Harrogate singer aims to bring hope with his lockdown music experiences

A hard-working Harrogate musician who survived an encounter with Covid-19 has talked of his experiences in lockdown in an honest and emotional way to inspire fellow musicians in the same position.
"Ive sung since I was a child and this is the longest Ive ever gone without singing to an audience in my entire adult life" - Lewis Fieldhouse. (Picture by Matthew Williams-Ellis)"Ive sung since I was a child and this is the longest Ive ever gone without singing to an audience in my entire adult life" - Lewis Fieldhouse. (Picture by Matthew Williams-Ellis)
"Ive sung since I was a child and this is the longest Ive ever gone without singing to an audience in my entire adult life" - Lewis Fieldhouse. (Picture by Matthew Williams-Ellis)

But Lewis Fieldhouse, whose musical journey has taken him from Yorkshire to London and California in the past, is determined not to let these challenging times thwart his creativity.

Instead this melodically-gifted singer-songwriter has written an entire new album inspired by, and in tribute to, his mother who lost a 15-year battle with cancer in late 2019 just before the pandemic broke.

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Lewis, whose 2016 album Theodor Washington and the Central Valley produced and mixed by Alec Brits was acclaimed for its mix of McCartney-esque craftsmanship, acoustic Americana and intelligent lyrics said Covid-19 had "pretty much taken my career as a gigging musician and put it in the bin."

But, in a picture shared by so many musicians in 2020, especially unsigned artists, Lewis said lockdown had actually given him the time to develop new ideas.

Lewis said: "Normally by this time in the year, I’d have seen about 36 couples get married, with another 30 or so on the way, played ‘its coming home’ at more than a few bars in five or six cities across the country as we geared up for another go at national footballing glory, sung my own songs to my attentive little audiences on my DIY national tours that I occasionally put on.

"Of course, all that isn’t happening. Covid has pretty much taken my career as a gigging musician and put it in the bin.

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"Everything has been moved to 2021 or, in some cases, couples have cancelled their weddings altogether, unable to stomach the debt without an income themselves. Some bars where I used to play are shutting for good.

"Colleagues I’ve know through years of hard graft, the companions on 2am drives through the countryside to finally get us home to our beds, they’re having to look for work outside our field.

"So I did what any musician would do, suddenly landed with a summer off. I got to work recording an album."

Lewis, who is launching a Crowdfunding campaign on his Facebook page to record his new album after writing a collection on songs about losing his mum and how her illness affected him throughout his life, said moving back home to Yorkshire had freed him to focus on new work.

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Lewis said: "Since October 2019 I’ve been back in Yorkshire, grieving. My Mum passed away after a long battle with cancer

"I moved home to care for her in her final months and had stuck around to give myself a break from work, making rent.

"Just before lockdown was announced I was sat on an albums worth of songs about her, wondering how I’d ever get the time to do the songs justice on record.

"I didn’t need anyone to tell me my opportunity had come. As soon as Boris announced lockdown I dug out my recording equipment and got to work in Mums old sewing room. I spent 15 weeks moulding this record into shape, finally free to take the time to arrange and sculpt the music in a way I've never been able to do before."

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Now that he has the album in the bag, all Lewis needs is the world to go back to 'normal.'

Lewis said: "Making records costs either time or money and for an unsigned artist hustling to pay the landlord, often you have very little of either.

"With a little of each you can do good things. With a lot of one and non of the other, amazing things can happen.

"Now it’s finished, I’m incredibly proud of an intimate and personal record about my mum and her loss, made with love and undivided attention I could hardly have dreamt of."

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In a world where everyone is at risk from the pandemic, musicians are not immune.

Lewis, himself, has experienced the illness though, fortunately, not in a full blown way.

He said: "I wasn’t alone throughout lockdown, my best friend came to stay a week before lockdown was announced and he got stuck here.

"He’s become a bit of a minimalist; he only had enough clothes with him for a week's holiday.

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"But he’s managed to do without a lot of things he was worried he’d miss.

"In fact, he says he’s begun to wonder what he actually owns back home.

"There has been stress, of course, a lot of it. My best mate caught the virus COVID in the first few weeks of lockdown despite us being extremely careful.

"He made a full recovery in a few weeks with only mild symptoms. I didn’t seem to catch it from him. I suspect I caught it in early March when a fever struck me down a few days after returning from a London gig.

"Luckily I’ve also been fine and made a full recovery."

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Lewis's grief at his mother's death is added to by his sense of loss at not being able to play live in front of an audience since lockdown began.

But Lewis believes good music can bring a sense of hope in troubled times.

He said: "I really miss playing live. It’s not the audience, I wouldn’t have lasted long in the industry if I just did this for applause, and I’ve played my fair share of empty rooms!

"I really love to sing. I’ve sung since I was a child and this is the longest I’ve ever gone without singing to an audience in my entire adult life. In 2018 I sang 250 days out of 365.

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"My voice was shot. But the feeling of singing is like nothing else. Its great for the endorphins; amazing for the soul.

"I used to busk on the South Bank in London, right next to the London Eye.

"I’d busk down there on autumn evenings and watch the couples walk past.

"After a few hours singing my favourite songs I’d pack up my kit and feel such a rush of warmth and good will. Central heating against the cold hard reality of London life as a musician."

Will the world return to normal again and, if so when?

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No one knows, least of all Lewis. But this talented musician believes, whatever the future brings, the power of music will not die.

Lewis said: "I would dearly love to get myself out there again soon - when its safe. Until then… I’ll be working on getting this album ready.

"As we emerge into this new world with less people than we started with, I hope it can bring some comfort to those who’re dealing with grief.

"Grief of their lost loved ones, the grief of losing an imagined future, the loss of a life that can never be gone back to.

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"As we emerge into this new world, supporting your favourite local artists will be vital.

"Buy a record, a T-shirt, a bunch of stickers - anything.

"It all gets put back into what we do; and in the end, music and art is the central heating of a nation."

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