Search Results

It’s a random chat with a fellow Brit in the hostel kitchen that sparks what turns out to be one of my funniest adventures to date! Eddy and his friend Vivi (from Germany) have a hire car and are heading to Granada tomorrow – I casually invite myself along for the ride. We’re joined by Tom (an Aussie) and Aida (from the USA) and once all of our stray limbs are crammed like sardines into the hire car, it’s an hour and half car ride through the Andalusian mountains to Granada. We amuse ourselves with a singalong Spotify jam car ride to pass the time. The first stop is the Granada vista tourist shot - it takes about five attempts to try and squish all five of our massive heads and the background in at the same time. Walking along the vista, we’re distracted by the world’s largest colony of ants doing a conga line across the ridge – I’m mindful not to create ant pate with my trainers… The early afternoon is spent enjoying a cappuccino on a restaurant terrace overlooking the monument.  Plans are drawn up to visit the local supermarket and to make a DIY picnic lunch, somewhere scenic in the Granada sun (forever the optimists). As we take a brisk walk down the hill, some rather ominous looking clouds are forming above. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a tree full of ripe looking oranges. Not one to miss out on the novelty of an orange wielding climate, I hitch a ride atop of Vivi’s shoulders, scrumping for the world’s smallest orange. As we exit the supermarket with our picnic spoils, we’re started by a deafening crash of thunder, bellowing out through the skies. As the heavens open, we make a life-or-death dash across the road, to the shelter of a closed restaurant’s sun canopy - who’d have known it was monsoon season in Granada? Wanting to make the best of a bad situation, I assume the role as the group’s sandwich chef, stuffing the baguettes full of humous, cheese, olives and crisps. It’s incredible how resourceful you can be with a humous lid (acting as a makeshift knife). We commandeer one of the restaurant’s plastic tables as a kitchen work station and settle in for the afternoon. As the rain crashes down, sheltered under the canopy, we amuse ourselves with a newly devised ‘inappropriate word association throw and catch game’, using the world’s smallest orange as a ball. We spend the next hour or so, sheltering from the rain, chugging cans of beer, laughing and stuffing our faces full of gourmet baguettes. As the downpour shows no signs of relenting, we seek refuge in a nearby bar for, you guessed it…more beers! The friendly waitress brings over a small bowl of courtesy tapas: although you’d be forgiven for thinking they were a newly castrated pair of testicles, smothered in a rather suspicious looking gravy, garnished with a meagre handful of chips. Perhaps it was the gourmet lunch, but suddenly I have lost my appetite… On the rather rainy walk back to the hire car, we pass a large, modern looking, open plan office. Through the panoramic window, I make awkward eye contact with a random office worker: unsure on what else to do, I smile and wave awkwardly, before making a hasty exit, stage left. On the treacherous trek back up the hill, Vivi kindly ascends via every single puddle, splashing my already rather damp shorts and t-shirt. It seems that every single item we pass on the route up provides yet more amusement – from sifting through skips to one climbing inside an abandoned sofa. Who says entertainment has to cost the world? Before the heavens opened 📸 We never did take a good picture tbh 📸 Scrumping for oranges 📸 Gourmet lunch 📸 Vivi approves of my culinary skills 📸 Might give the tapas a miss tbh 📸 Checking out the interior of an abandoned sofa 📸 #ianstracks #granada #spain #travels #travelblog #adventures #solotraveller #blog #britabroad

It's Wednesday evening and the Three Amigos (Sam, Maya and I) are sitting down to a tasty Mexican pasta dinner, lovingly crafted by Aussie Sam. Sam is plotting an epic Slovenia road trip.. just as an unwanted text message threatens to spoil the whole trip... I'm faced with a dilemma. Easyjet have kindly decided to cancel my Friday evening flight and I need to be back in the UK for a wedding on the Saturday. Shit! The only option available is catching a 1am coach from Lubijiana to Venice, to be there for a 9am Friday morning flight 😳. After demolishing dinner, Sam kindly offers to drive me to Ljubljana, following the road trip. I decide 'what the hell' and decide to join them for the road trip the following morning. I take myself to bed for an early night, knowing how much I hate early starts! We're up with enough time to neck a quick coffee (Sam and Maya are actually staying in the upstairs hostel but have snuck me in, like the fugitive I am - I may as well have just moved in tbh). We're joined on our forthcoming adventure of a liftetime, with our honorary 'fourth amigo' (Guilem from France). Our bumpy car journey whisks us up and down windy roads, through various cute little Alpine style villages (Sam is clearly getting used to driving on the 'wrong' side of the road, whilst the other passengers and I offer our various utterings of encouragement, whilst being thrown around like popcorn kernels). The first stop is the most impressive waterfall I have ever seen! It's a somewhat treacherous climb through creeping paths and undergrowth for about 10 minutes, as we trade various awkward 'hellos' here and there en route with other random waterfall enthusiasts. The second stop is a idyllic, azure blue lake, which emits cute little 'fart like jets' through its crystal clear water (we laugh to ourselves as a rather large. random phallic shaped 'dildo fish' swims over to say hello, before chasing a random duck across the lake). The third stop is another large crystal clear lake, framed by some an impressive mountain backdrop reflected on its surface. The lake is scattered with various tourists, splashing around happily in the water or basking in the sun on wooden decks . Maya has volunteered herself as chief lunch maker and knocks up us a bumper selection of delicious sandwiches, which are subsequently stuffed full of crisps (mmm). A rather curious duck waddles over to where Sam is lying and gives him a playful nibble on the back of his leg (this has made my day). The fourth stop on the whistlestop tour is high up in the mountains, accessed by a 20 minute or so car ride up a long and windy road through the mountain pass. The mountain views are simply breathtaking, one of the winding paths up the mountain takes us past an abandoned concrete bunker ( I manage to amuse everyone by falling flat on my arse twice on the way down). Just as reddish looking sun begins to set, our fifth stop, is a spectacular gorge, cut between two valleys, split by the clearest water I have ever seen. It could easily have been lifted straight out of Japan and gently placed in the Slovenian landscape. Although we only have 15 mins or so at the park before we have to leave to catch our train back to Bled, we each have a few reflective moments to drink in the breathtaking landscape. It's a crazy kamikaze dash back up a million steps back to the carpark and although it's only a fleeting visit, it's well worth the 8 EUR entry fee! After another 15 miniute drive, we're just in time to board the car train (yes you heard me correctly) - it's essentially a train dragging a trailer full of cars through the mountains and valleys back to Bled! As we pull away, the sun begins to disappear behind the mountains and Sam has a well earned rest from the wheel. Maya's hands disappear into her bag and the next thing we know a large Bled cake, cut into four is passed around the car. We improvise some basic eating apparatus (cardboard, penknifes and the plastic lid from the cake). I'm not sure whether it's the tasty, creamy, sugary goodness of the Bled Cake (Kremsnita) or the fact we are completely dumbstruck by our journey through the mountains, but a comfortable silence has finally descended on the car. Even though the light is dwindling, the glimpses of several tiny villages, glittered with twinkly lights, perched in the mountains is like travelling through a high budget film set. The Aventure Express pulls us through a series of long, spooky mountain tunnels, dimly lit my an eerie red glow and I'm transported back to being a little boy on the fairground's ghost train. Arriving back at the hostel, we're back to the original Three Amigos and we have just enough for a final pasta supper up on the hostel roof terrace. After a shower and a delicious dinner (although I do say so myself) Sam kindly drives me and Maya 45 mins to Llubijiana Bus Station, As the car pulls away and I say a sad goodbye to my two amigos, I feel a lump in my throat - I dunno, maybe it's just the impending all night journey to Venice and onto the UK, but I can't help but think how lucky I have been on this trip to make such amazing friendships and to have shared the experience with them... I only regret not packing a spare Bled Cake for the journey home! This is from our first stop at the waterfall 📸 Sam, Guilem & I at the waterfall 📸 This is the first lake we visited with the fart jets 📸 Maya and I at Lunchtime Lake 📸 The Vampire Duck (on the right) that nibbled Sam 📸 The concrete bunker we passed on the mountain pass 📸 (shortly before I fell on my arse twice) I'm on top of the world 📸 When you got to go.. 📸 The Four Amigos 📸 A couple from our fleeting trip to the gorge 📸 Maya carving up the Bled Cake (Kremsnita) 📸 Welcome to the Car Train 📸 All aboard the Ghost Train 📸

I prise myself out of bed and drag my sorry ass, kicking and screaming along the riverside, to write up my daily blog. I find a serene spot overlooking the riverside and order a cappuccino with my limited Slovenian (basically ordering in English with a slightly dodgy Balkan accent). About an hour later, suitably refreshed and buzzing from the caffeine, I cheerfully trundle through Llubijiana old town, to the bus station - my trusty backpack strapped to my back (I'm sure there's a song in there somewhere). I have plenty of time to get my bus ticket and zig zag through the obstacle course of travellers and board my bus to Bled. The journey has some pretty gorgeous scenery and for the most part I have two seats to myself to manspread. After a few stops, a group of Slovenian students get on, chatting loudly and raucously laughing to themselves, in a bizarre hybrid of Slovenian and English (let's call it Slovenglish for arguments sake). I can't help but notice that one of them has an impressively large mouth and equally large teeth, rather like a shark. I'm delighted when Sharkie and the mean girls (band name) leave a couple of stops later and peace is finally restored, reverting back to manspreading over my two seats to my heart's content. On arrival into Bled, the hostel is a short 5 minute walk up the road and I'm reunited with the lovely Maya from the last hostel. I get chatting to a nice Aussie called Sam in the lobby and, with Maya in tow, we head off out for a coffee to check out the lake. The three amigos (as we shall now be referred to) get ingredients for a stir fry and I cook us up a delicious slap up supper of stir fry and rice, served with several generous servings of 3 EUR red wine from a plastic bottle. As the wine flows we muse about the meanings of life, whilst I interrogate poor Maya about what it's like to be an Airbnb host. Maya has kindly provided a delicious looking cake, topped with poppy seeds, purchased from the local supermarket. Sadly the cake has the consistency of rolled sawdust and seems to sap every drop of moisture in my mouth. Suitably merry and bellies full, we head downstairs to the hostel bar (I'm still in my PJ bottoms and flip flops but can pull off the hipster look). After far too many beers at a pub in town, and after chatting shite to strangers, I decide to call it a night - getting hopelessly lost on the way home (thankfully not ending up dead in the lake). Using the castle and lake to orienteer myself, I'm home in about 20 minutes and impress myself by managing to brush my teeth and not wake anyone up. The somewhat optimistic plans of being up to meet my amigos at 10am are wrecked as I opt for a lay in instead. I'm both equally enticed and deterred my getting out of bed - Maya has voice noted me a 'get up out of bed song' and a threatened me with another slice of stale poppy cake (somehow my feet have gained a strange sense of momentum). We have a fourth amigo now, Guilem (from France) and we spend the morning traversing the Lake Bled. Between admiring the church on the island and all the itty bitty fishies in the lake, we stop for a coffee at a cute cafe by the lakeside. It turns out Bled Cake and coffee is a random cure for a stinking hangover (who'd have known). We decide that Bled Cake is just a vanilla finger on a croissant base but I'll take that over the poppy cake any day (sorry Maya). It's a rather strenuous hungover climb to the viewpoint but I'm sure you'll agree from the photos it was worth it. On the climb down a random Chinese woman is screeching loudly to a friend/family member who seems to be miles away (I secretly hope she slips down the windy path to the viewpoint and suffers an injury).

It's an early 5:50am flight from Gatwick to Venice - already EasyJet are playing silly buggers, as the stairs are somehow stuck to the plane - we're delayed by an hour and a half and now the cabin crew are bringing everyone tap water in plastic cups. There's something inherently wrong with that combination and I'm hoping this is not an indication of things to come! The flight leaves without any further drama and I cocoon myself neath' my eye mask and ear plugs and snore all the way through to Venice. It's the usual fun and games trying to locate the coach stop for the connecting transfer to Ljubljana - I amuse myself reading the snarky Google comments of fellow lost travellers, traumatised by missing their buses, in order to find the infamous coach stop. Time for some caffeine and some work emails and people watching as I have 2 hours or so to kill. The sun has decided to make a welcome cameo, as I hang out alongside a group of backpack clad strangers in the carpark 'coach stand' - I ask a local who informs me I am indeed in the correct place and chat shite to a nice Irish girl about to start her Erasmus year in Slovenia. The coach journey is relatively straightforward, although my nice window seat sanctuary is rudely interrupted by a bald Italian guy with tattoos who proceeds to grunt/ clear this throat continuously through the 3 hour or so coach ride. I wrestle with the idea of offering him a sip of water, or better still, pouring the contents of the bottle over his head - but don't quite fancy spending the night in an Italian prison cell (I'm sure I have stayed at worse hostels mind you). Grunty Italian tattoo phone game guy gets off at Trieste (which I've made a mental note to visit as it is very pretty). He's replaced at Trieste with a Slovenian lady who eats mints and fidgets for the rest of the journey - out of protest I've kept my backpack on the floor as a human shield. It's a 20 minute or so walk through the Old town of Llubjiana - I stop along the way to be a proper tourist - taking some snaps and admiring the laidback mix of locals and tourists enjoying cocktails/ drinks at many of the bars along the riverside. The hostel is pretty random - each of the rooms is named after a famous jazz musician (I'm in the Louis Armstrong room). My roomies are two Brits on a trip between university terms, a German Iranian guy with a complicated name ( who I've impressed with the German skills) and a Colombian who I practise Spanish with. None of them are significant enough to remember their names. I invite two nice ladies, Maya (from London), Fien (from Belguim) and a very chatty Singaporean guy (who's name evades me..). We share a bumper bottle of 2.99 EUR Slovenian plonk purchased from the local supermarket, in the communal kitchen. Somehow the hostel's power supply has blown and now a group of us are in the kitchen chatting and charging our devices, exchanging travel stories/ recommendations as the red wine gradually dwindles into the darkness of the room - who says you need electricity to have a good time?

After many years of travelling you develop a sixth 'spidey' sense for sniffing out the city bus station. I arrive in plenty of time to catch the connecting bus from Bilbao to San Sebastian, however the TV display is very helpfully not showing my bus number nor gate. 30 minutes later (after nearly boarding the wrong bus) I'm on the way through the leafy mountains, along the coast to San Sebastian. The woman sat next to me spends most of the 2 hour journey screeching Spanish into her mobile phone - I entertain the idea of snatching it from her, smashing the emergency glass, and tossing it out wildly along the highway - however, I enjoy the blissful state of zen I get from wifi free bus journeys and don't fancy spending the night in a cell, as opposed to a comfy hostel bed. I'm sat outside this cute little cafe around the corner from the hostel with my cappuccino (attempting to read my book for the billionth time). Out of the corner of my beady eye, I spot a girl with a backpack trying to gain entry to the hostel courtyard. My inner knight in shining armour scoots over to scan my keycard to help her gain access. 'Hey I know you' comes a cheerful voice behind me... WTAF? Ayenna and I had met about a month previously in Malaga, Andalusia at the hostel we were both staying at.. yes the fateful night of Molijtros ( a litre of mojito for 5 EUE aieeeeeeee).. well that's another story altogether! Ayenna joins me for a tasty brunch at the cafe and brings me up to date with her travels through Spain and Portugal, whilst we discuss the severity of the molijrto hangovers and regail ourselves with the photographic evidence. The evening is spent drinking copious amounts of wine and crafting a delicious mushroom pesto risotto to share at the hostel kitchen (using microwave rice, mushrooms, spinach and pesto). In my many years of travel it never fails to amaze me how a hearty meal and alcohol are the basis for building lifelong friendships. And like the Pied Piper, I round up all the stray travellers for an impromptu trip to the supermarket and some drinks for the beach. We are a lively bunch of Americans, Aussies, Germans, a Dutch girl and some fellow Brits. The evening descends into the usual drinking games, to the background of a mini speaker: the sharing of travel stories and even some breakdancing (not me don't worry). As the laughter echoes out underneath the promenade, the sun sets beautifully behind 'Jesus Mountain' as it has become affectionately known. After all the booze has dried up we head into town and to my new favourite watering spot - 'The Hole' - there's pool tables, table football and all manner of disgusting shot combinations and 2 EUR pints aeieeeeee. After much merriment the group heads home.. Well.. if you factor in holding back the hair of our new American friend who may or may not have taken too much ketamine.. there's always one isn't there! The following day our new friend Ben treats Ayenna and I to a coffee on the breach (he's from a traveler family and does astrology readings) - you can check out my reading below - I'll leave you to gage how accurate you think it might be. I really feel the pictures don't do the San Sebastian sunset's enough justice 📸 Reunited with Ayenna 📸 - I love how small the world is #MARKX #MARKXMUSIC #sansebastian #spain #travels #travelblog #adventures #solotraveller #blog #britabroad

Arriving at the airport with plenty of time before the flight, I pray profusely to the ‘low-cost airline gods in the sky’ for a childfree flight. To my utter delight, I find a row of three empty seats opposite and no screaming children. I lip-sync along to the safety video, slip on my blackout eye mask, shove in my earplugs and snooze the 1:45 min flight to Bilbao. The airport shuttle bus is merely a few metres away from departures and within 15 minutes I’m in Bilbao. It’s a 30-minute walk to the hostel (via The Guggenheim museum for some tourist shots). Despite checking the weather forecast a few days pre, and seemingly not twigging the ‘leafy’ nature of Bilbao (sorry for the pun), I’m somewhat dismayed by the ominous looking clouds over head. A random couple (with whom I shared a dorm with, at a hostel in Dubrovnok, Croatia, back in the summer of 2015) had inspired me to book my trip to Basque country. They’d explained to a wide-eyed me at the time, that the Spanish region has its own language and unique culture – I’d made a mental note to check it out at some point.. so here I am! As I had a nice 5-day gap between gigs, I had booked an early Monday morning flight – finishing the wedding on Sunday evening and back home by midnight, I pull an all-nighter, leaving for the airport at 4am (what can I say, I am a true rockstar). I’m too early to check-in, so I abandon my bag at the hostel and go in search of some coffee. After a leisurely stroll into the town centre, I find a cute little café and free table to pull out the laptop and get up to date with my emails. The barista is seemingly unimpressed at my feeble attempt to order an oat cappuccino in Spanish, however, I manage to come away with a cappuccino and croissant for 1.75 EUR. I’m bemused as a rather entitled pigeon saunters in through the main doors and sets about hoovering up all the pastry crumbs - takes a sly glance at me and waddles back out to the main street. Back at the hostel I manage to schmooze the hostel staff to allow me check in early and take a cheeky power nap in my bunk, trying to politely bat away the requests for small talk from the Italian guy on the bunk above. I’m pretty sure I can hear him clipping his toenails (perhaps out of spite) – must make a mental note to write that guide about hostel etiquette when I get a spare moment! The hostel are running a fun social event this evening – seemingly a great opportunity to make some new friends. It is an online quiz, run by one of the hostel volunteers, one where you can play using your phone to answer the questions. We are a mixed, eclectic, weirdo bag of solo travellers: a fellow Brit, two Spanish girls, a Canadian and a guy from the US. My trigger-happy fat thumbs and lack of reading the game instructions and questions carefully mean I somehow lose the music round (I was robbed). I fare infinitely better with the flags and countries round (coming a cool second – what can I say, I get around!). We guzzle our way, respectively through the free beer and snacks I brought along to share – one of the Spanish girls is a professional oversharer like myself – the German lady (Dana) has a dry sense of humour (I like her already). Having bonded over our competitive nature, the group heads out for late dinner and beers – having pulled an all nighter, following the gig the night before – I politely decline their attempts to drag me out on the town and head upstairs for an earliesh night (I have to navigate an early bus to San Sebastian tomorrow and don't fancy that with a raging hangover). A rare ray of sunshine on Day 1 (Not me) A stroll around the centre of Bilbao Some nice shots of the centre #MARKX #MARKXMUSIC #bilbao #spain #travels #travelblog #adventures #solotraveller

'Too Warm For Snow' is Amber Leigh Irish's debut original single, co-written in November 2019 with MARKX. Within the first 4 days of release the track has amassed 20k streams, after being added to several high profile playlists. The track has now amassed 1 million streams as of March 2023! Amber is best known for her vocals being featured on the Irish Dreams advert along with several of her cover songs featuring on ITV's Love Island, having amassed over 5 million Spotify streams worldwide. Here is how you can listen: About the track MARKX adds: 'I couldn't be more proud of this song and Amber. I Made a decision last year to stop chasing after things and just make art. one year later this beauty is out and I've signed my first publishing deal. Completely made up!' 'Too Warm For Snow has already received 5k streams in its first day of release and has been added to several high profile Spotify Christmas playlists. About the track Amber adds: "I can't stop crying and probably won't all day. I am so content and so happy and this is just the beginning!" 'Too Warm For Snow' is out now and available through all major digital stores now here. #MARKX #AmberLeighIrish #ChristmasSong #TooWarmForSnow #MARKXMUSIC #britishartist #independentartist #singersongwriter #lockdown #music #vlogger #mentalhealth #britishsingersongwriter #popmusic #musicheals #breakupsongs #newmusic

Hello! My name is Ian and have been struggling with my mental health during lockdown and this strange ‘new normal’ we find ourselves in (vomits). I make a return this month to creative ‘work’ as a singer songwriter after an extended hiatus, since I finally admitted to myself (and everyone else) that I have not been well. So over the past 9 months I’ve enlisted the help of a trained counsellor and have been making some changes. It’s rather like returning to work after your holidays and switching off the out of office reply. Like ripping back the curtains in the morning and the blazing sunlight flooding in, startling your eyes - it’s obviously nice to be awake, but also nice to have a cup of coffee and a chat before you get going! I have had well over a year to reflect on why I have been feeling deeply unfulfilled by my work (cheers rona). The main culprit I have discovered is my own inner critic chewing my ear off. That annoying high pitched, Chipmunk voice in my head, chirruping away in the background ‘you’re not good enough’ – who’d have known I have never actually truly feel ‘good enough’… well I didn’t for a start! I guess it also doesn’t help realise how many arseholes you’ve surrounded yourself with over the years. A brief word on therapy for the curious among you: picture peeling back the layers of an onion, each time you think you’re back to the heart, there’s another layer of trauma to work through. Except rather than being a tasty root vegetable, you’re ripping away at your own emotional skin; it’s painful and there are complex emotions to work through at every layer. To mix the metaphor even more, it’s like an infinite set of Russian Dolls with a grudge. So why I hear you ask it different this time? Up until now I’ve survived by working myself to the bone; grafting ridiculous hours trying to ‘make it’ whatever ‘it’ is. By doing so I’ve sadly neglected my own wellbeing – it got to the point that I didn’t know who I was outside of music. There was never a division between work and play, never time to be in the moment and truly savour it. Always on the run from something. And hearing my own deep thoughts for the first time is rather jarring to be frank, especially when they’re not so nice and misguided! As I chat candidly to my counsellor each week, it dawns on me how toxic, competitive and corrupt the commercial music industry is and let’s face it - the world we find ourselves in nowadays. I discover I am addicted to my phone - social media..emails…Facebook Messenger… it’s like navigating the checkout at Aldi with an eager operator going at turbo speed, whilst you try and pack your shopping away. F*ck that, give me the prosecco, I’m off. If we’re being honest with ourselves, social media isn’t about us really is it? It’s a wicked torture instrument, wielded by the talons of consumerism - if you don’t take part, you don’t exist mate. So many pressures on us all… age, appearance, being rich and being stalked by my old arch nemesis the dreaded ‘p’ word – ‘perfection’. Pressure also makes diamonds, right? But perfection kills art, and it has been killing me slowly up until now. This is why making my song ‘Mosaic Heart’ has been so liberating. In essence, mosaics make something beautiful out of broken pieces, something more than the sum of their parts. They’re rather wonderful, aren’t they? The music was recorded somewhen during that never ending, perpetual cycle of lockdown, the video filmed in my humble abode; crafted by my own fair hands. I found myself getting excited to go in and edit the video a little every day. I watch the video now and see all of the tiny lines and pores on my skin and feel authentic under those lights. My skin, like the song tells a story - it isn’t ‘perfect’ by any means, but it feels good. And it will feel even better as I get comfier I get in it. I feel like I am coming back to life again. There are so many barriers in place for artists – algorithms mean no bugger gets to see a lot of the content us artists post online. And the thing about making art is – you really do need to finish what you’re doing, declare to the world it is ‘art’, make some pretty packaging and find a gallery to put it in. It’s not easy my friend, trust me! Especially when no-one can see you have a gallery and it’s up to the Social Media Gods who sees what you’re up to. Moving forward I’ll be migrating and posting all of my content to my own personal site. I’ll still post on social media a few times a week but all the juicy stuff will have its own gallery and an admission fee to help maintain it. I’ll let you know when it’s ready as it’s work in progress just like little me. I also hope you enjoy the ‘Mosaic Heart’ song and video but if you don’t, no hard feelings – we can’t all have great taste in music can we? The video wont be posted publicly until Monday 27th September 2021 but you can get the first viewing here before it does! 'Mosaic Hearts' will be released on 11th October 2021 through all major digital stores - pre order here. #MARKX #MosaicHeartsI #MARKXMUSIC #britishartist #independentartist #singersongwriter #lockdown #music #vlogger #mentalhealth #britishsingersongwriter #popmusic #musicheals #songsaboutlove #newmusic

On Monday evening MARKX was interviewed by DJ Rory James, of Solihull Radio - sharing the same lineup as Sting's producer, Kipper. The candid discussion was centred around life in lockdown, inspiration and the new EP - 'Spirit' scheduled for release in January 2021. In case you missed it you can check out the interview in full here: You can also check out the video for 'For A Little While' here: About the interview, MARKX adds: "I love working with Rory and we've worked together on some brand new material for release next year. It's great to be able to support his amazing show and even better to be able to to an interview at home in your comfy clothes during lockdown!" 'For A Little While' is out now and available through all major digital stores now here. #MARKX #MARKXMUSIC #britishartist #independentartist #singersongwriter #lockdown #music #vlogger #mentalhealth #britishsingersongwriter #popmusic #solihullradio #musicheals #breakupsongs #foralittlewhile #newmusic #radiointerview

I am writing to ask you when and how the government plans to safely reopen music venues, theatres and nightclubs over the coming months. I need to understand when and how weddings and parties can safely resume, with numbers more than fifteen, so I can return to work and get on with my life. I mean, I might even get married myself one day! The reason I ask this simple, yet reasonable question, is that, effectively, my life and career are on an indefinite hiatus. I am completely at the mercy of your government's woeful decision making and utterly reliant on the compliance and goodwill of the British public, in order to gain some semblance of my 'new normal' (whatever that might be). I found your recently 'retracted' comments to ITV about creative industries to be callus, insensitive and ignorant. I also can't seem to find the corresponding apology that followed it - perhaps I missed it? I wanted to start by offering an apology of my own. I am sorry that you do not understand what it is like to have your whole livelihood torn from your fingertips overnight. I am sorry you cannot understand the effect that your unjustifiably imposed venue closures, lack of explanation, nor road map to recovery have on an individual's mental state and livelihood. I am sorry that you have never seen the faces of a happy couple light up as you sing their first dance on their wedding day. I am sorry that you have never been in a packed bar on a Friday night and have never seen a band play live in front of a crowd of more than fifteen people. I am deeply sorry that your privileged life has never afforded you to witness us mere mortals, singing along and dancing, to escape the stresses and strains of our working week. I thought I would speak to you as a fellow business man. In 2013 I walked out of a well paid corporate job to follow my passion as a singer songwriter. It was a tough slog over many years to work the circuit: to get taken seriously and to make ends meet. When I struggled to cover my bills I went door to door, venue to venue, sometimes offering to sing on the spot to secure work. Over 7 years I built up a successful business from scratch after starting with nothing. The truth is our so called civilised society, of which you are the financial gatekeeper, is built on capitalism. This structure demands a level playing field for businessmen like you and I - currently your government have closed my playing field indefinitely without a reasonable explanation nor a way forward. You have simply excluded us from the game, yet your guiding principle means by default we should all take part. Rishi, If offices and other workplaces can be made Covid secure, then so can wedding venues and nightclubs. If you don't know how to do this yet, you have at your disposal over 2 million creatives in the U,K. We are the free thinkers and the makers of miracles. We built our cities, not on economic prosperity and unlimited wealth but on rock and roll. I would assume that being chancellor you were also aware that our industries contribute £13M to the UK economy every hour? Money aside, the fruits of our collective creative labour brought families together during lockdown. They provided comfort in sadness, took the edge off of the mind numbing boredom and loneliness human beings experience, when you force them into isolation against their will. You may have recklessly dropped the curtain down on the stages and slammed the doors shut on our workplaces - but the truth is we still have our voices. We also have microphones, sound systems and a lot of amplification, which means collectively we can and WILL make a lot of noise. Make no mistake: I will NOT be retraining. I have come too far to turn back now at your behest. I've invested thousands of pounds on tuition and equipment, given up two decades of my life and made immeasurable sacrifices to get to the top of my game. Instead of expecting the 2 million or so creatives and I to retrain, I would suggest that it is in fact both YOU and your colleagues who need to retrain - starting with empathy and interpersonal skills. On a final note, it is I who decides whether my career and business is viable, not a man in a suit and tie who I've never met. Yours frustratedly, Ian #MARKX #MARKXMUSIC #britishartist #independentartist #singersongwriter #lockdown #music #vlogger #vlog #mentalhealth #britishsingersongwriter #popmusic #rishisunak #covid19 #musicianblog #forcedclosures #coronavirus #interview #itvinterview

'Bonfire' has received a stellar write up from renowned music blog About The Noise following its release on 18th September. About The Noise adds:"Incredible singer.. 'Bonfire' showcases MARKX's insane vocals." In this exclusive interview he lifts the lid on the 'Spirit' EP and the difficulties he's faced during lockdown - MARKX adds: "I have to be honest and say it has been a struggle the last couple of months mentally and emotionally. This time around I’ve decided not to overly produce the songs, to go for a much more stripped back and organic sound. I see the EP as a bridge from my previous album ‘Laments’ into my upcoming project in 2021. There are some very sentimental songs to follow the first two singles – I’ve worked with some brand new writers and a new producer this time around so I’m very excited to see how these are received!" You can download and stream 'Bonfire' on all major digital platforms here. To read the interview in full here. You can find check out the official video for 'Bonfire' below: #MARKX #MARKXMUSIC #britishartist #independentartist #singersongwriter #lockdown #music #vlogger #vlog #mentalhealth #britishsingersongwriter #popmusic #summervibes #musicheals #breakupsongs #darkpopmusic #newmusic #interview #bethkeeping #bonfire #spirit

MARKX's second single 'Bonfire' is coming out Friday 18th September which you can now pre-save here. Until then you can watch the lyric video for the 'Laments' version of the song below. MARKX co-wrote this song a couple of years ago with the lovely Beth Keeping. Originally the song title was going to be 'Black Gold' to signify something golden coming from disruption. The lyrics of the song beautifully reflect hard break ups and what good can come from them. About the song MARKX adds: 'What was beautiful about it was how simple it was just saying you were going to light a bonfire'. 'Bonfire' will feature on the upcoming EP 'Spirit' due to release on the 11th of December. About the new and exciting EP, MARKX adds: 'The new EP has some songs never heard before ... I see the EP as a bridge from my previous album 'Laments' into my new upcoming project in 2021.' WOW! Some very exciting things coming our way! This is ever so important especially in the world we live in now as we find ourselves surviving through the Covid-19 pandemic. To have things to look forward to and goals to achieve is essential now more than ever. About staying motivated during these crazy time, MARKX adds: 'One of the reasons I’ve managed to stay motivated during this time is that I’ve made such good use of the time I’ve had available – I’ve been studying marketing and learning a new instrument and have been getting into fitness with daily running and yoga. I’ve always had a drive to do something interesting and meaningful with my life so probably it just stems down to my stubbornness to accept my circumstances'. Staying motivated and happy as we push through these challenging times is key. Is there something you could do that could make all this time isolated more enjoying like running, learning a new instrument, taking up a new hobby or working on your overall self-care? From everyone at MARK's team we'd like to thank you and we all hope you are okay. Enjoy life as best as you can and don't forget to pre-save 'Bonfire' here. #MARKX #MARKXMUSIC #britishartist #independentartist #singersongwriter #lockdown #music #vlogger #vlog #mentalhealth #britishsingersongwriter #popmusic #summervibes #musicheals #breakupsongs #darkpopmusic #newmusic #interview #bethkeeping #bonfire #spirit