Tim Hughes talks country life and playing fields and palaces with husky singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti

BY his own admission, Jack Savoretti has had quite a year.

The politely-spoken singer-songwriter, who almost packed up his fledgling music career five years ago after struggling with his second album, has bounced into the big time with a top 10 fourth album, celebrity lifestyle and acclaim for his heartfelt, husky – some might say sexy – acoustic pop.

And now he can add the honour of being a member of the famed Chipping Norton set, having moved with his wife, the actress Jemma Powell (who starred in Alice in Wonderland and The Hole) to the west Oxfordshire countryside.

And, while he understandably prefers not to name the village, he admits to being a huge fan of Oxfordshire – not least for its music scene.

"I love it!" he laughs. "We are near Chipping Norton which is really cool. Everyone we have met is fascinating. There's a good mix of people and not everyone is doing the same thing."

So what brought him out of the capital and into the Cotswolds? "Schools," he smiles. "There are some of the best schools in the country. State schools in London are tough and the private schools are ridiculous. It's also close to London but not completely cut off and is real countryside – and I've always loved the countryside."

Raised in Switzerland by his Italian father and English model mother, he is a fan of the great outdoors. "I grew up in the countryside and definitely feel at home here.

"And it's funny because we are living near some of our favourite festivals, like Wilderness and Cornbury."

This year he can add two more to that list. Tomorrow he is special guest star at The Corrs show for Nocturne Live at Blenheim Palace, then, next month he joins the likes of the Manic Street Preachers, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Kodaline, Jurassic 5 and Mystery Jets for Truck Festival, in Steventon.

"Blenheim is going to be great, and Truck is a pretty old school classic festival with a really great line up," he says.

Oxford Mail:

"It's going to be fun to do this with The Corrs in such an awesome venue. I played the Grand Prix Ball there last year and it's one of those places you feel a bit awkward compared to the places we are used to, but I can quite happily adapt and get used to.

"I'm in need of both in my life – I like canapes and I like warm, flat cider! If not I get bored. I like to bounce in and out.

"I can be a gentleman at Blenheim and a rocker at Truck festival."

He goes on: "You can go to fantastic places and get away with stuff because you are the band.

"It's the only industry where I'd have a chance to travel like this and play, yet feel it's acceptable to complain about how uncomfortable the leather seats are on the tour bus. We are a strange breed."

And which show will the family be coming to? "They'll come to both," he says. "And we'll definitely try and stop by at Cornbury and Wilderness – I love Wilderness! And the Big Feastival too. That's why we feel at home in this area."

He laughs when he looks at how his luck has changed. "A year ago I was in a Sprinter van playing basements and dreaming of this kind of tour. But everyone who is with me now has stuck with me and been with me for the past two albums."

The success of last year's Written In Scars, which charted at number seven, stands in contrast to previous outing Before the Storm, which failed to make the top 100.

It also exceeds his acclaimed 2007 debut Between the Minds, which made the UK top 70, and the top 5 of the indie charts. It was that first album, and single Between The Minds, which earned him his first break, being asked by Corrine Bailey Rae to support her on her European tour, playing to 9,000 fans at the Hammersmith Apollo.

When the second album Harder than Easy, struggled to ignite, he decided to hang up his guitar and get a proper job. He was 27, had just married and had a child on the way.

While wondering what to do next, a song came into his head. And stayed there.

That song was Knock Knock.

He says he felt re-inspired and re-invigorated

"It was like starting all over again," he says.

"This is not just a passion, it's a job that's keeping us afloat. It's not enough to just believe in yourself, you have to bring home the bacon, and I am now more prolific and confident.

"Anything can happen if you stick around. Magic moments come along, like playing Blenheim. And you have to enjoy them as you never know what's going to happen.

"But I don't like repetition. I can't wait to get into a venue and then can't wait to get into a field. You've got to keep it fresh."

And he is making the most of country life, enjoying walks over the fields, visits to local hostelries and membership of the exclusive Soho Farmhouse at Great Tew. "They've done it really well," he says. "It fits well into the vibe of the members too. It's great at the weekends to go for dinner."

He goes on: "The whole area is mindblowing. Every time we venture out there's another brilliant pub. I wake up to the clip-clop of horses and think 'are we allowed to do this?' Life is so different from London, you feel guilty.

"It's nice to see the stars, and there's really bad phone reception, which I love.

"It's crazy to see the difference in the kids, too. It's been like releasing animals from the zoo back into the wild,

"They are so much more confident and know what to do when they see a tree...climb it!"

  • Jack Savoretti supports The Corrs at Nocturne Live at Blenheim Palace tomorrow. Nocturnelive.com
  • He also plays Truck festival at Hill Farm, Steventon, near Abingdon, from July 15-17. truckfestival.com