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Gimme Five

Gimme 5 – Rob Pennington

4 October 2024 39

Which bands & artists have influenced your own music?

Loads! I really admire artists that are authentic – the greatest thing a singer can do is make you believe them, everything else is secondary to that. Personality goes a long way too! I really like Howe Gelb, The Handsome Family, Tom Waits, and Warren Zevon. Bruce Springsteen and Willie Nelson also fit into this category. Locally, Rebecca Richards and Bob Fitzgerald both have such a crystalline high quality to their work that I know I will never be able to achieve.

What new skill would you like to learn?

I tend to just have a go at stuff I want to do. At the moment I’m teaching myself the drums and learning Welsh.

Where in the world would you most like to visit?

I’d love to spend some time in Canada – ideally a couple of weeks on a canoe trip (my ambition is to see a bear in the wild) but then more relaxed time around the sights too, the Banff National Park especially.

What is your all-time favourite album?

That’s impossible to answer! It depends on so much and varies day by day. Warren Zevon’s eponymous major label debut would be a strong contender most days. It’s not got a duff track, and his songwriting and execution and beautiful. Tom Waits’s ‘Heart Attack and Vine’. The Highwaymen’s first album. ‘Copperblue’ by Bob Mould’s band Sugar is a monolith of talent pinned to a very specific time. Gosh, there’s loads.

Give a shout out to a teacher who made a positive impact on your life.

I’m not sure they will still be alive!

Um, Miss Hancock was my GCSE English teacher who was just a little bit terrifying but really taught me how to appreciate the intention and insight behind writing (and also introduced me to ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’).