Johnny Flynn today announces the reissue of his much-loved and critically acclaimed records A Larum and Been Listening - preorder them here.
At the time of its original release in 2008, Johnny’s trend-setting debut album A Larum was described as being "steeped in the lo-fi folk tradition… with magical results" by The Observer, a "masterclass" by The Independent, and possessive of "natural magic" (Rolling Stone).
Been Listening developed the palette, illustrating that Flynn was "just as good at doing poignant as he is at doing joyous" according to Pop Matters, whilst delivering an album of "uncommon beauty" (BBC) that was "radical in its honesty" (Drowned In Sound) and had "a savvy, more sophisticated bent. And that is, in essence, the beauty of this record: a truly gifted songwriter that was already wiser than his years is coming of age and getting better at his craft. His high-minded songs have always been built on integrity and a durable, indefatigable spirit, and those estimable qualities permeate all of these refreshing new tracks." (The Line of Best Fit)
The albums were created with his long-term group The Sussex Wit and produced by Ryan Hadlock, and contain timeless singles such as Tickle Me Pink, The Water (with Laura Marling), The Box and Barnacled Warship, as well as live favourites The Wrote and The Writ and Howl.
Following high levels of demand from fans and eye-watering prices on Discogs.com, both albums will be available to buy on vinyl on 11th October along with the rest of his catalogue.
To celebrate the reissues, Johnny has also confirmed a one-off, solo in-store appearance at Rough Trade East on Friday 18th October as part of our 15th Anniversary celebrations. Flynn’s last major London appearance was a sold out show at The Roundhouse, where he played a storming 10 year retrospective set immortalised in 2018’s Live at The Roundhouse triple-LP release.
Johnny’s simultaneous career as an actor on stage and screen has seen him nominated for an Olivier award alongside Mark Rylance in Jerusalem, nominated for an Ian Charleson award as Viola in Twelfth Night (also with Rylance), winning a Theatre World award and nominated for a Drama Desk award as Mooney in the Olivier award-winning Hangmen and most recently opposite Kit Harington in Sam Shepard’s True West for which he also wrote the score. On screen most recently he starred opposite Jessie Buckley in the Bafta-winning Beast, he was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award for his portrayal of Einstein in National Geographic’s Genius, and stars in forthcoming films Emma, Cordelia and as David Bowie in Stardust. As a composer, his credits count productions for the Globe, the Royal Court and in the West End, in addition to various film and TV projects, including the music for the BBC’s Detectorists.
