Besieged by excess, swimming in doubt, Buxton songwriter Isaac Neilson pieces together states of youthful indulgence with smiling sarcasm – dissecting the culture which surrounds his life through the escapist ignition of Indie Rock bangers. Exuding swaggering bravado, Isaac has hit a stride of ineffable momentum in 2024, having sold out his first headline tour across the north west, he is now set to storm YNot’s Quarry Stage with legendary artists such as Jake Bugg, The Lottery Winners, Frank Turner, and more…
Now working with the UKs hottest MPG award winning breakthrough producer Tayte Nickols, and Grammy award winning producer Cameron Craig, Isaac’s songwriting and sonic dexterity is reaching the threshold of undeniable caliber.
Neilson is distinguished by his accolades, having reached the semi-finals of the International Songwriting Competition, being nominated for ‘Best Music Show’ at Buxton Fringe, as well as being long-listed for the Music Producer’s Guild “Self-Producing Artist of the Year. (He’s also really good on kazoo).
Having gone from the comfort of bedroom production, to thundering festivals with the likes of Jake Bugg, Stereophonics, and The Human League, his works have earned him juicy praise, words and things from tastemakers such as BBC’s Dean Jackson, RGM, Right Chord Music, & more.
he FIight Within Us cuts into the core of the human experience as we transition into the infancy of the information era. Ever flowing guitar riffs, swaggering bass and thundering drums agitating against the sardonic biting vocal delivery by Neilson, reaching the conclusion that times change, but people remain the same. Our urge to self-indulge and obsess over perception runs parallel to to every lived experience, only now under the expanse of the digital hive-mind…
Delving into apathetic and self destructive tendencies running rife in our culture, Nelson’s lyric draws from the image obsessed social media mindset. Driven by vapid ‘highlight reel lifestyle’ posting, hookup culture, alcoholism, and the mutually assured escapist fantasy which upholds the illusion.
“The best lies mutually ingrain in the spell…”
Isaac unpacks the birth of the song through the intense pressures of a sideways recording session…
‘The fight within us was forged through the fires of falling short in the 11th hour of a heavy studio session. Initially titled “Sail Away” the song was a slog that didn’t hit the mark. With only one morning to go, Cameron and Matt asked me if I could rewrite the song to save the session. Leaving the studio that evening with one morning to go, I wiped the slate clean, scrapping all preconceived ideas of what this song is. Punching out with our backs against the wall the whole vocal lyric and melody was written in bed as the others slept, culminating against a backdrop of themes which had possessed me over previous months. It came together immediately after an intense period of nothing, and in the morning The Fight Within Us was born…’
LIVE DATES
June
8 Sheffield – Katie O Briens
15 Dove Holes – Cricket Club
22 Sheffield – Network
July
13 Buxton – Carnival
13 Belper – Belper Music Festival – The Cross Keys
20 Eanor Music & Beer Festival
28 Sheffield – Tramlines Off The Tracks Maida Vale
29 Sheffield – Hallamshire Hotel
August
2 Derbyshire – YNot (festival)
17 Buxton – Eat In The Park (festival)
24/25 Congleton Blues & Jazz Festival
24/25 Rainford – Juncstock
30-1st Manchester – Deansgate Mews Festival
September
7 Nottingham – DH Lawrence Festival
Single Artwork photo credit – Kevin Donnelly