Pat Dam Smyth

Pat Dam Smyth

Pat Dam Smyth is a singer and songwriter from Northern Ireland. He spends his early years busking in Belfast and on streets in other cities across the UK, and he continues to busk in Northern Ireland and London, sometimes playing piano incognito in hotels and public places.

Career

Before working under his own name, he tours with the cult duo Belfast's Pat and Nipsy, then later with the London group Smokey Angle Shades. He then returns to Belfast to record The Great Divide with local musicians and producers.

The Great Divide

The Great Divide is shaped by memory and personal experience, with songs that deal with the death of a parent, lost love and mental illness. Its sound draws on 1970s rock and on artists such as Dennis Wilson, Elliott Smith, Will Oldham, Wilco and the Kinks, while also being described as a nostalgic and personal record. The album is issued in 2010.

Style and reputation

His work is associated with folk and rock, with guitar-led songwriting and a strong debt to American underground influences. He is also known for guest appearances in unusual settings, and for a performance style that combines busking roots with a personal, often melancholy approach.