Willow Robinson always knew he wanted to make music.
Growing up in a small town in Herefordshire, the songwriter was uncovered by Alan McGee, who helped provide the newcomer with his break.
It was a chance Willow Robinson seized with both hands. 2016 passed in a blur, with the songwriter played countless shows across the country and beyond.
Hitting the States, each new show, each fresh experience has emboldened his music – the coming year could be very special indeed…
With that in mind, Willow smuggled out a playlist from the tour bus for your January delectation.
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Angus Stone – 'River Love'
This song always conjures vivid memories. Me and my best friend played it ceaselessly whilst driving from LA to San Francisco for the first time. It was the most beautiful sunny day, combined with incredible landscapes the whole way along the Pacific Coast Highway. He is the same friend that I wrote my most recent single with, 'Ocean Blue'. It was one of the first time I felt truly free and without any restrictions, everything i knew was thousands of miles away and we were going into the great unknown.
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Beck – 'Wave'
Again another piece of music that perfectly matched the time and place. This time I was driving through the baron, heat stripped desert, heading to Austin Texas with the band Lime Cordiale to play SXSW. The combination of psychedelic music and the mind blowing surroundings made a lasting impression on me; cactus's looming ominously like figures, silhouetted against as the sunset.
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Lana Del Rey – 'Brooklyn Baby'
'Like Beat poetry on amphetamines'. I think I was reading On The Road by Jack Kerouac when this album had just come out. We were in Denver, and I just remember sitting in a stupor, high on legal marijuana, an insane rainstorm crashing against the car as we drove south, reading the very relevant book. Lana's haunting vocals get me every time and take me back in an instant.
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Led Zeppelin – 'Kashmir' (Live Celebration Day)
This is a real thunderstorm of a track. It’s the epitome of drama and raw emotional power, it’s like the ocean during a crazy storm, crashing against the rocks. This song immediately gets us pumped before a show, and for me almost gives this mad feeling of transcending my physical being and contacting some higher mental state. Its fury and drama course through my veins, and I don't think I’ll ever tire of hearing it.
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The Rolling Stones – 'Can't You Hear Me Knocking'
Another song that when it comes on, you just want to look up to the sky and marvel at life. The opening riff is killer, Keith was on fire and he must have known it. The moment I turned 21, I remember putting this on to usher me into adulthood. It will always be a classic, in 50 years I’ll still be listening to it.
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Frank Ocean – 'Bad Religion'
I have been listening to this song a lot recently whilst touring, the line 'if it brings me to my knees, it’s a bad religion', really resonates with me. Religion and love are meant to empower us.
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Bob Marley – 'Could You Be Loved'
I can’t express in words how much I love Bob Marley. If ever we are on the road, feeling a little drained and down, I put this track on and suddenly everyone is smiling and singing along. You can’t listen to Bob and not feel the happiness of being alive.
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Stay in touch with Willow Robinson online HERE.
