Tommy Sexton & the Suggestions

Tommy straddles soul, funk and post-apocalyptic yacht rock as smooth as he slips into his silk purple robes and slides on his well-worn deck shoes.

A veteran of Funk Soul music, Tommy burst onto the scene in an explosion of jazz as a bass playing teen with his mates from Kafka the early 2000s, before mellowing into the swinging reggae of Kooii and, along the journey, singing sweet, sweet vocal harmonies with The Melatonin’s and Laneous and the Family Yah. Now, leading his outfit, Tommy is stepping out from the shadows, emerging from his role as perennial wingman and chief provider of groove, and into the spotlight in which he was born to shine.

Tommy draws inspiration from Herbie Hancock to Earth Wind and Fire, D’Angelo to Toto, Quincy Jones to Shuggie Otis as well as his reading on subjects from deschooling to permaculture, to embody a distinct and sexy coupling of imaginative and intelligent lyrics with some damned slinky tunes. In-Joy the ride!

Influences:
My earliest influence was my mum and three sisters (the Sexton sisters) singing harmonies together, while my grandmother accompanied on piano. Their effortless ability to harmonise by ear still amazes me. Through them I discovered and loved Simon and Garfunkel, Carol King, The Beatles and The Beach Boys. I started to get into jazz in my early teens – chiefly Miles and Duke. Then my bass teacher introduced me to Parliament and my love of funk was born! I am influenced by strong songwriting across many genres but close to my heart are Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, The Doobie Brothers, Toto, Herbie Hancock, Steely Dan, Earth, Wind and Fire, MJ, Prince, D’angelo, Domi and JD Beck, Emily King, Benny Sings and Silk Sonic. What started as a studio project with Peter G has grown into a band with some amazing musicians in. I was excited at the prospect of capturing the live sound we have developed, in anticipation of releasing the studio versions of many of these and other songs further down the track.