Walking with Neil Thomas, musician
Songwriter and lead singer of Pavey Ark on songwriting, musical inspirations and walking in the landscape that inspired his band name
“Sometimes they just come out of thin air.”
That’s how musician Neil Thomas describes where he gets the ideas for his songs.
Neil’s the lead singer and songwriter of Pavey Ark – a fast-rising alternative folk band from Hull in East Yorkshire. Formed in 2016, Pavey Ark set themselves out as a simple folk band, although they’re anything but. Neil’s thoughtful lyrics are brought to life through atmospheric vocals, finger-picked guitar, melodic bass and complex percussion – often backed by a miniature orchestra of strings and horns. The result is a beautiful sound that tugs on your heartstrings.
Pavey Ark's first live performance was for BBC Introducing in 2016. Four months later they played at Glastonbury Festival. Since then they’ve played at major festivals and venues across the UK, sometimes opening for acts like This Is The Kit, more often these days appearing as the headline act. They launched their debut album, Close Your Eyes and Think of Nothing, in 2020 and they’re currently putting the finishing touches on their second album, More Time, More Speed, and gearing up to play at SXSW in 2025.
Neil’s a bit of a walker, so he and I caught up to chat about songwriting, walking and all things in between.
Ey up, Neil! We went to the same school and we’ve known each other for years, so for the benefit of our readers at home, please introduce yourself
I'm Neil and I'm the singer/songwriter in the Hull band Pavey Ark. My normal day job is a freelance graphic designer. I like being freelance because it means I can take chunks of time off to work on music between jobs. Maybe after the next album though I can retire to a mansion with a guitar-shaped swimming pool and not have to work anymore? 😂
Sounds like the perfect approach to work and life. So how’d you get into music?
I've been into music all my life but I remember really getting into it when I was about 13 or 14-ish when I got into metal/rock like Iron Maiden and Guns N’ Roses. I got my first guitar for Christmas when I was 14, then I started a band with my mate Paul, who lived around the corner. We recorded an EP called Dead Loss Bros. The song titles were Tight Zebra Pants, Lugworms in Paradise, Dr Poopendaker. Neither of us could play, it was an absolute noise, but a good laugh.
Listening to your folk music, it’s hard to imagine you were into metal when you were 14. Who are your musical influences these days?
Loads really. I maybe sway towards more melancholy stuff – Radiohead, Aldous Harding, Rodriguez, The Smiths, Jackson C. Frank, Nick Drake, The Walkmen, Fleet Foxes, Sharon Van Etten, that kind of thing.
That’s a lovely mix. What’s the first record you ever bought?
I used to tape lots of albums off friends, as I didn't have much cash. But the first album I bought from a shop was Def Leppard’s Pyromania, on tape, which I got from Woolworths. The first single I bought was Bassomatic’s Fascinating Rhythm, so quite different!
I used to tape things off the radio. Maybe it’s a Hull thing – I don’t think many of us had much cash when we were growing up! Pavey Ark is an interesting name for a band – how’d you get the idea for it?
It's the name of a hill in the Lake District. I used to go walking there with mates and always just really liked the name. I found it to be quite mysterious and it’s a really beautiful place – and our music is quite chilled and beautiful, so I think it’s a good fit. 🙂
Your music is definitely chilled and beautiful. When did it all start coming together for you?
The first time we ever played live was on BBC Introducing Humberside. We also played lots of gigs in and around Hull. But we got a lucky break with a slot at Glastonbury the first year we got together – which was absolutely amazing but utterly terrifying as we're not that confident players.
We should probably mention the rest of the band. At its heart, Pavey Ark is you, together with Johnny Hamilton on bass, Sam Handley on drums, and Chris Heron, Alex Simpson and Vicky Berry on violins – but you often invite other musicians to play at your gigs. How does that work?
It's mainly because we play with lots of strings, so for a big gig we might play with a string quartet and full band. The next gig might be a support slot with just bass, guitar and a violin. Because strings are a big part of the sound we have a little pool of players, so we keep our fingers crossed that there’s always someone available.
At the Middleton Hall album launch gig in Hull, and also on the Glastonbury acoustic stage, we had a huge lineup of 13. But that's just because we had an extended string section. With strings you can just keep adding and adding – the more the merrier. Maybe we need a kettle drum player? 🥁
We’ve recently started playing with horns, too, with Kieren Iannidinardi and Simon Neligan on trumpet, plus Sophie Iannidinardi on sax. And we have other amazing string players we bring in for big gigs. Everyone is very much part of Pavey Ark and we’re lucky to all be good friends.
The Hull music scene is pretty special and I love how you all support each other by going to each other’s gigs and sometimes joining in for an impromptu jam together. Thinking about your music, where do your song ideas come from?
Sometimes I have titles already written down, ideas or themes for songs, but the actual song comes later. Sometimes they just come out of thin air. I've had a couple come in dreams. Cuckoo was from a dream. I woke up in the early hours of the morning with this tune running around my head and I got out of bed and put the rough idea down on my guitar. The neighbours hate me!
Those sound like some pretty sweet dreams, TBH. What comes first: the words or the music?
Nearly always the music with a tune/melody for the words. Then the words start emerging as I play. If I have a title, I know where I want it go already.
Do you ever get stuck when writing a song?
I’m lucky that when I write a song it all comes quite quick. If anything, I end up with too many words and ideas and I have to trim it down and pick my favourites. The song keeps running round my head for a few days, so extra words or tunes keep popping up and I scribble ‘em down or record them on my phone.
Speaking of phones, is it headphones or head in the clouds?
When I go walking in the Lakes I'm usually with friends, so I don't have the headphones on as I'm chatting. When I walk with headphones I usually like to listen to an album. The last time I worked in London, I used to walk from King’s Cross to Shoreditch rather than get the Tube. It was just the right amount of time to listen to an album and watch the world go by.
That’s an excellent measure of time. I live in Shoreditch, so I’m going to walk from King’s Cross, listening to your album, to test it out. Does walking help you with your music in other ways?
I think it helps to clear my head. We have a studio on a farm near Hull, so if I'm down there and I’ve got stuck, or just need a break, it’s nice to go for a short walk across the fields.
That sounds like the perfect place for a studio. I’m a bit jealous. What’s your walking style?
Happy Hiker
Reluctant Rambler
Sunday Stroller
Wild Weekender
Probably a Happy Hiker, but with ‘occasional’ tagged on the front. I don't get out enough.
If you could take a walk with any musician, alive or gone, who would it be?
Tricky one. Maybe John Lennon... Imagine the stories he would have. I’d love to know what he thought about 2023. And he seemed chatty, so I could just listen. I'm not that talkative. 🙂
Tell us about the tea towels
It was just an idea. We had a handful printed for our Leaf by Leaf EP launch. They sold so fast we should probably stop making music and concentrate on kitchenware. 😂
What song do you want to add to The Writer’s Walk playlist?
Can I have two?
First up is Time Comes in Roses by Bess Atwell. It's a song that just popped up on Spotify but I got completely hooked on it. It’s probably my most played song this year. It’s just stunning.
My next choice is Wandering Angus by Jolie Holland. It’s an amazing song and ties in with the theme of walking and writing. All of the lyrics come from a poem called The Song of Wandering Aengus by W.B. Yeats. It's not an easy thing to take a poem and turn it into a song. I'm not sure if she was the first artist to sing it but her version is absolutely gorgeous.
I've always felt that some songs sound like poems, so I assumed they’d be a natural choice for musicians
Perhaps when you write a song you can choose words that have pleasing sounds and vowels that fit with the music. But with poetry you might not pay so much attention to that, so when they’re put to music it might not always work so well.
That’s an interesting take on setting poems to music. And two beautiful recommendations, which I’ve added to The Writer’s Walk playlist alongside a few Pavey Ark songs. Let’s wrap this up with a quick, one-word round:
One word to describe your music?
Beautiful (I hope)One word to describe how you feel about walking?
EscapeOne word to describe how you feel about songwriting?
Escape
Thanks, for chatting with me, Neil. It’s been super interesting hearing about your musical inspirations and how you approach songwriting – and particularly interesting to hear your views on how tricky it is to set a poem to music.
You can listen to Pavey Ark’s latest single, All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace on Spotify and it’s also on The Writer’s Walk playlist. Oh, and if you know any kettle drum players, send them Neil’s way!
Happy walking and writing until next time,
Sarah
More from The Writer’s Walk
If you enjoyed this interview, check out Walking to music. It’s the edition where I launched The Writer’s Walk Spotify playlist and paired it with a music-inspired writing prompt where you get to bring an imaginary album to life.
I love reading The Writers Walk and was delighted to be in the first music feature x