With his faithful acoustic guitar hoist across his chest or a piano at his fingertips, Rob Batley gilds his every song with the unmistakable stamp of hard-earned authenticity - confessional in style, his vivid lyrics full of recognizable characters and familiar

situations. Car crash girls and wide eyed boys, lives and

loves, hopes and dreams: he sketches a romantic vision of

the world and puts you right there inside it, shoulder to

shoulder with his street-smart heroes and back-seat villains…

Rooted in the age-old traditions of folk storytelling, this young mans

songs are tales seducing us to be heard. You might

notice the beautiful playing first, or the soaring melodies,

but, inexorably, potent narratives unravel and begin to hold

you in their sway.

It’s like cinema distilled into song, with themes at once

immediate and timeless. Listen close enough, it seems, and

you might just hear the ghostly whisper of a John Ford or

a Scorsese. And yet, throughout, make no mistake, Rob takes

command of these songs, branding them

with the force of rare authority, his distinctive vocal range

by turns conversational and lofty like the arching sky. No

wonder this special talent is so satisfying.

“blinding backstreet balladeer bleeds earnest observations about love and life.  Mini-cinema for the honest romantic and hopeless dreamer in all of us…”