KATE McGILL: Devon sent

This young Devon artist is currently mid-way through a gruelling 34-date tour. Not of theatres, clubs or even pub backrooms… but of coffee shops, and in the early afternoon.

In a quirky take on the tried and tested album tour, Kate is playing songs from her LP Replaced at branches of Caffè Nero. And, as a sweetener, anyone who buys a copy of her limited edition book and CD set gets, yes…a free cup of coffee.

It’s a caffeine-addicted music-lover’s dream. And hopefully, it will introduce her music to a whole new crowd.

“The first album always means the most,” she says. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll look back in 10 years and die from cringing. But right now I couldn’t be happier with where myself and this album are musically.

“I really think I’ve come into my own now. I love it. And I hope listeners do too”.

A very modern type of singer-songwriter, Kate’s reputation has been built almost entirely on the strength of her online offerings. She has over 128,000 subscribers on YouTube, with over 22 million views; more than 43,000 Facebook ‘likes’, and 15,000 Twitter followers.

A YouTube devotee, she admits she didn’t know what she was doing when she uploaded her first video to the site, four years ago.

“I didn’t think anyone other than the people I showed it to would ever see it,” she says, innocently.

How wrong she was. And on the back of her soaring fanbase, the Plymouth pianist and guitarist has uploaded 100 videos: about eight hours’ worth.

What’s perhaps more surprising is she is self-taught.

She explains: “We had a piano in the house for as long as I can remember, so I think my Dad taught me a few things and then I just sort of taught myself.

“I bought a cheap guitar for about £20 when I was 13, and then dabbled with that for two or three years. I learned gradually, learning a chord a year, or something ridiculous like that!”

Her first attempt was a cover of the Bright Eyes hit Landlocked Blues, which became her first YouTube hit. That was followed by her own material – songs she has been writing since the age of 17.

She says that, even now, words come easy.

“I remember saying to myself, ‘I am going to write a song today’,” she says.

“It wasn’t difficult at all. I literally went upstairs to my room and it just kind of happened.”

And most of them made it online.

“What I love about YouTube is there is no middle man,” she says. “You can literally do whatever the hell you want and put it up. People can see all your flaws, everything, and that is what I love about it. ”

But she is no cyber-geek. Kate makes a point of hanging around at gigs to talk to fans… who she prefers to think of as friends.

“It puts them at more of a personal level which I think is important,” she adds.

Her music displays a broad range of influences – ranging from The Pogues to Bon Iver, Ellie Goulding, and classic hits from the 1960s to the 90s. Her album was co-written with a clutch of highly-regarded music industry figures, including Ted Bruner, who has worked with Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and Kesha; and Curt Schneider, who did the same for Lissie.

“I’ve been working on this now for three to four years. That’s a healthy chunk of my life. I’ve grown and learned so much since I wrote my first song Some Days when I was the tender age of 17. I was a loser.

“It was simple back then. I didn’t put a silly amount of thought into what chords I was playing or what I was singing, and, as far as I can remember, I went with the first melody I thought of. I wish I was still that relaxed about songwriting if I’m honest.

“However, I’m really proud of the songs I’ve written since then...and I’ve written a lot. And that’s why I decided to group together the songs that hold the most significance to me and my little life, and unleash them to the world.”

Kate McGill plays Caffè Nero, in High Street, Oxford, on Saturday at 2.30pm. Go to caffenero.com for ticket details. Her album Replaces is available at Caffè Nero or through iTunes.