I Never Thought It Would Happen

“That’s what I’ve always tried to lean into is playing live, writing the songs and playing them live, is mainly why I’m still doing it, you know? I never get tired of playing live. I never get tired of making stuff up and seeing where I can go with it” - James MorrisonChris is joined by singer-songwriter James Morrison to talk about the fine art of music making and the highs and lows that an artist experiences. James was inspired from a very early age by his parent's record collection, and soon he was learning guitar and other people's songs. By his late teens he was fitting carpets by day and playing open mics at night before finally signing a deal and releasing his first album 'Undiscovered' in 2006. And James' debut was an instant success making him the biggest selling male solo artist in the UK that year.James has since recorded 3 more albums, and his 5th, 'Fight Another Day', is due out in early October 2025.

"A professor of mine said a very true thing to me. He said, you know the great thing about music Craig is that you’ll never really know anything about it" - Craig ArmstrongThis episode features a fascinating conversation with the multi-genre spanning musician and composer Craig Armstrong. Craig has collaborated with huge artists like U2, Madonna and Massive Attack, toured with Ultravox in their mid-Eighties pomp and has written for The Royal Shakespeare Company and scored films like Baz Luhrmann's 'Romeo + Juliet'. And he's also found time to make his own records, his latest being a collaboration with Calum Martin inspired by Gaelic psalm singing.

"The thing that he said that struck me most was, you don't get people's attention more by being louder... you make them want to lean in when you pull back. The moments that resonate the most are when I pull back" - Victoria CanalIn this episode of Chris' podcast, he's joined by singer-songwriter Victoria Canal. A globe-trotting childhood, with all of its upheavals and changes, led Victoria to finding in music solace and purpose. She started writing music as a pre-teen, recorded her first demo at 13 and soon after gained a scholarship to study at the Berklee College Of Music.Having released her first single in 2015, she's put out a considerable number of standalone tracks in her own name, as well as collaborations, however it was only this year that Victoria finally released her debut album, 'Slowly, It Dawns'. She's also the winner of not one, but two Ivor Novello awards.

“Because we write in so many genres, it’s always exciting to song write. Because today it’s like, we can write a D+B song and tomorrow we can write an Emo song. So it doesn’t get boring, because there’s always a new genre that you haven’t written in” - ALT BLK ERA In this episode Chris is joined by not one, but two guests - sisters Nyrobi and Chaya who front ALT BLK ERA, one of the most eclectic and electric acts you'll hear; a band so diverse that they've won a MOBO and are also signed to the legendary Metal label Earache, who are based in the band's hometown of Nottingham. The band came together during the downtime that COVID brought, and when restrictions were lifted their mum suggested they forget school and concentrate on their music instead. And in a few short years they've supported Tom Morello, released their thrilling debut album 'Rave Immortal' and played both Glastonbury and Download. Find out more about ALT BLK ERA here: https://www.altblkera.com/ Discover more about the amazing work of Help Musicians here: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/ 'I Never Thought It Would Happen' is produced by Ian Callaghan and Ben Jones for Gimme Sugar Productions. www.gimmesugar.co.uk

"I've had a pretty tumultuous upbringing... I was pretty scared about being too honest about it all." - Jade BirdChatting with Chris in this episode is British singer-songwriter Jade Bird. Experiencing a difficult home life, Jade began writing songs early, aged just 12. She was in her teens when Glassnote Records signed her, with her self-titled debut album appearing in 2019. Her second album, 'Different Kinds Of Light' followed in 20121, and after a 4 year wait, she's now about to release her third album, 'Who Wants To Talk About Love'. She's collaborated with Brent Cobb, co-written with Linda Perry and has been championed by Sheryl Crow and Jason Isbell. Musically she cites artists like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and David Bowie as key influences and hence it's not surprise to find her music-making is revealing, honest and eclectic.Find out more about Jade Bird here:https://www.jade-bird.com/Discover more about the amazing work of Help Musicians here:https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/'I Never Thought It Would Happen' is produced by Ian Callaghan and Ben Jones for Gimme Sugar Productions.www.gimmesugar.co.uk

"I don't know who the man is that lives inside my body... but I'm so glad he turns up." - Thom Rylance.Chatting with Chris in this episode is Thom Rylance of The Lottery Winners. The indie-pop 4 piece from Greater Manchester took their cues from bands like The Smiths and Orange Juice as well as the Britpop scene and have quickly risen to the top. Such is their wide-ranging appeal they've collaborated and toured with acts as diverse as Tom Jones, Sean Ryder, Boy George, Paul Weller and Sir Stephen Fry. And they've also just landed their second consecutive UK number 1 album with 'Koko'. Topics in this engaging conversation include the influence of stadium-smashing frontmen like Freddie Mercury and Robbie Williams, the importance of Manchester Apollo and how teachers can change lives. Plus there's a great story about Johnny Marr.Find out more about The Lottery Winners' new album and tour here: https://www.thelotterywinners.co.uk/Discover more about the amazing work of Help Musicians here:https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/'I Never Thought It Would Happen' is produced by Ian Callaghan and Ben Jones for Gimme Sugar Productions. www.gimmesugar.co.uk

For a bonus episode of his podcast, Chris welcomes Travis frontman Fran Healy. Emerging from Glasgow in the mid 90s, and now in their fourth decade together, Travis were inspirational to a number of like-minded British guitar bands like Coldplay, Snow Patrol and Keane.Travis 2nd album, 1999's 'The Man Who', was a became a huge hit globally, fuelled by the unstoppable single 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me?'. And when the heavens opened as the band launched into that track at Glastonbury in 1999 the band found themselves plastered across newspapers and news reports, which then pushed the album to the top of the charts. But the band have also had their setbacks, not least when drummer Neil Primrose broke his neck in a freak accident... and yet, he was back behind his drum kit within 5 months. It's a great story, and a great listen.

Joining Chris for this episode is legendary PR man Alan Edwards. During his 45 years working in the music industry he's worked with the likes of David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, The Spice Girls, Michael Jackson, The Stranglers, Blondie, Paul McCartney and Amy Winehouse.Alan began his career under the tutelage of another music PR legend, Keith Altham, whose clients included Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Beach Boys and Marc Bolan. As such, Edwards has so many amazing stories to share and is seriously great company. He's also just released his autobiography which is a must-read for any music fan.

Chris is joined by Scottish vocalist Eddi Reader for this episode, to chat about her fascinating career in music. From busking around Europe, to singing backing vocals for artists as diverse as Gang of Four, Eurythmics and Alison Moyet to finding fame - and having a number one single - with Fairground Attraction. But the band's success was fleeting and they splintered after just one album.But Fairground Attraction have reformed to pick up from where they left off in 1989, and the two discuss the advantages a musician has being older and wiser. The conversation also covers Bob Dylan, appearing on Top Of The Pops and the artists Eddi cites as inspiring.

In this episode, Chris welcomes rapidly rising rock star Wolfgang Van Halen. Now fronting his own band, Mammoth, Wolfie made his stage debut at 16 playing bass alongside his dad Eddie and uncle Alec in the legendary rock band Van Halen. Like his dad, Wolfie started his musical journey playing drums, before also picking up the guitar and bass. For his two albums with Mammoth, Wolfie is not only the songwriter, but also sings and plays everything you hear. He's not only an outrageously talented musician but a very nice bloke to boot - a couple of things he's taken from his main inspiration, Dave Grohl.

With Chris Difford for another episode of his podcast is Jack Cochrane, frontman for the West Lothian four-piece, The Snuts, a guitar driven act citing The Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines as influences. The band formed at school in 2015, with a single 'Glasgow' appearing in 2016, and since then, Jack and his band have enjoyed a remarkable and rapid ride to success with their 2021 debut album 'W.L.' hitting the number one slot in 2021. Over the last 8 years they've proven a hard working and prolific act, with an ever expanding and devoted fanbase. Their latest album 'Millennials' has received rave reviews - something that's all the sweeter as The Snuts walked away from their major label record deal and released it on their own record label instead.

On this episode of his podcast, Chris welcomes the Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith to talk about the fine art of music making.Starting his music career in a band that couldn't really play, then screaming his head off in a hard rock band, Ron finally found his voice making music more influenced by his Canadian forebears like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot. His songs have been covered by Feist, kd Lang, Katie Melua, Rod Stewart, Emmylou Harris, Rod Stewart and Nick Lowe. He's collaborated with Chris Martin and Leonard Cohen, whilst Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney are both fans of his work. And he and Chris share a great story about meeting Macca.

Chris Difford is back with his charming and insightful podcast series, 'I Never Thought It Would Happen'. In this first episode in the new series, Chris chats to the ever-excellent James Blunt. James is a hugely talented and highly respected artist who has sold over 20 million records. His self-aware, self-effacing character is just part of his charm.His current album 'Who We Used To Be' is another deeply personal album and his book 'Loosely Based On A Made-Up Story' is typical of James. It's funny, moving and refreshingly honest. It's a pleasure to welcome James Blunt to the podcast - brought to you by our friends at the charity 'Help Musicians'.