Concise biography from The Times 15/06/24:

‘The seasoned folk singer Paul Armfield moved to the Isle of Wight at the age of ten, where he now runs a bookshop. His 2015 album ‘Found’ was inspired by a treasure trove of old photographs, while 2020’s Domestic matched ten of Armfield’s own meticulously wrought linocuts of native plants to each track. Mark Radcliffe is a big fan (as are Elbow’s Guy Garvey, Lauren Laverne and our own Caitlin Moran).’

 

Full Biography:

After a few years in revolutionary eastern Europe, Paul Armfield returned to his beloved Isle of Wight in the early 90’s to get married, have children, sell books and write songs. His first album Songs Without Words was released in 2003 to wide critical acclaim, his voice being compared to the likes of Cat Stevens, Tim Hardin and Nick Drake and the music being described as Folk Noir. A big fan of Scott Walker Paul was likewise applauded for his renditions of Jacques Brel chansons as well as his own lovelorn, poetic songs.

Running a bookstore by day Paul nevertheless managed to release six more albums including an album of Tennyson’s Poetry set to music, 2013’s ‘Up Here’ which found fans such as Lauren Laverne and Caitlin Moran, and 2015’s ‘Found’: a selection of songs written around a collection of photographs gathered from the flea markets of Berlin; Radio Eins declared it ‘The best Berlin album of all time’.

With a strong fan-base on the continent, Paul’s 2020 album ‘Domestic’ was recorded in Germany with a pan European cast of musicians and explored the concept of ‘home’, be it the house you live or the country you grew up in. Foreshadowing Brexit and the subsequent pandemic, the album was a crowd-funded success and became a firm favourite of Mark Radcliffe.

In early 2023 Paul was commissioned by environmental group Gift To Nature to compose a suite of songs about five trees that grow in Sibden Hill, a small but surprisingly diverse copse all but hidden in the middle of a modern housing estate in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight, strategically placed QR codes allow visitors to the woods to listen to the songs in situ. With strings arranged by Norwegian fiddle-playing songstress Mari Persen the resultant EP ‘TREES’ was released last year to wide acclaim, being hailed by legendary BBC DJ Frank Hennessy as ‘a work of genius’, earning Paul a live session on Radio2’s Folk Show (listen here) and used exclusively on BBC2’s tribute to Dame Maggie Smith.

Now in his mid 50s Paul is a veteran performer with a warm, relaxed stage presence. A songwriter’s songwriter, he has picked up plaudits from the likes of Guy Garvey and Chris Difford. Still selling books by day he is also an occasional funeral celebrant, a lino-cut artist, and a double bassist whose playing can be heard on the best-selling Michael Kiwanuka single ‘I’m Getting Ready’ as well as collaborations with jazz pianist Greg Foat. An accomplished musical-saw player, he has a busking alter-ego called the Stranger On The Saw.

Paul currently runs a small bookshop in his home town of Cowes on the Isle Of Wight. In May of this year his literary and musical worlds collide as he releases a new album ‘Between The Covers: 9 Songs for Bibliophiles’. Exactly as it says, it’s 9 songs about books and reading, 4 cover versions and 5 originals. Paul recorded the album over 4 days in August of last year in Stuttgart with a crack team of seasoned jazz musicians. Paul will be promoting the album with a two month solo tour around the UK and Europe, playing book shops and literary festivals wherever possible.