Celebrating seaside towns when those summer crowds fade away

“I grew up in a seaside town - Southend - and I think people get so used to this idea that they are either on season or off season. That’s only really for commerce and for trade, but not necessarily for the people that live there.”

Sam sees the tour as a celebration of provincial British holiday destinations. The run comes after performances in his hometown as part of the Estuary Festival. Now he’s on the road, taking in Hastings Observer Building on October 20.

“As the New Year approaches people are making plans and starting to look for something to do, and I have always noticed that there is a bit of a slump in October/November. I did some seaside places at a similar time last year, and you get different people...or a different feel. In the summer, everyone is so focused on getting everything together and holding everything together and making everything right. It is nice to give them something in October/November when they can let their hair down a bit and relax.

“I think the idea of weekends away in this country is coming back. People are going abroad, but they are wanting to get away from the cities because they are so claustrophobic. And for me, the seaside just feels like home. It’s where I grew up.

“I still live in Southend. It is a very creative place. There is a lot going on. You have got the proximity to London, and there are things that are flowing in and flowing out. But there is a history of music along that stretch of the Thames. You have got Doctor Feelgood and Depeche Mode along that part of the Thames. You have got The Blockheads. The music has got a bit of a different edge.”

For the tour, Sam goes under the name Recreations: “It’s just me and my computer rig. I have had a couple of albums out under my own name, but they are very folky. It seems too confusing, but the Sam Duckworth albums are very organic, very stripped back. This is quite drum and bassy. It is quite guitary. ... The different names allow me to build shows specifically to an environment.”

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