There’s no doubt that Tommy Reilly is the hottest new breakthrough artist to come out of Scotland for years.
In just a few short months this 19-year-old from Torrance near Glasgow has sold out two Scottish headline tours (including iconic venues the Garage and ABC), played a series of summer festivals including Glastonbury and T In The Park, won the Young Scottish Entertainer Of The Year Award, had his debut single Gimme A Call debut in the top 20 of the national singles chart and recorded his debut album with Grammy and Brit award-winning producer Bernard Butler.
Tommy signed to A&M (home to Duffy, Dan Black, Courteeners) in late 2008 after winning Orange Act Unsigned. He immediately hit the road, playing to packed venues across the country, before returning to Scottish musical hero Edwyn Collins’ studio to make his debut album Words On The Floor with Butler.
You won’t find many he-shoots-he-scores songs on the debut album. Rejection by girls, he happily admits, is a greater inspiration than striking lucky. ‘It’s not like I’ve had loads of girlfriends - but there’s lots of girls I’d like to have gone out with.’
It’s that unassailable optimism, perhaps, that makes Tommy such an instinctive writer of pop songs. Tracks like Grab Me By The Collar, Jackets and Kick The Covers are all stand outs. ‘It’s funny,’ he says. ‘The words look mega-depressing but the tune’s always bounce’.
It was this young Scot’s live set - he sings, plays guitar, piano, drums and harmonica – that first got him noticed and has since endeared him to a legion of fans across Scotland and the nation.
Check out his latest national tour dates below -
September
Thu 17 Heaven, Headliners festival London
Sat 19 Monkey Bar Kilmarnock
Sun 20 Lemon Tree Aberdeen
Mon 21 Ironworks Inverness
Tue 22 Concert Hall Perth
Thu 24 Fat Sams Dundee
Fri 25 ABC Glasgow
October
Thu 1 Academy 2 Newcastle
Sat 3 Reloaded Festival Stirling
Sun 4 Spring & Airbrake Belfast
Mon 5 Nerve Centre Derry
Thu 8 Academy 2 Bristol
Fri 9 Joiners Southampton
Sat 10 The Hippo Plymouth
Mon 12 Sugarmill Stoke
Tue 13 The Globe Cardiff
Wed 14 The Garage London
Fri 16 Academy 3 Manchester
Sat 17 Bodega Nottingham
Mon 19 Academy 2 Sheffield
Tue 20 The Musician Leicester
Wed 21 Freebutt Brighton
Fri 23 Orange Box Yeovil
Sat 24 Academy 2 Oxford
Sun 25 Academy 3 Birmingham
Tommy’s debut album Words On The Floor is set for release September 21st on A&M/ Polydor
