Peter Loveday is a singer-songwriter whose musical prowess spans over three decades and various points on the globe. He was born and grew up in Toowoomba, Australia and first hit the stage in 1978 in Brisbane in The Supports. The Supports split after a slow, pleasant and unrepeatable tour of North Queensland in a double-decker bus. Peter Loveday then went on to play in a number of bands in Brisbane such as the Birds of Tin and Mute 44 before moving to London in 1982, writing, gigging and recording there for the next seven years with the Brisbane-born, London-based band Tiny Town. Tiny Town recorded two singles, an EP and an album before finally parting company. Peter Loveday then moved on to Barcelona to work and live, and eventually fired up the furnaces and took the helm once more to record the following albums: “A Bend in the Road” (2002), “Sea-shanties for Landlubbers” (2004), “Moving Along” (2006), “Room at the Inn” (2007), “Standard Ideal” (2009), “Roadside Ballads” (2013), “Through the Mirror” (2019) and “The Faraway Near” (2021). Peter Loveday collaborates with Naomi Wedman (violin, keyboard and vocals) and Sarah Davison (flute, percussion and vocals), and has also collaborated with Andy Gemmell (guitar, pedal steel and vocals) and Andrew Henley (bass).

Peter Loveday inicia su carrera musical con The Supports en Brisbane, Australia, en el año 1978. The Supports se separan tras una inolvidable gira por el norte de Queensland en un autobús de dos pisos con The Go-Betweens. Parte de la banda se traslada a Londres en 1978, mientras Peter forma Birds of Tin, todavía en Brisbane, tocando allí donde quieran escucharles -clubs de striptease incluidos- y como teloneros para compatriotas como The Birthday Party (Nick Cave) y The Laughing Clowns (Ed Kuepper). Después, Peter hace las maletas y vuela hacia Londres donde forma Tiny Town, grupo con el que grabará tres singles y un LP. Unos años más tarde se traslada a Barcelona, en donde graba los albumes “A bend in the road” (2002), “Sea-shanties for Landlubbers” (2004), “Moving Along” (2006), “Room at the Inn” (2007), “Standard Ideal” (2009), “Roadside Ballads” (2013), “Through the Mirror” (2019) y “The Faraway Near” (2021). Peter Loveday cuenta con la colaboración de Naomi Wedman (violín, teclado y voz) y Sarah Davison (flauta, percusión y voz); en el pasado con Andy Gemmell (guitarra, pedal steel y voz) y Andrew Henley (bajo).

Between January and April 2020, David McClymont (Melbourne) and Peter Loveday (Barcelona) collaborated remotely on this their second collection of songs, following on from Borrowed Landscapes released in 2017. McClymont, a founding member of Scottish band Orange Juice, has released two CDs with the Scottish musician/performer Momus and a steady stream of independent recordings as a solo performer and in collaboration with other artists. This latest album, A NEW PATH TO THE WATERFALL, will be released on the 11th May 2020.

In 1981, in Brisbane, Australia, Peter Loveday was the singer-songwriter in a band called BIRDS OF TIN, whose 4-track cassette EP ‘Same Both Sides’ is now available as a lovingly crafted, limited edition 7′ vinyl, including a screenprinted reproduction of the original release poster. Order your copy here from LCMR, or, if in Europe, contact peter@peterloveday.com to purchase your copy.

Listen to, download and buy the new Peter Loveday album in collaboration with David McClymont –of Scottish post-punk pop pioneers, Orange Juice– Borrowed Landscapes

See the video of the “Y” song, a collaboration between Peter Loveday and David McClymont (ex-Orange Juice, current MOMUSMCLYMONT collaboration).

Hear David Nichols interview Peter Loveday on Melbourne’s 3RRR programme, the Australian Mood, 1 hour 9 minutes into the programme of the 28th of March 2013.

Peter Loveday provided soundscapes for images that form part of the 10×8 project by photographer, Geoff Titley.

A poem by Peter Loveday appeared in issue 11 of the magazine Barcleona Ink, Feb 2013.

A short story from the collection Rock Dreams by Peter Loveday is included in the June 2012 edition of the magazine Barcleona Ink

Read about the Brisbane scene in 1981 and Brisbane phantoms Birds of Tin -Peter Loveday’s band in 1981- in the blog “THE LICORICE LOUNGE”.

Four Peter Loveday short stories from the collection Rock Dreams appeared in the literary magazine PEN International, Volume 59, No.2. The stories are published in Spanish.

Listening to each new album by Peter Loveday, Australian musician living in Barcelona, who in the past shared highway and lodging with the Go-Betweens in their native Queensland, is like returning to an on-going conversation, a conversation clearly established by the previous works like “Standard Ideal”. Peter Loveday has created a stable group with the help of multi-instrumentalists Sarah Davison and Naomi Wedman, along with a distinctive and characteristic style based on folk inspired songs and simple chords. Like Robert Forster or the now departed Grant McLennan, Loveday has the rare ability to be able to suggest a lot with few words and notes, as in the incredible conjuring of bohemian souls that is “Artists”. In the same way as the Go-Betweens or the Violent Femmes, his songs carry us far, far into the interior, seeking out landscapes and remote or even desolate places; (“Comfort”, “Idle Cranes”). At times the journey is aboard a medium-paced train (“On the Edge of Town”, “Last Train”), but a large part of the journey is made at a more restful and reflective pace, allowing us to fix on overlooked everyday details; idle cranes, the bends of back roads, or on the marginalised characters found along the way. Despite his incomprehensible absence from the billings of the most important festivals, Peter Loveday has an assiduous presence in the dens of Barcelona, like Harlem or Heliogàbal, so there is no excuse for not going out and discovering him and for spreading the good word. Alex F. de Castro (Ruta 66).

Escuchar cada nuevo disco de Peter Loveday, músico australiano afincado en Barcelona que con los Go-Betweens compartió carretera y manta en su Queensland natal, es retomar una larga conversación, ya emprendida de forma sólida y coherente en obras anteriores, como “Standard Ideal”. Ha creado un grupo estable de la mano de las multi instrumentistas Sarah Davison y Naomi Wedman, y un estilo definido y característico, a base de canciones de inspiración folk y acordes simples. Como Robert Forster o el desaparecido Grant McLennan, Loveday tiene la rara habilidad de sugerir mucho con las palabras y las notas justas, como en la increíble definición de las almas bohemias y sensibles que es “Artists”. Al igual que las de los Go-Betweens o los Violent Femmes, sus canciones nos hacen viajar muy lejos, tanto hacia nuestro interior como en busca de parajes o estampas remotas y desoladas (“Comfort”, “Idle Cranes”). A veces el viaje es a medio-tempo, en un tren que alcanza alguna punta de velocidad (“On the Edge of Town”, “The Last Train”), pero la mayor parte del trayecto, mucho más reposado y reflexivo, nos permite detenernos en objetos ignorados (grúas inmóviles, recodos de carreteras secundarias) o en personajes marginados. Aunque de manera incomprensible sigue ausente de los carteles de los festivales más importantes, Peter Loveday actúa de forma asidua en garitos de Barcelona como el Harlem o el Heliogàbal, así que no hay excusas para no descubrirlo y que corra la buena noticia. Alex F. de Castro (Ruta 66)

Roadside Ballads

Peter Loveday has had a long journey to his current album; starting his music career back in 1978 Loveday has spent many years touring in bands across Australia and England. He finally went solo with his first album in 2002 (‘A bend in the road’) His latest release is ‘Standard Ideal’ and is Loveday’s 5th album, recorded live in Barcelona in 2009.

This album is a collection of 10 original tracks which combine vocals with classic guitar, percussion, flute, violin, piano, bass and pedal steel in a rich blend of sound which shows off not only the talent of the players but also the beauty of the instruments.

A modern twist on traditional Barcelona music, Loveday has blended an album that any folky would love without over-powering the listener with any of the instruments. The slight accent of Loveday’s origins suits the music and is accompanied greatly by the backing vocals of Sarah Davidson, Andy Gemmell and Naomi Wedman.

This album is a relaxing mix of upbeat folk and modern acoustic music in keeping with Loveday’s previous style but still satisfyingly different to make this latest album an asset to anyone’s collection. It seems that Loveday has a similar feel to his music to that of Nick Drake, with equal emphasis put onto the musical and vocal elements of each of his tracks.

Loveday has a great way of making you feel like you are sat outside in the European sun with a light breeze blowing and a cold beer in hand, letting the warmth flow over your skin.

I think, for me, track three sums up a lot of the album, as I listen to it wrapped up warm in my small cold room on this winter day, Loveday’s lyrics really stand out and set up the album “look up above, let you be, let you be my love, be my guiding light.”

A beautifully European twist on the a classic folk album Loveday and his musicians really know how to show off instruments whilst not overpowering a calmly relaxed album so for me it’s a 7/10. Imogen Davies (Tasty fanzine)

Standard Ideal

A prolific and assiduous live performer, Peter Loveday has the ability to leave his songs at just the right temperature. This Australian singer-songwriter delivers exquisite, crafted pop, graced with acoustic guitar, female backing vocals and the strategic incursions of an opportune violin. The exemplary “Rose-tinted Glasses” and “Room At The Inn” are just two of the many new additions to the repertoire of this outstanding songwriter. Dimas Rodríguez (Rockdelux)

Prolífico y asiduo músico de directo, Peter Loveday tiene la habilidad de dejar las canciones con la termperatura apropiada. El cantautor australiano factura un pop exquisito y bien hilado que agradece el fragor de una guitarra acústica, unas voces femeninas de acompañamiento y las incursiones de un oportuno violín. Las ejemplares “Rose-tinted Glasses” y “Room At The Inn” son sólo algunos de los nuevos botones que cuelgan del cancionero de este notable compositor.
Dimas Rodríguez (Rockdelux)

Peter Loveday is an Australian displaced and now resident in Barcelona. An interesting starting point, and the music on offer here reflects that dislocation. Some of the songs have that thousand yard stare that come from the very best
Antipodean artists including The Triffids and Nick Cave. Indeed, Loveday has live links with Mr Cave and his Seeds, having shared a stage with him. For this album, recorded with a full band, he develops a sound that is rather more fulsome than on his previous collections. Animal comes over like a loaded Lou Reed, which can never be a bad thing. Run has a sweet fiddle and some searching words, whilst the spirit of Gerald Langley from those Bristol Art-Punks the Blue Aeroplanes is also sympathetically resurrected here. One of Loveday’s previous bands, The Supports, come to mind in the phrasing of Underworld, while the ballad Boy Found Drowned conjures a spooky Peter Greenaway scene tranposed to Catalonia. This track also conjuring that important afore-mentioned TBS. Certainly, the spirit of a time, though I’m not sure if that is now, is nicely trapped by this collection. Certainly, Peter L is an experienced and astute songwriter and I’d like to catch a live show. Maybe at the next Barcelona Independent Music Festival? Nice thought. John Kertland (Tasty fanzine)

Room at the Inn

As for Brisbane’s Tiny Town, a less easily described outfit, and all the better for it. A wise Moodist recently remarked that Australia’s isolation yet rabid consumption of Anglo-American pop often leads to misunderstanding of music’s original meaning in context. So don’t ask me why Tiny Town sound like a version of the Go-Betweens (themselves the result of much absorption of Velvets, Television, Dylan etc), who have in addition clocked various late 60’s pastoral West Coast florists – It’s a Beautiful Day, Jefferson Airplane maybe. Dense with references sure, but quite an uncluttered, intriguing, even affecting sound results. Geoffrey Titley peppers the beat with stiff-wristed jazz pauses; Lee Bradshaw’s keyboards paint some thoughtfully subdued shades; Caroline Bush’s viola drones perhaps a touch more Papa John Creach than John Cale; singer-guitarist Peter Loveday chords and croons songs of gnomic import that nonetheless complete an attractively nervous, inward-looking groove thing. Too obsessive to be fey, Tiny Town suggest they’re on the verge of confirming that small is beautiful. Mat Snow (5th May 1984 – New Musical Express)

GNOMIC IMPORT

Two years after “Sea-Shanties or Landlubbers”, Peter Loveday -Australian resident in Barcelona for a good number of years- has released his latest offering, “Moving Along”. Twelve surprisingly fresh and spontaneous songs that plumb the depths and celebrate the joy of living in equal parts. Jordi Nopca (Mondosonoro)

Moving Along

Australia, beautiful quarry of stupendous songwriters, is also the land of Peter Loveday. For the moment, he appears as a talented and sensitive singer songwriter, with a voice that, at times, brings to mind the great Robyn Hitchcock, and a songbook that combines literature with warm folk-pop melodies. Delighted to meet you. Dimas Rodríguez (Rockdelux)

Australia, hermosa cantera de estupendos escritores de canciones, es también la tierra de Peter Loveday. De momento, él se exhibe como un dotado y sensible cantautor, con una voz que a veces puede recordar al gran Robyn Hitchcock, y un cancionero que conjuga literatura con cálidas melodías folk-pop. Encantados de conocerle. Dimas Rodríguez (Rockdelux)

Sea-shanties for Landlubbers

On this particular night, Tiny Town had reason to be nervous. Not only had they to follow a casually brilliant performance by fellow Australians-in-London the Go-Betweens, but to do so in front of an audience barely numbering 25, two of whom were those young men-about-town John Peel and John Walters. Tonight, charmingly captivating almost despite themselves, they chopped and changed, charging between the Talking Heads (`77) juddering guitar and staccato vocals of their next single, “Living Out of Living”, and the elusive Postcard melodics of the closing “Lacklustre”. Each piece was endowed with strange strategic violin parts (something akin to Cale’s Velvets viola when he wasn’t indulging in wilful monotony) which slipped over and between the songs’ constituents with a reckless inventiveness. Of course, they could be so much better, but even now I’d rather be stirred by these unpredictable precious moments than be soothed by any of those wretched masters of plastic proficiency. Chris Heath (6th October 1984 – Sounds)

TINY TOWN at THE PINDAR OF WAKEFIELD – London