A very busy time for a tonne of talent: Ten Tonnes talks ahead of Birmingham show

About to hit the road for a headline tour that sold out weeks in advance, he has now also announced details of a larger scale tour in May – including a headline on Tuesday at Birmingham’s O2 Institue.

The news adds to a year in which Ten Tonnes has made a major breakthrough with the release of his self-titled debut album on April 5.

Opening with a tenacious new take on his debut track Lucy, the album finds Ten Tonnes exploring “the highs, the lows and the in-betweens of love and relationships” throughout a contemporary collection of sharp-witted rock ‘n’ roll anthems.

While Ten Tonnes plays with self-deprecating and unlucky-in-love experiences on the likes of ‘Better Than Me’ and ‘Born To Lose’, the album also explores the relatable emotions of a young man who’s eager to experience life outside of his hometown.

The album features production from Hugo White (The Maccabees) and Dan Grech (Wolf Alice, The Killers, Liam Gallagher) as well as co-writes with Nick Hodgson (Kaiser Chiefs), Crispin Hunt (Florence + The Machine, Jake Bugg, Lana Del Rey) and Luke Potashnick (Charlie Puth, James Blunt). Maccabees’ duo Rupert Shepherd (bass) and Sam Doyle (drums) play on select tracks.

Its lead single ‘Better Than Me’ made a big impression on the radio. Annie Mac was on board for the track’s first play, while further Radio 1 backing included a Maida Vale session for Jack Saunders plus support from Dev and Alice. Subsequent airplay included the daytime list at Radio X and Chris Hawkins at 6 Music. That momentum continued unabated into 2019 with further airplay from Annie Mac at Radio 1, Lauren Laverne at 6 Music and Jo Whiley at Radio 2, where it was added to the C List.

‘Better Than Me’ was also played on Chris Evans’ first show for Virgin Radio, which Ten Tonnes soon followed by landing daytime support.

And to cap it all, Ten Tonnes was featured in YouTube’s Ones To Watch 2019 playlist as well as Radio X’s Great X-Pectations list of the best new music, artists and bands for 2019.

Last year saw Ten Tonnes complete a busy year of touring which he concluded by hitting the UK and Europe as guest to his brother George Ezra. He also played packed arenas with Stereophonics, instigated chaotic scenes with Rat Boy and won over crowds when touring with Tom Grennan.