The Hello everyone and welcome to So The Jerker on songwriting episode 86. This is Simon here as always with Brian and

joining us today is a celebrated singer-songwriter, DJ and author who's

perhaps best known as 50% of beloved alt Pop Duo Everything But The Girl.

His brand new solo album, Fever Dream, is due in April,

and is a worthy follow-up to his previous offering,

2014's critically acclaimed Hendra.

We are very pleased to welcome the excellent Ben Watt to the show.

I have to admit that although I knew everything but the girl started out in the early 80s

I hadn't realized Ben's first solo efforts actually predate that band's career.

Yeah, yeah. His first album, North Marine Drive, was released in 83,

which also means there were 31 years between his first and second solo albums.

I'm no Norris MacWetta, but I think that might be some kind of record.

It's a big gath, but you know sometimes you need to let a project jestate for a while.

My first solo album's been 37 years in the making and the music will continues to

await it with bated breath my friend. Scouse democracy is the title. We'll

hear from our guest in just a few minutes but first some biographical info for the uninitiated.

Simon would you like to kick us off?

Certainly. Ben Watt was born in London in 1962 and grew up surrounded by music due

in no small part of the fact that his father was the

Scottish jazz musician Tommy what he picked up the guitar in his teens

eventually forging his own folk jazz playing style and writing his own songs in

1981 age just 19 he released his first single on Cherry Red Records,

...