In April of 2009, Jon Byrne, released his critically acclaimed debut album, ‘It’s Boring Being in Control’. The album was born at the start of a national recession and from the personal demons that prowled within the mind of the songwriter. These demons, mainly, manifested themselves from a life spent in the isolated shipbuilding town of, Barrow-in-Furness, situated on the tip of Cumbria’s Southern most peninsula. His lyrics reflected the tribulations of being brought up in such a typical industrial Northern backdrop, where mildly exaggerated stories were told of; being beaten up for dressing differently, wrestling with fat women who demanded sexual favours in return for a solitary cigarette, living next door to Chavs, heavy handed eviction by bailiffs and unconvincing transvestites. These were just a handful of Byrne’s subjects. But it was obvious that at the forefront of these cleverly constructed ‘finger on the trigger’ social observations was that of an angry young man expressing his feelings, pouring out his fury of living within a dysfunctional society and speaking on behalf of a population that could identify with the characters existing within the confines of Byrne’s songs.  

Jump ahead four years to 2013 and life naturally moves on, but with many of those demons extinguished. In fact ‘Life moves on’ is a great way to describe Jon Byrne’s second album, ‘Built by Angels’, again critically acclaimed by the UK music press. The subject matter may have changed slightly to reflect his current mood and the overall emotional content may have shifted away from the ‘angst’ of his first album, but ‘Built by Angles’, undoubtedly, still very much carries that unmistakable ‘Jon Byrne’ moniker.

His music and wordsmithery was once described in ‘Clash’ magazine as ‘taking the Arctic Monkey’s patter to a higher level of sophistication’ and former NME journalist Gavin Martin wrote; ‘Byrne tackles tough reality with splenetic attack, black humour and colourful dramatic songs... This is rock from the rough end of the streets, delivered with guts and passion’.

Jon originally came to prominence when he was spotted by Clash man, Mick Jones, busking on Portobello Road. Jones was so impressed that he booked Jon on the spot for his Carbon Casino bash that night. That went so well that he returned for every subsequent Carbon Casino event and spent several months performing and recording with Mick and his entourage, both on stage and in the studio.

Jon is a past winner of Glastonbury ‘Leftfield’ best new artist award and over the years has won many admirers that  have included; Billy Bragg, I Am Kloot’s Johnny Bramwell and John Cooper Clarke, as well as Clash legend, Jones, himself, to name but a few.

With sharp looking suits, even sharper lyrics, beautifully woven melodies and performances that shake the stage with enough energy to force the needle off the Richter scale, Jon Byrne, is a troubadour for the zeitgeist and provides the perfect escapism away from the continuing recession and the ‘grind’ of 21st Century living.

‘Built By Angels is refreshing, original and utterly compelling' - Seba-Rashii / Culture Zine

'As English as Fish & Chips . . . Built by Angels is a tough album' - FATEA Magazine

'Listen to Jon [Byrne] & hear what he has to say. He's well worth listening to' - AAAMusic

'F**k I love this album (Built by Angels)' - Bob Lawrence / Radio Caroline

‘Hilariously funny songs that tell the truth about real life in this country – simply brilliant’ Chris Salewicz (music biographer)

'Sharp lyrics and dry delivery' - Uncut

'A tender truthfulness that sticks in the memory' - Mojo

'Takes the Arctic Monkeys' patter to a higher level of sophistication' - Clash

'Rock from the rough end of the street, delivered with guts and passion' - Classic Rock

'Built By Angels is an excellent sound vocally & musically' - All FM

'Excellent . . . we like it a lot. It's a great album' - GU2

'This man has a great tone to his voice - really like his songs' - Xpression FM

'This track [Suddenly I Was In Love] is truly beautiful. . . reminiscent of the best of Dylan' - RAM Air

'A big talent that more people need to hear about' - Surge Radio

'Great music with deep lyrics' - Bay Radio



Jon Byrne Music