The music just tends to be a vehicle for that poetry.

My idea of heaven is a place where the Tyne meets the Delta, where folk music meets the blues

My idea of heaven is a place where the Tyne meets the Delta, where folk music meets the blues.

I had a lot of jobs before I got into music. When I was 15, I was a copy boy for the 'Evening Chronicle' in Newcastle. Then I was a journalist. I value those experiences - I got to see how the world works.

For me, songwriting is really where it's at. I turn to use the guitar just to help me write the songs. That's it. As a result, my guitar playing suffers pretty horribly.

I don't know whether your heart ever necessarily changes, but time changes the way that you perceive the world. And you just hope it gives you more empathy and all those other things.