Billy Lockett discusses new single, London gig and debut album Abington Grove

Billy Lockett released his latest single Last Thing On Your Mind last week and the Northampton singer songwriter is gearing up for one of his biggest headline gigs in recent years and the release of his debut album.

Lockett will play the Islington Assembly Hall in London next week with the album Abington Grove following in February.

As he looks ahead to both and reflects on the fourth single from his forthcoming debut, he admits for the first time in a long time, he’s happy and that things are on track.

“I think I'm in the best mental state I've ever been in,” he begins.

“I’m waking up in the mornings, going to the gym and clearing my head. I'm enjoying the team I work with and finally releasing the album.

“Life is actually, for the first time in a long time, on track.”

New single Last Thing On Your Mind follows Hard Act To Follow, Not Okay and Freaking Out which have all been released this year.

And, while his debut album is now only months from release, he admits it still hasn’t sunk in.

“I don't even know what I'm expecting to feel when it’s finally out there,” he says.

“You build up all of this anticipation and part of me is slightly worried because I feel like I’m putting an album out in a world where the album format has probably never been less important really.

“But, I think with me and my fans, it doesn't matter, we’re in our own bubble.

“My fans have been waiting for an album and it’s nice to be able to give them what they want, regardless of whether we exist in a TikTok world as well or not.”

Abington Grove is named after the road Lockett grew up in.

He wrote and recorded the album in the basement of the house which belonged to his father.

It follows 2021’s Reflections and EP 2020’s Reset EP.

Grove Road is released on February 17 and is available to pre-order on regular and limited-edition vinyl, CD and digitally.

Some of the songs on the 12-track record were written by Lockett almost a decade ago.

“The oldest song on there, We Used To, I wrote nine years ago and that is actually one of our favourites,” he explains.

“I guess I've been writing the album for nine years, I was supposed to put an album out when I was about 25 with Warner but things didn't work out.

“Then there was Covid, which happened just after I did The Late Late Show with James Corden.

“It feels like there’s been a lot of bad luck.”

Asked if he’s proud of the collection of songs on the record, he explains: “Every time I make something, I obsess over it and I listen to it constantly and think it's the best thing in the world until it comes to releasing it.

“And then instantly, I find it hard to enjoy it because I'm always worried about how it's going to do.

“But I know for a fact in the last year that I've been listening to these songs and this album in its entirety, I've been obsessed, I must have listened to it almost every day since I finished it about seven or eight months ago, from beginning to end - so I must be proud of it.

“With this album, I have listened to it on repeat for such a long time now, it’s almost embarrassing how obsessed I am with it.”

After exploring different genres on past releases, Lockett’s new single is another ballad – something he admits is what he does best.

Lockett is keen to credit his producer Barney on the track, who he adds “really nailed it”.

“Every ballad I've made has been a trial and error to get to this one,” he says.

“This to me feels like it has everything that I am, but just properly polished.

“The chorus lifts in the right way, the words are interesting but not too wordy, the piano is simple but not too simple. I really think this is perfect.”

The track’s lyrics talk about admitting defeat and accepting someone isn't giving as much as you are to a relationship.

Talking about the wider feel of Abington Grove, Lockett has told fans to expect a varied record which continues to explore different sounds, besides just the piano ballad pop he’s become known for.

Adding, music fans now, more than ever, listen to a diverse range of music.

He said: “I wanted my album to be exactly how I felt. I just wanted to embrace whatever the song was screaming out for.”

Lockett’s gig next week will be the first time he has played with a band since he headlined Shepherd’s Bush Empire in April 2019 – a gig he admits he wasn’t able to enjoy and doesn’t feel he “got right”.

“I feel like the band made me rigid,” he explains.

“Islington feels like a chance for me to make it better. “I hope this is the first time I manage to keep the feel of playing solo but with a bigger sound.

Lockett will be joined by guitarist Angus Parkin, drummer Louise Bartle and bassist Esme Edwards.

He adds: “It’s going to be nerve racking because in my head, I’ve got good at doing gigs but really I'm just playing songs everyone knows.

“Everything is easy when everyone knows the songs because it's all singing along.

“However, at Islington I’ll be playing new songs, while trying not to bombard people with too many, it’ll be about 50/50. I can’t wait to show people these new songs.”

Following the release of Abington Grove, Lockett hopes to spend 2023 and 2024 touring across the UK and hopefully America and Europe.

Tickets for Lockett’s gig on Tuesday, November 1, cost £19.35 and are available via https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/billy-lockett-islington-assembly-hall-tickets/12170465

Abington Grove is available to pre-order via https://billylockett.com