You hear him first, from a distance. His voice – a deep, Lou Reed croon, and his guitar – jangly and electric. You’re curious. You wonder who this young man is, and how he makes such sweet, dirty, soulful sounds. You follow the sound.
You turn a corner, and there he is! He’s young, bearded, and handsome. He’s wearing an old brown leather jacket, which looks kind of how his songs sound, and his electric guitar is bright orange, garishly so. This is Oliver Manning, busker extraordinaire.
Since releasing 2014’s The Don Draper EP, Oliver Manning has been entertaining the streets Sheffield, daily, with his blend of dirty, romantic originals (Drunk On You, Ragdoll Dream, Girls Are Like A Black Cat), and a selection of homages to his biggest influences (Lou Reed, Cat Stevens, Neil Young.)
2015 will see his first full length album (recorded by Alan Smyth, of Arctic Monkey’s fame) released, as well as a European tour.
So next time you go to Sheffield, pay a visit to Mothercare, on Barker’s Pool. Not to buy baby clothes, or a new pram, but to hear Oliver Manning, the dangerous and exciting Red Wine Rock n Roll busker.