James Bay has got some Satisfaction..

number one in 2015. But the trailblazer used to b e a real homebody before his, er… train of thought suddenly changed direction. “I wasn’t big into the travelling at all. I was a home bird – unlike my dad. My dad was a wine merchant – he’s now retired – and he used to roll around mainly in the UK. But he’d go to S outh Africa , and

START ME UP James with Mick Jagger at the ‘No Filter’ tour in Twickenham on June 19, 2018

France, and sometimes California,” he said.

“It was music that instilled in me a sense of adventure and desire to travel as well.”

He credits his childhood sweetheart Lucy Smith for giving him the much-needed proverbial kick up the backside to go out into the big bad world and play his music.

They were sitting at home late one night watching either Later… with Jools Holland or Glastonbury when a then 16-year-old James turned to Lucy and said, “I’m going to do that.”

He told me: “And there was a moment that was so pivotal for me when she was rightly – she was cool; she wasn’t, like, kicking me – saying, ‘But there’s a few pubs tonight that have an open mic night going on – shouldn’t you be doing that if you really want to get up there on those stages one day?’

“And the logic is perfect. So, I was like, ‘Very good point’. And off I went and I made sure I could be out doing those three or four nights a week.”

After “doing every open mic night under the sun” in Brighton, James next set his sights on London where serendipity soon played him a winning hand when a professional cameraman was in the audience and decided to record him.

James added, “He said, ‘I really like your set. I’ll put it up on Youtube so you can send it round to people’. And it was at a time when lots of artists were popping up overnight with a million views. But it only got 25 views – literally!

“And some of those views were from a record label who called me up and said, ‘Could we fly you to New York where we’re based? We’d love to hear more songs’. And it all started from there.

“It has been called an overnight success – and I’m completely fine

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL Performing with Ronnie Wood at the O2 Academy, Brixton in 2015

with that, if people like to spin it in that way, that’s ok. But there’s often a good ten years before it ( for many musicians) that have been such hard graft, learning, struggles and failures – and I did experience all of that.

“So, the moment that label in New York decided, ‘We’d love to sign you’, it was exciting because I ’d been through some moments where I thought, ‘Am I any good? Does anybody think I’m worth it?’”

James – who is at pains to praise the support of his brother and mates because it’s “so important to have so many of these people still so prominent in my life who were there before a record company had an interest” – said many of his new tunes are a “tribute” to Lucy.

“The lyrics are the most positive and personal I’ve ever sang because the relationship with my girlfriend is something that has held (strong) through

all of the rollercoaster of the last 10 years; we’ve been together longer than that,” he said.

“And I’ve celebrated it – I’ve celebrated her – I’ve celebrated us. This music is a tribute in a very positive and very personal way. It’s a thank you.

“It’s been a rollercoaster for both of us and she has kept my feet on the ground. I’ve tried to keep my feet on the ground the best I can all on my own, but you need help with that sometimes. She has really done that.

“It’s a show of gratitude and it’s a thank-you, and I suppose it’s a ‘Here’s to the next few year’ – to the future is another one of the things that I’m saying in this music.”

Hear! Hear! To paraphrase the Timbuk 3 song: the future’s so bright, James Bay’s gotta wear shades…

Just to rub some salt in the gaping wound of our gig-free society, the particularly fantastic Sparks (right) were booked to appear at the Limelight on Monday night. Console yourself with the LP that were meant to be touring, A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip.

Released back in May, it’s the band’s

24th studio album and noted for its multiple occurrences of the word “f**k” – somewhat unusual in Sparks’ catalogue - with the Los Angeles Times quoting Ron Mael quipping, “We held off for 23 albums”..

It’s quirky as f**k and well worth a listen – track it down wherever you stream your music from.

It was such a joy to see our twitter feed flooded yesterday with successful recipients of Arts Council NI funding that has started to flow through to the local industry. Details of how £3.8m is being released to over 1,000 different applicants covering film, music,

visual arts, crafts, theatre, drama, literature and every other facet of the creative industries have been announced to widespread relief of an embattled sector.

Congratulations to everyone that submitted a successful application and very best wishes with all of your new projects!