Interview by Abi Whistance (To the Local) / Pic by Matt Wilson
“When you don’t fit in a box, how do you target your audience? How do you target your demographic?”
T8PES released his eponymous debut album on Friday 24th May, following a rafter packed launch party at The Castle & Falcon in April. But the man behind the moniker, Jimmy Davis, is no stranger to a stage or two – having been a stalwart of the Midlands music scene for years, with artists including Ed Sheeran citing him as an influence.
Now recording and releasing as T8PES, his new 8 track LP stretches from rap to hip hop and rave to grime – featuring collaborations from Luke Truth, Ricardo Williams and Holly Fitzgerald to name but a few.
Flowing with honesty, self analysis, harsh truths and dark humour – alongside the occasional roll call of Birmingham’s evolving club scene – T8PES is a deeply personal journey and a melodic memory lane stroll through the highs and lows of Davis’ bittersweet life experiences.
Having reviewed the album for Birmingham Review back in May, Abi Whistance and the Leeds based music magazine To the Local invited us along to their interview with T8PES – ahead of his support slot for CityLightz at the O2 Academy Birmingham.
To read Abi Whistance’s Birmingham Review of the album T8PES, click here. Or just sit, click back and watch, as T8PES himself talks to Abi about the inspirations and impetus behind his new material:
T8PES is out now on general release. For more on T8PES, including links to online sales, visit www.t8pes.com
For more from To the Local, visit www.tothelocaluk.com
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To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.
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