London-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer-songwriter Tommy Down is making waves with his soulful mix of jazz, rock, and psychedelic soul. His latest single, ‘Do You Want It All?’, released on 28 February, premiered on CLASH Magazine, while his track ‘Mrs. Blue’ has gained over 5.7 million streams on Spotify alone. A former member of the Bristol-based jazz band BUJO, Tommy has worked with producers like Jeffrey Silverman, Jon Shave, and Jason Pebworth of Invisible Men, and performed at events like Camden Rocks Festival. His music has also featured in six episodes of HBO’s Industry, co-created by his brother Mickey Down. Now producing his own material and performing with a live band, his upcoming 2025 EP promises a fusion of psychedelic rock and soul, inspired by Radiohead, Mitski, and Al Green. With heartfelt performances reminiscent of Paolo Nutini and Michael Kiwanuka, Tommy Down is certainly an artist to watch.
Tell us about you, how long have you been making music? What inspired you to start?
Hey and yeah sure. I’ve been recording music since I was fourteen. Got a small audio interface for Xmas and was hooked ever since. Started a band with my mates at school. We were called the ‘nii-amar children’, which sounded a bit more like a charity than a band.
The music industry is super competitive these days, was there a moment in your life that you wanted to give up on music? How did you manage to stay focused and achieve what you want?
Wow, some hard hitting questions. Yep, there have been moments when I felt disinherited by the methods required to get noticed in this industry. The shear amount of content required for TikTok and Instagram would usually distract me from actually making music. Which made me wonder whether I was in the right industry. It is necessary though.
Playing with other musicians and in a band again is what kept me motivated and reminded me of why I started. Ultimately, to connect with people in real life, whether it’s your audience or with the people you’re playing with. It made it fun again and took me back to my school days. Also managing my days so I find time to write and record keeps me focused and driven too.
How would you describe your creative processes? Are the music and lyrics written in conjunction, or separately?
I usually find some pretty chords and sing random melodies over them. I may then pick out a few words I sung and start to write the lyrics or decide to focus on a theme and write lyrics around that.
I find playing with mates helps bring out good ideas slightly quicker too. Someone else being in the room adds a small degree of pressure and them commenting on the parts they like can also help.
I’ve started writing with my mate Tom Herzberg and even the way he strums the guitar can make me sing differently; which I like. It feels good to get out of your comfort zone.
Where did the inspiration come from?
I wanted to write a song about focusing on your aims and the realisation that you can’t spend all your energy on every scenario if you want to achieve your aims. I also wanted to make sure the song reminded people like this not to lose their loving feeling towards others and not to throw their morals away in pursuit of their goals.
Radiohead, Mazzy Star, Khruangbin and some early Oasis were an inspiration sonically for Tom and I. We wanted it to sound smooth, shoegazery but also rocky and psychedelic.
What’s next for you?
The band and I are playing on the 22nd of March at the Beehive. We’re on at 6:00. We’re looking to play some festivals this summer and I’m releasing my EP later this year which has Mitski and Khruangbin elements in it.
You can get tickets for the gig on Spotify or with this link: https://see.tickets/
