The 21-year-old south coast acoustic-guitar wizard Newton Faulkner's debut album Hand Built by Robots could be 2007's perfect summer soundtrack. 'It's got a flow to it,' he says. 'It's not just a collection of songs.'
As trade mag Music Week says: 'Interest in Faulkner is fast approaching critical mass.' So anticipation is high for his next single, 'Dream Catch Me'.
It hasn't always been plain sailing for the mellow Faulkner. 'When I first signed a publishing deal and had to write under pressure, my brain went completely offline. I didn't write anything for ages, but luckily I had a back catalogue they didn't know about.'
How does impending stardom appeal? 'I don't want to get to a stage where you're only spending two seconds in the real world and the rest of the time on a tour bus, because what the hell are you going to write about?'
The eclecticism of Faulkner's approach - which includes heavy metal techniques like 'tapping' - can cause audience confusion. 'At gigs, people try and work out if it's OK to like my stuff. I think, just relax. If you don't like it, I'm not gonna stop, but it's OK.'
· Chris Power Hand Built by Robots is released on 23 July. For more details, go to newtonfaulkner.com
