Gray Matter

The 2010 Cornbury Festival might be your last chance to see David Gray perform fortissimo, following his sonically minimalist new album Foundling due in August.

Since his breakthrough album White Ladder in 1999, David has gone on to sell a staggering 12 million albums worldwide and achieved critical acclaim with two Ivor Novellos, in addition to multiple award nominations.

However, his thoughts are currently on the Cornbury Festival and he recounts the last time he played there back in 2007.

“It was such a crazy day,” he laughs. “It was the day of the Live Earth concert… as soon as I finished my set there, I jumped in the car and drove up to play at Cornbury. It was so tight. All the time I was thinking ‘I hope I get away with it’. I eventually got there though and ended up playing an acoustic set. I think I got away with it.”

However, he promises this year a full band will definitely be playing and fans can expect an array of greatest hits alongside some newer material.

“I don’t have a set list really, it changes with every gig. Of course, with festivals and big gigs you have to be leaning towards the big hits. At Cornbury I will definitely be playing some of the big hits; Sail Away, Please Forgive Me, possibly Babylon, a few covers, and a few surprises.”

David is a constantly evolving performer who manages to maintain a consistent level of lyrical sincerity.

The passion in his performances is undeniable, but he admits a few moments of song apathy.

“I’ve never really felt sick of playing any of my songs,” he confesses, “though the only one that comes close is Babylon.

“There was a time when it did take its toll, but you know, I make songs subtly different all the time; it’s the only way you can really keep playing them. There is no point in playing songs you can't stand, it loses its pureness and it ceases to have meaning.”

David is a regular face on the festival scene having played most of the UK’s big ones. He said: “I love playing festivals, the rush of seeing thousands of people in front of you with the sun setting in the distance. It’s special.”

Breaking away from the introspective nature of his previous records, David’s upcoming album Foundling inverts his sound, creating an extrospective and stripped-down musical journey of ‘less is more’, a completely new direction for the acoustic-folk artist.

“I think it’s the bravest music I’ve produced,” he admits. “I really took a minimal approach; stripped down and really out there. I was looking for that pin-drop moment where there is almost silence but not quite.”

As for performing, well, that’s what makes it all worthwhile.

“There’s no question that touring is the best part,” he says. “I think the gigs are more special to me now than ever. Playing music to people is the best bit, it’s a drug. It’s a thrill recording and writing, but all the time you’re thinking about that moment where you get to play it for people.”

David’s tour of his next album will see a departure from the typically lively acoustic, sing-along sets of present. He said: “It will be a completely different approach. It will be acoustically mic’d, quiet, minimal, more like a classical show. It suits the record. I want to turn the volume knob in the other direction. I saw Leonard Cohen in concert, and it was really quiet, you were almost struggling to hear it, but it worked. The music was more pure – it was pristine.”

* David Gray – plus his full band – performs at Cornbury Festival on Saturday (See Page 26). His new album Foundling is due to be released on August 17.