Toby Corton is growing in popularity; and with his mix of jazzy, chilled out tunes and relaxed jazzy vibe there’s no surprise why. His music is quite unlike anything else and his songs are quite unlike one and other too.
I spoke to Toby on our respective lunch breaks. I mishear Toby saying he works part-time for Dreams, the mattress shop, but he knocks it off with a laugh and we’re ready to go again. You can listen to his newest release ‘Hazy Sunday’ below:
Who are your musical influences?
My music taste is really eclectic, growing up with both my mum and dad’s varied music collections. So from my dad, people like Phil Collins, The Police and Fleetwood Mac. My mum prefers soul and jazz so I love Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday and Amy Winehouse, who can’t love Amy Winehouse! Growing up when I did, I’ve also been influenced by artists like Arctic Monkeys and Jamie T.
Where would your dream gig be?
Festivals are always the highlight of my year, and I would say a set on a Glastonbury stage, at the king of festivals, would be my dream gig. If I were to play somewhere smaller though, maybe somewhere in Camden as some of my first ever gigs were here.
What’s your favourite festival?
I love Reading, and used to go until I was about 17. I’ve been to Bestival a lot and love the vibe there. A stand out festival for me was at Eastnor Castle in Wales. It was called El Dorado and was put on my Cirque du Soul. The atmosphere was amazing and it was small enough that you could never lose your mates. The festival was also spread out so camping on top of each other was not an issue.
Where’s the best gig you’ve ever played?
Last year we entered a competition to perform at Dot to Dot festival in Nottingham. It was a knockout competition and we won! Even though playing at Dot to Dot itself was great, the final round was my favourite. It was so busy, full of supporters and friends of friends who had come to watch.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
I would love to still be making music and ideally being paid full time for it. I’d be writing, gigging and recording, growing as an artist year on year. I would try to use my music as a way of exploring more creative options, like making music videos.
Leave a Reply