Pauls story starts about 7 years ago, when Paul began to write and perform his first songs. He has been gigging ever since. His first near miss came with the band Dr. Delta, in which Paul was singer, guitarist and songwriter. Their first demo "plastic dreams" found its way to the top of RCA, and the band were asked to come to London to meet with the label.
After this the other members wanted to co-write the music for Dr. Delta. Paul, being a self confessed control freak did not like this idea, and left the band taking his songs with him. He decided that he no longer needed to be part of a band, and resolved to work alone from then on. It suited him.
Paul embarked on a string of solo gigs, with just his vocals and acoustic guitar. This style of playing proved to be an excellent platform for his raw and melodic writing style, and he quickly built up a following all of his own.
At this point, Paul decided to begin work on his debut album, with a view to selling them at his gigs. Steve Daggett (ex Lindisfarne) offered to help with the production and engineering, and work began. With Steves guidance the record took shape quickly. Reluctant to work with other musicians, Paul ended up playing every instrument on the entire album. It ended up being called sketchy little people, as most of the songs were written about people close to Paul, like little descriptions of their strengths and shortcomings.
When work was completed, Paul began to play gigs in London to try and get in front of the right people. It worked. He talked with Independiente and local label RGF records, and even recorded a demo at EMI's London studio for EMI publishing.
Though there was label interest around "sketchy little people", there was nothing concrete. Paul decided that instead of waiting around for the labels he should get back to the studio and start work on a new album, with a view to releasing it independently. Many long days and nights in the studio passed, and these sessions eventually became Pauls new album "a lighthouse keepers diary." Wishing to capture a more live vibe, Paul took the album in a more acoustic direction. Several of the tracks were recorded live in the studio to recreate this live sound. The album also features a multimedia element containing pictures, video, and acoustic versions of selected album tracks.
"A lighthouse keepers diary" was launched at Hyena Cafe in Newcastle. The launch was attended by 420 people, taking the venue close to capacity, an unheard achievement for a 23 year old local artist. The material from the new album has been very well received. After a recent interview on BBC radio Newcastle, the station was inundated with emails requesting Pauls track "a quiet kind of madness" be played again. This track has also been played on local radio station utopia FM, and Alan Robsons Night Owls program on Metro radio, (which is the most listened to radio chat show in the country.)
Early in 2005 A Lighthouse Keepers Diary was released nationally through Pauls own record label, Regulus music. The record was distributed by Absolute/Universal. To coincide with the release, Paul undertook a 26 date UK tour which was a great success, with CDs selling well both at the gigs and in stores. Paul has also done many radio interviews around the UK, including live studio performances on Radio London, amongst others, to promote the album and received rave reviews from listeners who telephoned and emailed the radio stations during the broadcasts. More recently Paul has been touring constantly building up his fanbase, supporting excellent acoustic artists such as Amy Wadge, Karine Polwart, Ewan McFarlane (from the band The Grim Northern Social) and Nick Harper. Paul has also been working with a new band called Delphians. The band has just finished recording their first EP, and have already made somewhat of an impact. Recent projects include shooting a live set and collection of interviews for icoros.com, and playing a festival in Milan. Upcoming gigs include a festival in Millennium Square (expected to be attended by 7000 people) and dates around the UK, Canada and America. The Delphians EP and all of Pauls CDs are available online at the shop section of www.paulliddell.com.
For more information and free downloads visit: www.paulliddell.com. Mob: 07971 011732. Email: paul@paulliddell.com
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