Big Break

IT’S a horrible thing to say, but sadness suits some people.

I mean, we all like peace and love, and all that, but does it make great art? Not necessarily.

The best art, literature, drama and even science is born from adversity. And the same goes for music.

Take singer-songwriter Jon Allen, whose best work has been inspired not by falling in love, or chasing butterflies through meadows, but by heartbreak That record, Sweat Defeat, may find Jon in maudlin mood, but, boy, does it suit him.

“This is my break-up record,” says the Devon guitarist, who first came to our attention when his song Going Home was chosen for a Land Rover ad – a coup which not only paid for his debut album Dead Man’s Suit, but assured his place on radio playlists and won him a slot on Jools Holland’s show.

“It is all down to a lady,” he says. “I was with someone and it didn’t work out.”

That someone was acoustic singer Charlene Soraia, who, he admits has heard and likes the result.

“A lot of the songs are of loss,” he goes on. “It starts off upbeat and positive but there is darkness there, and the rot soon sets in.”

It makes for compulsive, and, mercifully, not especially miserable, listening.

“The first album was 10 years in the making and I jokingly call it my Greatest Hits. But this was all written in the space of 10 months. And while the tone and instrumentation is similar at first, it is a sweeter record.

“I’m a magpie and steal from life, and I suppose it was worth splitting up to get an album like this,” he says, tongue-firmly in cheek.

“In fact, some people do it deliberately. Many songwriters need serial instability in their relationships and feel they constantly need to be on the edge of something. But for me, it was just one of those situations where I didn’t realise what I had. A lot has changed in my life in the past two years and I have been all round the place. And while I’m not exactly famous, success does change things, especially if you’ve previously lived in a completely different way. I was a bit of an idiot and overlooked something that was good.”

Jon, 34, is at home in South London, preparing for a European tour which sees him return to Oxford on June 8.

So how is life in the capital treating this West Country lad?

“Well, I was born in Hampshire and spent a lot of time growing up in Devon, so I’m still a country boy at heart and there are lots of references in my music to nature,” he says.

With renewed interest in the singer-songwriter genre, he feels well placed to comment on the state of what is becoming a crowded scene.

“So many singer-songwriters sing about their pain. Sometimes you just want to say ‘get a diary!’ Don’t do this to us,” he says.

“But, while there are a lot out there, there is something organic and self-produced about the music, with a rustic quality to it.

“Still, I guess for every good thing there is a bad thing; for every Led Zeppelin there’s always a White Snake.”

Jon’s endearing modesty and self-effacing humour belies a tremendous talent which has earned him fans across Europe. Holland’s biggest film star Carice Van Houten is an admirer and has sung his praises in the Netherlands, earning him a surprisingly big fan club in the country, while, closer to home, actor David Morrissey and James Morrison are fans who have been spotted at his shows.

“We are all fans and geeks aren’t we?” he says. “I still get excited by meeting famous people. I had a row with Seal over dinner once, which was strange. Oh, and I bumped into Barbara Windsor in a disabled toilet at the BBC the other day. I wanted to have my photo taken but I didn’t have the courage.

“I once did an Elvis concert and Priscilla and Elvis’s own band were there. When that happens, all of a sudden you become a fan boy. We’ve all got our weaknesses.”

But he saves the most impressive encounter until last. “I’ve met Paul McCartney a few times too, which is quite freaky as the Beatles thing was huge for me,” he says.

“I studied at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA), founded by Sir Paul, and had a masterclass with him. It was a great experience and he was very gracious. He knew what it was like to be Paul McCartney and how to calm people down.

“To meet people like that and know they are not mean is great.”

As we carry on, Jon gets ever more philosophical.

“It’s an odd life,” he sighs. “One day something good happens and then something bad comes along. I don’t known how much I’ve changed; maybe someone can tell me. I’m just lucky success has come at this stage in my life; if it had happened when I was 18, I might have been a complete idiot.

“I do feel I’ve matured with this album, though, and I’m quite proud of it. Now I’m champing at the bit to do another.

“I’m thinking about making a soul record and maybe getting a bit more into rock. After all, I’ve done the sadness and bitterness, now it’s time to do something harder!”

* Jon Allen plays the Jericho Tavern, Oxford, on June 8. Tickets are £10 from wegottickets.com.

He also plays Glastonbury Festival on June 26 (glastonburyfestivals.co.uk), and Cornbury Festival, Charlbury, on July 3 (cornburyfestival.com) Sweet Defeat is out on June 20.