As the singer in I Am Kloot from 1999 to 2014, John Bramwell achieved a Mercury Prize nomination for 2010’s The Sky At Night, a Top 10 chart position for 2013’s Let It All In, numerous UK and European tours and a triumphant farewell at the Queen Elizabeth Hall with an orchestra in 2014.
Now, as a solo artist, Bramwell travels a very different path, a path that criss-crosses the length and breadth of the UK with a humble agenda of taking his heartwarming songs to the stage and enjoying another moment in time with his devoted fans.
The stunning 2023 sophomore solo album, The Light Fantastic was an almost complete u-turn from the I Am Kloot outlook they were known for. Darker clouds banished and in replacement strings, four-part harmonies and a dozen gloriously exhilarating, beautifully crafted and observed songs about life, humanity, the universe and everything. As John put it, “It’s been great to find the joy of making music once again. These are the most uplifting songs of my career.”
The album received unanimous praise from the UK press but it is the all-encapsulating live show where Bramwell conjures up his true magic. Bramwell has been on a never-ending rolling adventure since his workings away from Kloot and in the last four years has visited almost every parish in England, Scotland and Wales to be met with halls, theatres, arts centres, churches, festival tents and folk clubs full with his eager fans waiting to see which direction Bramwell will take the mood of the night – the enriched, wildly playful inter-song banter is so good, a stand up comedy tour has been contemplated.
Bramwell’s razor sharp wit, on the line and refreshingly true [and often hilarious] observations and instantly recognisable haunting vocal channelled through some of the most honest and direct songwriting of our times has seen Bramwell championed in rave reviews, time after time. God Is In The TV celebrated John’s 2025 Beautiful Days performance as the highlight of the weekend and The Scottish Sun declared ‘Bramwell could well be the patron saint of northerners. Sharp, understated, and self-assured. A man in his element entertaining and amusing’ when reviewing his Celtic Connections 2026 performance.
2027 sees Bramwell taking to the road once more, previewing new material penned for his next album release –– “I got hooked on this when I was nine. Maybe I've been quiet for a few years but I’ve been out there gigging. Putting the hours in on my playing and getting my voice limbered. All the time I’ve been writing. The past may be over but it’s now all within these songs.”
