With a flair for penning reflective and tender songs drenched in melancholy and warmth, Tom McShane has firmly established himself as a musician of rich lyricism and soulfulness since his foray onto the music scene in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2003. Performing steadily since then, McShane has been calmly gathering a devout following with his stirring and eloquent song writing and quietly evocative performances. McShane began his musical career playing guitar in various indie bands such as Roque Junior. Even before this though, at the tender age of 13, he was dabbling in song writing. ‘My mum had an old classical guitar’ recalls McShane. ‘She told my sisters and I that the first of us to learn 10 songs could keep the guitar. But I was never really interested in learning other people’s songs so I wrote 10 of my own. It was cheating, I guess, and the songs were terrible but I got the guitar. I still write most of my songs on that guitar.’ McShane’s current output as a solo artist has garnered him a reputation for creating heart-felt, lo-fi melodic musings and comparisons with the likes of Nick Drake and Will Oldham have ensued. ‘People keep putting me in that lo-fi, slow core bracket which I’m quite happy with’ reflects McShane. ‘I certainly think there’s no shame in being labeled as such, I’m in highly esteemed company. But I’m sure when people make such comparisons they’re referring to the style and not the quality of my music!’ It’s this humbling modesty that has held McShane in good stead and it shines through in his music and live performances. ‘I started playing solo shows in 2003. I’d recorded a lot of songs for my own amusement and I hadn’t really intended to do anything with them. But I put a little mini-album together of my eight favourite tracks. I called it ‘Songs are Sad’. I gave a few copies to close friends and they passed it on to their friends and the whole thing snow-balled.’ When it comes to creating his own particular brand of lush and longing compositions McShane reveals ‘There’s no formula to it really. I write when I’m motivated to by events or emotions. I like to write songs with a strong narrative and hope that I’m becoming more skilled as a story teller. I just hope my ideas are good, that I articulate them well and that an audience can find something in there they can relate to.’ With McShane’s growing popularity it would seem that audiences can indeed relate to his music. It’s also apparent that with bands such as Oppenheimer covering his material, other musicians are taking notice too and are equally enthralled by his material. The bruised and achingly delicate ‘Don’t Call Me’ from ‘Songs Are Sad’ was covered by Oppenheimer and lends itself surprisingly well to its shimmery electro-pop interpretation. ‘When I was making “Songs are Sad” I deliberately tried not to get sucked into the signer/songwriter ‘woe is me’ trap but when I had almost finished it I realised that it was a lot more downbeat than I’d intended. That’s why I gave the CD that title and I wrote the title track as a little joke at my own expense.’ With artists like McShane doing the rounds, it would appear that the music scene in Northern Ireland has never been so strong. Musicians based here are able to make their music accessible to audiences, who seemingly can’t get enough of it, in ways never possible before. ‘The scene is so vibrant at the moment’ comments McShane. ‘Hard working acts like Oppenheimer and Duke Special really deserve all the success they get. Not only are they making fantastic music, but they really work to make it happen for themselves. And look at Snow Patrol, a few years ago they were on the verge of calling it a day. There are so many other great bands on the cusp of breaking through. There’s really no shortage of talent here.’ With McShane taking his place amongst the up and coming, he plans to continue writing and recording songs. With a tour of the States in December its evident doors will continue to open for him and he seems to be relishing the opportunity to greet new listeners and grace their ears with his enthralling and intimate body of work. ‘I’m writing and demoing material for my first full length album. I’ll be recording that early in the new year if all goes according to plan. I really want to push myself to do as much touring to promote it as possible. I don’t think I’ve come close to realising my full potential. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to reach a new audience. I want to see how far I can take this.’ www.myspace.com/tommcshane James Gracey, Culture NI.com