John Lennon McCullagh (his real name), is a fifteen-year-old from Doncaster, South Yorkshire. He’s been playing guitar and writing his own songs since he was twelve. His latent talent for his beloved six-string was soon followed by mastery of the harmonica. Having returned with his family from several years in Australia to the UK in late 2012, John has been playing low profile shows this year in the north east. These included a support slot with former Housemartins/Beautiful South frontman Paul Heaton at Sheffield’s Mosborough Music Festival in June.
01 How did you first get started in music?
When I heard Bob Dylan’s Positively 4th Street on the radio one day.
02 Who were your major influences and inspirations?
I have a lot, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, The Beatles, Van Morrison, Marc Bolan, there probably the main ones.
03 What shapes your song craft and sound?
Just everyday life in Doncaster, things I see or hear, I come from a very working class family so I think that shapes a lot of it.
04 What types of themes and subjects do you deal with?
Thats for people to decide, if I write a song about something that means something to me, it will probably mean something else to whoever’s listening.
05 How has your music evolved since you first began playing?
A great deal, I was only ever a guitarist, then got into Dylan and wanted to be a singer. And obvisouly doing a lot of gigs will help you a lot.
06 What has been your biggest challenge so far? Were you able to overcome this? If so, how?
I haven’t really had a challenge as such, I guess making the record was a big thing, but it wasn’t a challenge.
07 Do you ever play covers? If you could pick any song, which would you like to cover most and why?
I did when I first started,at the minute I finish my set off with a cover called “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” But if I could cover a song the most it would probably be something like “Ballad Of A Thin Man” by Dylan.
08 How did you get connected with Alan McGee (ex Creation Records) and with the new record label project 359 Music?
He seen me play a gig in Rotherham, and then invited me to a gig in Liverpool, and he said he wanted to sign me, so its all gone from there really.
09 Alan has a reputation as someone who makes things happen in a very vital way, did this draw you in to the bigger plan?
Well if you look at his history of bands you don’t need much persuading haha. The bigger picture for me is i’m in a marathon not a sprint, which also fits in with the way Alan does things.
10 Will there be a Tour or live dates to help promote your album and single releases?
Yeh a lot of shows in December around the country and 1 date in Belgium, and a big hometown gig at the Dome in Doncaster supporting Reverend and the Makers and the Enemy.
11 What can someone who has never seen you live before expect from your live shows?
Live raw energy, coupled with honest music.
12 Who would you most like to record with?
A lot of people, Dylan of course, people like Richard Hawley, Noel Gallagher or someone would be cool.
13 What should we be expecting from you in the near future?
My album comes out on the 14th October, and therefore a lot of live shows taking me up unto Christmas.
14 Can you tell us a half-decent joke please?
Shakespeare walks in to a bar, landlord says get out ya bard.
Web Links:
facebook.com/JohnLennonMcCullagh
twitter.com/JohnMccullagh
soundcloud.com/john-mccullagh
359music.co.uk/johnlennonmccullagh
North South Divide: John Lennon McCullagh (359 Music, cat #359CD1) – Released 14th October 2013
If you thought the young were content with their urban, or grime, or whatever it is, that’s supposed to be the new Rock & Roll this week, you could disabuse yourself of that notion successfully, by listening to this guitar and harmonica-toting teenager.
John Lennon McCullagh (real name) has the storyteller-troubadour bit off pat with his collection of self-written stories, laments, love songs and spittin’ anger-fests that make up his debut LP.
Opening with the no-holds barred ’55 Blues’, this one has no intentions of taking what’s offered to him, with the constant threat to ‘tear a strip outta you’. The ire may be a little misdirected, but what the hell?
Title track ‘North South Divide’ might be a master class at stating the obvious, but I’d beg older listeners to remember what passed for social concern song writing in their youth, before they carp at this particular effort.
An altogether sweeter atmosphere creeps in with ‘Long, Long Way’, with a hint of medieval and some pleasing guitar work, it goes to make up one of the more poetic moments on offer here. Closely followed by ‘Ballad of a Blue Poet’, a melancholic bit of whimsy that bears up to repeat listening.
The bell-like tone of the guitar and gently wailing harmonica of ‘It Never Rains’ are the essential elements of this standout track, its eternal themes of wandering and reunited lovers is perhaps the closest approach to John’s obvious musical model, one Robert Allen Zimmerman of Duluth, Minnesota.
An unquiet ghost from Britain’s political past is given a solid drubbing on ‘Rivers Of Blood’ expressed with surprising authority, and over a barking guitar strum. The cold face of today’s political scene is gazed at in ‘Colour of the Sun’, with a fine rolling rhythm, but sadly to no great conclusion. ‘Slipping Sway’ provides much more to feed on, a mysterious song, it could be disillusionment with life, or politics, or the aftermath of an assault, as you choose to see it.
There’s a touch of Burnage’s Gallagher brothers in ‘Ballad of Mr Henderson’, and the listener might think that the singer is a little young to be so world weary, but try to run with it; he sings a good song.
‘Short Sharp Shock’ gets a prize for sheer aggression here, its heavy, thumping chords whistling up a storm, even if the lyrics sound a little hackneyed.
‘White Rose’ will likely be a lasting favourite, a beautiful tune held up with simple finger style guitar and gentle harmonica, and the fall in the voice at the lyric, ‘the place I know’ makes it linger in the mind long after first hearing.
Closing this LP, ‘The Strand’ is a sprawling effort in the surreal storytelling tradition, much loved and exemplified by the aforementioned northern American poet. A classic saga involving a sea voyage, themes of home and belonging, populated by tramps, sea captains and mysterious ladies, if you’ve a hankering for tales with no end, told for the joy of telling, you’ve come to the right place.
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