The Hour

Forget Busted, for Charlie Simpson it’s all about the music his dad loved. Speaking to STV’s The Hour he admitted that despite a thriving career in both pop and rock it is the subliminal influences of his dad’s records that have led him to where he is now.

“When I was younger and my dad used to take me to school he’d put on Jackson Browne records and the Beach Boys and I just love those big harmonies and I think you are subliminally influenced by the stuff your parents listen to.

“When they made records [in the 70s] it just had such a raw, earthy tone and when you listen to stuff like Crosby, Stills and Nash and even The Eagles it just has a really sultry, earthy kind of production and I wanted to bring that across into my record.”

Rejecting the modern trend of using computers to create the perfect record, Charlie claimed that his new album Young Pilgrim is full of the imperfections that give it the rawness of the 70s. As if to emphasise his return to his roots he has even been joined on tour by a friend from high school who he used to jam with when they were 14.

Ten years later, Charlie has become a star as the front man of Busted and rock group Fightstar, and couldn’t be happier with where he has ended up.

He said: “I think, looking back at the past ten years, I’m quite a strong believer in the sense that you make decisions in your life and even the tiniest decisions lead to something 20 years down the line.

“I look back and I’m very pleased with everything that happened and have landed at a point where I’m incredibly happy and incredibly content with what I’m doing.”

Charlie Simpson is playing King Tuts in Glasgow tonight and The Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh on August 9. Young Pilgrim is released August 15.

HOUR MUSIC

• Live performances on The Hour
• Benjamin Francis Leftwich performs Box of Stones
• Visit Charlie's website