British singer/songwriter Wes Finch mixes together folk, blues, Americana and literate indie pop. Starting in Coventry, he spent a number of years fronting a rotating roots ensemble called the Dirty Band with which he recorded an album and 3 EPs. Although he continued to play with the Dirty Band live, he stripped down his sound for 2010’s largely acoustic solo effort Asthill Grove. His 2012 follow-up, Mayflower, was more sonically expansive, using field recordings and eclectic full band arrangements.
Echoes of American artists like Conor Oberst, Elliot Smith, and Ryan Adams can be heard in Finch’s style, which feels rooted in folk music but has the ambition and sophistication of pop. Following the release of Mayflower he began touring more heavily, playing clubs and festivals and supporting U.K. folk veterans like Billy Bragg and Martin Carthy. Working with Mercury Award nominated Producer Gerry Diver (Sam Lee, Lisa Knapp, O’Hooley & Tidow), he recorded his fourth LP, the ambitious and more experimental Awena, which was released in 2015.
2017 saw the formation of side project The Mechanicals Band. The group set new music to poetry and have released one Shakespearean themed album (2017) and an EP titled ‘Miscellany #1’ (2019).
2019 also saw the development and performance by The Mechanicals Band of an Arts Council England funded theatre and live music show, based around the life and loves of poet Philip Larkin, called The Righteous Jazz, to a great reception.
Over the same period Wes has been developing a new, more electronic and digitally inspired brand of his music under the name The Silver Wye. 2019 saw the release of 2 singles, Pick Me Up and You Are Light with more releases to come in 2020.