John is also touring the UK this January, starting at Celtic Connections in Glasgow on January 29th and ending in St Davids on February 22nd.
“I’m my own worst critic in every facet of my life. Always hung up on trying to be better but often not doing much about it.” John Blek
The Midnight Ache is a beautifully intimate and well-crafted piece of alternative folk, a powerful 11-song follow-up to 2024’s well-received album, Cheer Up, which saw support from various national and regional radio stations, including BBC 6 Cerys Matthews, BBC Ulster’s Eve Blair and Ralph McClean, as well as BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. For this new project, John has taken his DIY spirit one step further, self-recording and producing the bulk of the album and building the recording studio by hand.
In April 2024, Blek finished building his new creative home, Bigger River Recording Co., and set about working on what would become The Midnight Ache. Echoes of Sea Change era Beck and Sparklehorse give this record a lo-fi intimacy, while the string arrangements balance the sound with an element of grandeur and sophistication. Home is very much at the heart of this new album; it features vocal performances by John’s wife, and even the cover is adorned with pressed flowers from their garden. Additional production and mixing were done by regular collaborator Brian Casey at Wavefield Recordings.
John Blek is Cork City born and bred, currently residing in north Cork. His parents, both of whom were primary school teachers, had to bribe him to stay in school after his 16th birthday, promising him a new guitar upon completion of his final exams. Blek has a love of music in the real sense; he creates to create. At 38, he has a catalogue of music that would represent a lifetime’s work for many musicians.
The Midnight Ache is due for release on Jan 16th on John’s own label, Bigger River Recording Co. Pre-save HERE. Check out John on tour of the UK this Jan – Feb.
UK Live Dates
29th Jan – Celtic Connections, Glasgow
19th Feb – Swiss Cottage, Winchester
20th Feb – The Grace, London
21st Feb – The Louisiana, Bristol
22nd Feb – Dead Sea Records, St. David’s