make my living as a musician, so anything more is a bonus.”

Jon, passionate about the guitar since he was a child (he wanted his first guitar at two but his parents, unable to find one small enough bought him a ukulele instead!) has long been regarded, by those in the know, as at being at the top of his game. Acoustic Magazine describes him as “one of the world’s most gifted guitarists”, and other top guitarists including fingerstyle legend Andy McKee, and heavy metal man Devin Townsend have posted links to Passionflower as a must-watch.

Jon, who turned down a place at Oxford University to pursue his passion for music, has always been uncompromisingly independent and his refusal to sign up to the commercialised music world and have his art watered down means he has previously only achieved cult status. But now all looks set to change for Jon, who spent his childhood practising his guitar in the bedroom of his Blackpool home and listening to music by all the world’s greatest guitarists.

His independence is matched by his generosity; in the autumn he launched his download-only Domestic Science Singles Series, on a pay-what-you want basis because he believes music should be available to everyone regardless of their means. He is also donating a percentage of the money paid for downloads to the Happy House, Kenya- a children’s home opened in 2010 by a small Blackpool-based charity,  Children of Watamu.

Jon is modest about the acclaim he is receiving. “I do feel a bit strange being in the limelight, which I’ve always avoided really. Knowing someone like Mr Fry has watched my song and enjoyed it makes me happy, simply because it's like I've paid him back a little bit for entertaining me for years!’’

* Passionflower was inspired by a plant growing in Jon’s small backyard in Leeds. “I put the seeds in a tiny tub, but it grew like a Roald Dahl story until it took over the whole yard then, one day, the sun shone extra hard and 100 flowers all went “Pop!”. It was amazing, so I wrote a song for it.”

View on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY7GnAq6Znw

Website: http://jongomm.com

Jon Gomm - Message In A Bottle (2/5 ‘The Domestic Science Singles Series’), October 31st 2011

One month on from the release of Jon Gomm’s debut single Passionflower - which has so far been watched over 45,000 times on Youtube and played on radio stations on three continents - today sees the release of the second single, Jon’s re-imagining of The Police’s Message In A Bottle.

The video is here :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-fpLmJHLvw


As with all the releases in this “ Domestic Science Singles Series” the song was home recorded, and the video made by keen helpers on a budget of almost nothing. And in keeping with Jon’s DIY ethic, the download is only available from http://jongomm.com/store (no iTunes or Spotify) on a Pay What You Want basis (including free if you choose!) A percentage of all proceeds goes to The Happy House children’s home in Watamu, Kenya.

Thanks to everyone who played, reviewed, blogged about, tweeted or facebooked the last single! All coverage is HUGELY appreciated, and also relayed to Jon’s 25,000+ social networks and 8,000+ email list.

And finally a quick note from Jon: “This song has a strong emotional resonance for me: when I was a kid my taste in music was completely guided by my dad’s record collection – he had thousands of records, so every day was a musical education. But when my mum and dad split up I was left with my mum’s record collection which was... erm... sh*t (sorry mum.) She had one record I liked, so it got played a lot. And this was it. A darkly isolationist anthem of despair. And now look at me. I hope you like it!”

New Jon Gomm single/video Passionflower released today

With a once-seen-never-forgotten two-handed style, both physical and complex, Jon Gomm is an incredible guitar virtuoso, using one acoustic instrument to create drum sounds, bass lines and sparkling melodies all at the same time.

The son of a music critic, musicians would often stay at the Gomm household in Blackpool on the understanding Jon would get a guitar lesson, meaning he had one-to-one tuition from blues legends like Walter Trout and Bob Brozman.

International tours have generated a huge cult following and Jon is regarded by those ‘in the know’ as one of the world’s most talented and innovative guitarists. His videos are watched thousands of times within days of appearing on Youtube, and his home-recorded debut album Hypertension sold over ten thousand copies with no industry backing. The next, Don't Panic, sold out on Amazon within 5 days.

The songs were home-recorded by Jon, and each one has an accompanying video which has been produced by Jon’s fans, keen as always to get involved and help the cause.

A percentage of the sales of the single will be going to Jon's mum's charity The Happy House children's home for kids in Kenya, many of whom have been orphaned by Aids or malaria.

The first single, Passionflower is a beautifully uplifting track where Gomm’s blues and folk inflected vocals soar over the distortion drenched sound steel strings bending and retuning. The accompanying array of percussive cracks and bangs created on the body of his well worn guitar create an ethereal soundscape. Jon describes it as a song about personal growth inspired by a tropical plant which overgrew the whole of his little backyard in inner-city Leeds.

Passionflower blends technical virtuosity on the guitar with an earthy lyrical style to make an everyman anthem.

Future releases in the project will include an instrumental arrangement of a disco classic, a political call to arms, an overblown acoustic-prog meditation on obsession and a cover version of one of Jon’s favourite songs from his childhood.

http://jongomm.com

Jon Gomm: ‘Passionflower’ 1/5 ‘The Domestic Science Singles Series

With a once-seen-never-forgotten two-handed style, both physical and complex, Jon Gomm is an incredible guitar virtuoso, using one acoustic instrument to create drum sounds, bass lines and sparkling melodies all at the same time.

The son of a music critic, musicians would often stay at the Gomm household in Blackpool on the understanding Jon would get a guitar lesson, meaning he had one-to-one tuition from blues legends like Walter Trout and Bob Brozman.

International tours have generated a huge cult following and Jon is regarded by those ‘in the know’ as one of the world’s most talented and innovative guitarists. His videos are watched thousands of times within days of appearing on Youtube, and his home-recorded debut album ‘Hypertension’ sold over ten thousand copies with no industry backing. The next, ‘Don't Panic’, sold out on Amazon within 5 days.

Now, with a nod to the early days of recorded popular music, when people just loved one song at a time, or before that when they bought the sheet music and learnt it for themselves, Jon is releasing a set of singles, beginning with Passionflower - a beautifully uplifting track, inspired by the plant which overgrew the whole of his little backyard in inner-city Leeds, with blues and folk inflected vocals and percussive cracks and bangs created on the body of his well worn guitar.

There will be accompanying guitar 'tab' available, and a video made by Jon's fans, keen as always to get involved and help the cause.

Future releases in the project will include an instrumental arrangement of a disco classic, a political call to arms, an overblown acoustic-prog meditation on obsession and a cover version of one of Jon’s favourite songs from his childhood.

    “Pushes the guitar's envelope, fitting small moments of genius into each and every song”  The Sunday Herald

September 10 SALISBURY 

13 HULL 

14 MANCHESTER

15 SHEFFIELD

16 COLNE

17 NOTTINGHAM

18 ALCHEMY FESTIVAL

24 BOLTON

25 TEESDALE

28 LONDON

30 COVENTRY

 

October 1 BRADFORD

6 HUDDERSFIELD

7 LINCOLN

10 STRATHPEFFER

11 ULLAPOOL

12 LOCHINVER

13 ABERDEEN

21 YORK

22 NEWCASTLE

27 AUDLEM

28 HYDE

29 LEEDS

November 3 ROME

4 FLORENCE

8 MILAN

12 BLACKPOOL

16 PORTSMOUTH

17 SOUTHAMPTON

18 MAIDSTONE

19 LYMINGTON

21 SARRATT

23 MILTON KEYNES

24 WAKEFIELD

25 LIVERPOOL

26 MACCLESFIELD

December 3 DRESDEN

8 STRAUBING

9 SCHWABACH

11 NUREMBERG

15 TRITTAU

http://www.jongomm.com/

 

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