Scottish alt-folk singer Blue Rose Code, aka Ross Wilson, has described how Aberdeen’s P&J Live ‘went absolutely wild’ on hearing the world premiere of his new single.
Ross wrote Thirteen Years whilst on tour with The Proclaimers late last year.
He unveiled the new single on the final date of that tour in the Granite City on December 17 – and the sell out crowd loved it.
Now Ross will return to Aberdeen when headlining a hotly anticipated show at The Lemon Tree on Friday.
He explained: “I wrote Thirteen Years whilst on tour with The Proclaimers and played it live for the first time at P&J Live.
“The audience in Aberdeen went absolutely wild when we played it.
“I did an intro where I talked about what the song meant and it was such a thrill when the place went wild.
“It was just wonderful. Now I can’t wait to come back to Aberdeen as the show will be a blast.”
‘One in five kids live in poverty’
Released last month Thirteen Years is an impassioned condemnation of the hardships faced, particularly by children, in Britain today.
Almost four million children are in food poverty.
All proceeds from the single will be donated to Scotland’s national children’s charity, Children 1st.
Ross said: “We are the fifth richest economy in the world but one in five kids live in poverty.
“Parents are choosing whether their kids eat or whether they eat.
“Whilst driving back from one of our shows with The Proclaimers I listened to a woman on Radio 4 who was the CEO of a charity called Magic Breakfast.
“There are kids who go to bed hungry, wake up hungry and go to school hungry.
“When they are are school Magic Breakfast ensures they get a breakfast.
“When kids are hungry they can’t concentrate and it doesn’t just affect their day to day it affects outcomes later in life.
“Front line workers who risked their lives during the pandemic are using food banks and can’t afford to heat their homes.
“All the people that kept this country going are now being neglected. It is a disgrace.
“After 13 years of austerity in the UK, it felt right to highlight these shameful circumstances.
“It’s like we are living in a dystopian world.
“However I am absolutely amazed by the vitality and hunger for progress that kids have.
“They are much more interested in the climate and progressive values.
“We might be handing them a terrible legacy but they have the power to do something about it.”
ABERDEEN! This Friday. 🚨🚨🚨 https://t.co/nLIELlfD6A
— Blue Rose Code (@BlueRoseCode) April 25, 2023
Aberdeen set for unique performance
Blue Rose Code’s previous album With Healings of the Deepest Kind was released in 2020 to widespread acclaim.
However he will turn back the clock a decade for his performance in Aberdeen by performing his breakthrough debut North Ten in full.
He aid: “What is special about this gig is that it is celebrating 10 years since my debut record.
“We don’t usually do two sets but we will in Aberdeen.
“We will play my debut album in sequence, in full.
“Then in the second set we will play a collection of songs that is suggested by the fans.
“The guys I play with are some of Scotland’s finest musicians and I have never played these songs with this band before.”
Moving into the light from the dark
Edinburgh born and raised Ross sat drinking coffee in a sun baked Leith on a spring morning in as we chatted by phone.
A show in his home city beckoned later that night.
Life is good for the singer, songwriter.
However it was not always that way.
He said: “Playing North Ten again has really brought back some stuff for me.
“Although the album is 10 years old a lot of the songs are much older and were written by a far younger man who wasn’t very happy with his life.
“It can be unsettling at times to channel back to those feelings but it is nice to feel that I am in a totally different place now.
“I can look at the distance I have travelled and be grateful for my life today.
“What I really feel most strongly is a bit of compassion for that young lad.
“I was driven by a desire to get away from where I was and build something better.
“I grew up in an environment that was very chaotic, and had a very challenging time.
“When I became a teenager and into my early twenties I had a lot of unhappiness and turned to drink and drugs.
“I had to run away to London to become anonymous and work my way through those problems.”
‘People feel connected to what I do’
Music has always been a constant in Ross’ life and offered a cathartic release and route to move from the dark into the light.
Ross writes from the heart and his raw, honest songs connect on a deep level with fans.
Having moved to London he eventually released a single with a small independent label based in the city.
Ross, stage name Blue Rose Code, later released debut album North Ten in 2013.
He said: “At a time when I felt like I didn’t really have a voice music gave me an opportunity to write down and communicate what was going on with me.
“I get real comfort and empathy from musicians, writers and artists who communicate their feelings.
“I have had a lot of feedback that people feel connected to what I do.
“It is one great communion with an audience.”
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