Champagne on Ice – explanation (personal perspective)

This is where it all began – the first song I wrote and recorded. Before I dared to dream of starting a band, I brought this song to my mate Peter G, who recorded it as payment for a bunch of gigs I did for him.

I began working on it in one of the lock downs. It’s about that longing for someone but when that reunion can happen is out of your control. So it’s got the tension between hope – this desire to celebrate, to be together again – and this underlying sense of desperation mixed with wariness and paranoia that was in the air at the time. 

Getting my musical brother Laneous – my longest friend and a musical inspiration – to contribute voice and guitar and Hannah Macklin – another musician and songwriter I have long looked up to – to feature on the second verse, was very special. We brought it up to Paulie B aka Lord Tanuki to finish off recording and mixing. He’s always been my favourite engineer and producer to work with. He is a great listener – to the song but also to the person, the vision – as well as communicator; essential elements of a successful producer in my opinion.