Bio

Crank up the volume!

Jonny Love is back with his sophomore offering COURAGE – and he’s laid down his acoustic guitar and plugged in the electrics. Don’t be fooled by the gentle 36-second instrumental intro. What follows is a blast of raw energy as the Weight of Tomorrow kicks off 12 tracks of soaring, good-time guitar-driven rock and ballsy balladry.

The aptly titled COURAGE marks not only a sonic shift for Love, who established his career in 2008 with his self-titled debut album of warm acoustic indie pop, but also a turning point for him personally as an artist.

Exhausted after endless gigging, Love packed up his guitar and recording equipment and embarked on a three-month trip through South East Asia.

“I had a real writers block for about a year – pretty much the whole of 2009 was
a struggle for me. So my girlfriend and I decided to go traveling,” he says.

Love spent long stretches on the road listening to his I-Pod and found his spirits lifting when he stumbled across a band, which at that point, he knew very little of – Mumford & Sons. “It really was a special moment. I was in a situation where I was utterly captivated.”

It provided Love with the inspiration and momentum he needed and as he travelled through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos he wrote the majority of COURAGE.

“Taking that break was so good for gaining perspective. It made me realise just how much I loved playing the guitar and singing.”

For Love it also sparked the realisation that he had only been showing a very small part of who he was as a musician.

“That’s why I think I wrote this album, to express this other side to me,” says Love, a self-confessed Muse freak, who has long admired the theatrics of lead singer Matt Bellamy.

“I’ve taken it up a notch and it’s so much fun. I love performing – jumping around on stage and I can do that with these songs.”

The album was recorded over six weeks during summer at the Modern World Studios in Tetbury, England, under the guidance of the legendary UK producer Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers and Lost Prophets). Daragh Anderson, the frontman of the award-winning Irish band CODES, also added his expertise to the mix, as did top British sound engineer Clint Murphy.

The end result is a bold and giant leap forward for the Auckland-based singer-songwriter. And while COURAGE is still distinctively a Jonny Love record – with those unmistakable lush vocals - he admits he has taken a risk in shifting from the softly spoken guy behind the microphone to the highly charged frontman rocking out on stage.

But for Love there could be no other way. If the last few years have taught him anything it’s that life is for living and music should be fun.

Band Members:
Jonny Love
Nick Read
Frank Uhl
Gregor McWilliam

Links

• Artist Website
• Facebook Page