„I support Record Store Week, because shops are important for a shared listening experience. I want to be able to stroll through my musical past and sift through the music of the future. I also enjoy images, titles and being bombarded by bands and artists that I wouldn’t normally listen to.“

How important is the specialized trade for you in times of the Internet and MP3, as a musician as well as a customer and music fan?

Shops are important to me and specialized music shops even more so. I am still hungry to have artwork and lyrics on physical product, plus I feel it’s important for music consumption to be a shared experience.

What meaning do record stores have for the music culture in the general and for your music in particular?

To be able to walk into a record shop on the street has always been a buzz for me. It’s even more of a thrill be walk into a record shop and see my own product on sale.

When and where did you buy your first records or CDs and what memories do you connect with record stores?

I bought my first record in a small record shop in Pimlico. It was one of the Shadows’ tunes called Man of Mystery – a guitar instrumental. I was nine years old. Sweet shops had given way to music shops. I realize now that I was growing up. I remember asking assistants to play the records they had available. We all bought singles in those days. By the time I was buying albums at the age of twelve I felt proud to be travelling on the London Underground (subway) carrying my new prized possession.

What are your current CD tips and which musicians and albums should not be missing from any CD shelve?

I love listening to old Crosby Stills and Nash and Blues albums, but I appreciate the music of newer bands such as Muse and Porcupine Tree. I also love classical music. I think that all these albums should be on the CD shelf.