31 March 2025
Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with Stevenage based band Steve Young & The Real Time Players to find out more…
Who is in the band, how did you meet, where are you from and how did you come up with the name?
Originally from the Isle Of Wight I now live in Stevenage. My first live experience was in 1988 when I saw Pink Floyd at Wembley Stadium. I bought a guitar and my journey began… I signed a record deal with Warners in 1996 and that started my professional career as a musician that is still paying my bills today.
The Real Time Players is a name I use for whoever is on stage with me at the time. As a singer-songwriter I used many musicians for gigs but this current line up has been going since The Isle Of Wight Festival 2023. I am now happier having the same people on stage.
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, BB King, Albert King, sooooo many.
How would you describe your sound?
Filthy riffs, catchy choruses, epic guitar solos and heading nodding vibe.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
My latest release is my 4th studio album ‘Famous For A Day’; The title refers back to April 26th 2024 when I was the lead story on all the BBC NEWS outlets and front page of every newspaper in the UK for being the first person in the world to receive a new mRNA Cancer Vaccine. The story eventually made global headlines and resulted with a meeting with King Charles III & The Queen Consort at the UCLH Cancer Hospital.
I had no plans to record or release new material but the whole process helped me through a rather difficult year as I suffered quite badly with side effects. Alongside this I also organised a charity event called Up Yours Cancer featuring 18 artists including Nik Kershaw. We have currently raised over £5000 for the UCLH Cancer Fund and this too made BBC NEWS.
Please refer to below links:
BBC NEWS – “New album for artist who received cancer vaccine”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1jpxdl8y15o
BBC NEWS – “Musician stages ‘thank you’ gig after cancer trial”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3vpy160pz5o
SKY NEWS (meeting the King):
Video of my band (the house band) with Nik Kershaw:
Although the album [Famous For A Day] is a celebration of sorts, a project to get me through a tough year, a return to my musical roots and a chance to rock out with friends; the song Killer Eyes is the only track that directly references my Melanoma. It wasn’t deliberately ambiguous but now the reviews have started coming in, some writers, have mistaken the content to be about an ex love and not a cancerous growth trying it’s best to do me in. So lets make it clear – the lyric “finally got you outa my head” is quite literal 🙂
What’s your local music scene like?
Pretty good! The local studio I use (PRZ Live) are responsible for most of the summer festivals in the area so I always get a lot of local gigs. We also have a rock pub in Stevenage called The Red Lion which is like stepping back in time to when people really appreciated live music. I filmed the music video for Feelin’ Fine there in 2024.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
Release album, gig like crazy, I do about 150-200 gigs / year anyway as a full time musician, but I’m hoping I can get to play these new album tracks as much as possible and sell a few vinyls.
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Having the legend Phil Palmer playing on the album was a dream come true and he did such a great job (check out the slide guitar on Track 5 of the album) but I’m sure I would love to sit in a room with David Gilmour or Eric Clapton but I’d be too nervous to play.
Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
We tell a lot of jokes on stage and the banter between the band is top drawer!! Every gig has a funny story 🙂
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
We are continuing to promote the album throughout the year with various festival dates and shows. I also teach music in schools during the week and run a west end show called The Nashville Nights Band which is usually a complete sell out every time… So lots going on 🙂 My next single ‘Killer Eyes’ was out on March 28th and the album Famous For A Day is already available to buy on Red Vinyl and CD and will be on all streaming platforms from April 4th.
You can find out more about Steve Young & The Real Time Players via Apple Music, Facebook, Instagram, Linktree, Spotify or YouTube, and you can find details about their upcoming gigs here.
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