Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Playing in Ireland was tough at the start.. we lost money and life was tough but I knew we had the talent to succeed...
NATHAN Carter has recalled the tough days at the beginning of his career and how he was left heartbroken leaving Liverpool as a teenager in search of fame and fortune.
The country singer scored a huge hit with his version of Bob Dylan’s Wagon Wheel in 2012 but he had spent years honing his craft in pubs and clubs from the age of 16.
Now he regularly rubs shoulders with some of the biggest names in country including Charlie Landsborough, Daniel O’donnell and Lisa Mchugh.
In extracts from his new autobiography Born For The Road, Nathan, 28, whose parents Noreen and Ian are from Newry, Co Down, told how he worried he was making the right decision by leaving his family and his devastated mum to live in Ireland. He recalled: “Soon, the big day to leave my home in my beloved Liverpool arrived.
“As I sat on my bed, looking around my room, I remember questioning myself as to whether or not I was doing the right thing at all.
“I couldn’t look at mum, who was so upset as we packed up my van, for fear it might set us both off.
“So I focused on piling in all my stuff so tightly that you couldn’t get a mouse into it if you tried.
“I knew mum was trying so hard not to cry. I later found out that, having sailed across with me, the whole way back to Liverpool she bawled her eyes out, worrying about who was going to look out for me and what I’d do if I felt scared or lonely in Ireland all by myself. “I may have been 19 but I was still her baby, and I’m so glad I didn’t know how upset she really was or I’d never have settled.
“The reality meant I had very little time to think about what I might be missing back home.
“It was straight to work now the band was set up and a list of dates filled my diary so it really was a case of being thrown in at the deep end.
“I moved across to Ireland in January 2010 and the months before that, had been very busy, recording and promoting the single, recruiting the band.
“Now here I was, just about to dip my toe into the famous Irish country-music scene. I hadn’t a clue what to expect.
“Needless to say, it didn’t happen overnight and, for a long time, we were losing money.
“In those days, it was all about filling the diary at least four nights a week to keep the band in regular work.
“The dance scene in Ireland was our market and it was known Thursday nights would clear the band costs.
“If we were lucky, Friday night might be OK. Saturday was the big one and the night we’d hope to make a bit extra, while Sunday would take a dip again.
“When it came to getting bookings with the venues across Ireland, the general feeling was you were only ever as good as your last gig.
“The second gig after the launch night in Greenvale was in Claremorris, Co Mayo, and then to Dublin to Tailor’s
Rock. We carried on from there, not knowing what type of crowds – or lack of them – to expect along the way.
“These crowds were humble enough and a lot of nights were tough. But we always believed we had enough talent, a decent band and we just had to keep sowing seeds to make it happen.
“The rules of play were that, even if you played to a poor crowd the very first time, most venues would give you a second chance but the third one was the deal-breaker. If it didn’t do well, then they wouldn’t have you back.
“This was pressure, it was real. On top of all that, I was definitely missing home. At times, I wondered if I really was as streetwise and confident as I thought I would be in a new country, in a new home and so far away from everything I’d ever known. “I rang mum every single day, which helped, and Ann, who I was staying with, was very kind to me.
“My parents came to visit as often as they could, as did nan and grumps, but still there were times when I longed for the days when I could see nan in the audience to reassure me that I was doing well and that everything was going to be OK.
“I’d hear her say the words she used to say to me when I was a little boy. ‘Was I good, nan?’ ‘You’re getting better. Keep practising’.
“And with that I’d remember how long I’d wished for this to happen. I couldn’t let it fail. Never for one moment did I think it would fail, even on nights like the one in Slane, Co Meath, when we were so excited and were told it was going to be a big crowd.
“We set up our instruments and PA on stage and even moved chairs to accommodate the anticipated audience.
“The venue manager was in a bit of a fluster, wondering how he was going to accommodate any more than 120 people and he too was moving chairs and tables to try and make more space.
“We did our sound check and then waited backstage for the doors to open and the place to fill up with eager punters.
And we waited . . . and we waited . . . and we waited, until, eventually, I had to go out to the dance hall on my own and offer all 16 people who showed up their money back and a promise of tickets to a future gig.
“It was like a kick in the stomach at the time, but we managed to find some live music elsewhere to entertain us for the evening and after a couple of pints we managed to swallow our pride.
“It is the only time I remember not going on stage to perform and to say it was a humbling experience is an understatement.
“Put it this way, I knew after that never to take anything for granted when it comes to the music industry.”
Born For The Road by Nathan Carter is published by Penguin Ireland and is available in all good bookshops.
It was a kick in the stomach and I knew never to take anything for granted in music NATHAN CARTER BORN FOR THE ROAD