Nick Kingswell

From riding the waves off the island where he grew up south of Melbourne as a child, to riding the tour circuit as a guitarist for multiple Australian musicians, Nick Kingswell, has landed in London, ready to ride into the hearts of Britons. Starting to play guitar at just seven years old, Kingswell spent his formative years surfing, and spending hours on end learning classics such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan. “All my friends played football, but I was too skinny. I was this 12-year-old playing Gary Moore’s Still Got The Blues. That was my trademark song”, he says. When he finished high school in 2004, Kingswell packed everything he owned into the boot of his car and left his island home to live with a bloke he barely knew in a town called Newcastle, north of Sydney. Joining a local band, he got fired after his very first gig for playing too loud. He didn’t walk away empty handed though – they sent him a cheque for $50 via snail mail. After a five-month stint living in Newcastle, and now every media outlet claiming him as a local, he headed to the sunny surf of Sydney’s northern beaches. Determined to make the most of music, he spent the next few years playing gigs by night and surfing by day. Kingswell then went on tour with iconic Australian indie darlings, Angus and Julia Stone, playing guitar for country music girls the McClymonts. After three years of touring and playing with renowned artists such as Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy, Kingswell recollected. “I’m sure I didn’t start playing guitar as a kid to make money and play covers. I moved to Sydney at 18 to be an original artist; it’s been 9 years now, it’s time I did what I said I’d do.” In 2013, giving up coffee and concert guitar, he decided it was high time to say goodbye to the regular paycheque for good and give himself an honest go. Following a breakup, and a month of gigging and 2am red-wine-inspired writing, Nick had over 40 songs, the bones for an album and plans for an Australian tour. Fast-forward to 2014 and Nick has toured down under with good friend Alex Gibson and landed in London just in time to release his debut album, Overeasy. Overeasy is exactly that – music that induces easy, enticing listening. Mixing magical high tones with gentle singing guitar riffs, Nick produces beautiful melodic songs. His lyrics, evidently birthed from the heart, when coupled with a calm restraint, result in a contrastingly peaceful, intense, and heart-warmingly positive album. While erring on the darker side of content, Overeasy is clearly the result of passion and the kind of positivity that comes in hindsight. Songs like Summer Snow and Golden Days are heard like an uplifting phone call from an old friend, while Bad Blood and Kingdoms are a reminder of the stumbling friendships found in love. This album pulls the strings of emotions we know all to well, with a gusto that artists rarely execute so effortlessly. In reality though, this album has been created with great effort, artistry, and an excellent sense of humour. “I know now that you have to try everything. I’ve sat in parks, shared songs, sat in the Swiss Alps and played to a bunch of cows on the side of hill. A guy walked past and laughed. I said ‘Well you’ve got to find your audience somewhere right’?” It’s this quiet confidence and laid back demeanour that allow Nick to captivate his audience, bringing atmosphere and surfer-boy soul to any empty room.