‘Manchester’s sun-drenched crooner’ may be a little hard to fathom in a city where it always rains. Yet listen to any of Nev Cottee’s albums and you will find such a statement certainly holds up in this case. Even when at his darkest, as arguably his latest ‘Rivers Edge‘ underlines more than most, Cottee draws as much from those haze West Coast vibes as he does the wet streets of home. Comparisons to the likes of his musical heroes Scott walker and Lee Hazlewood are certainly undeniable yet I’d throw in more than a little sun-kissed psychedelia into the heady brew Cottee conjures up over his last few albums. They all warrant repeated listens and it isn’t long before you are utterly under the charm of a singer-songwriter who draws from the past but very much resides in a sonic present. AUK caught up with Cottee to see how he was coping in lockdown and what music is wafting through the air in his place to keep the boredom and anxiety at bay. Continue reading “Home Life: Nev Cottee”