Breaking the Illusion

Leeds born Tom Stewart’s alter-ego Breaking The Illusion has come a long way in the last 18 months, not only playing as a brilliant 4-piece at Glastonbury twice as an emerging talent finalist and BBC “Introducing…” featured artist, Radio 1’s Maida Vale Live sessions, but also playing critically acclaimed sets with Lilly Allen, Calvin Harris, Remi Nicole & Pigeon Detectives to name a few. It looks like there’s no stopping him!

‘Mixed Messages’ is street poetry at its best, a fantastic fusion of Rock, Blues, Soul and Hip-Hop. This blend itself creates a category that has yet to be defined as the sound sits like perfect intersection of them all. To this happy listener’s ears, music is the majestic throne on which song writing is the king wearing a crown of fleshy-toned Argyle diamonds, it’s pretty damn good!

The musings of this many subjects over a cornucopia of instant classics harks back to the likes of Dylan, Marley, and Pryor. From the very catchy ‘She Don’t Want You (No More)’ a bluesy rendition about the role of modern man in a techno-sex age, the reggae-tinged ‘Mr Bouncer’ which will no doubt relate to anyone who has been in any drinking establishment of any kind, ‘Reflection’ a thought-provoking view at the perceptions of fame and abuse, to the hilarious ‘A Simple Plan’ which can only be described as Michael Caine’s ‘Italian Job’ put to the music of Damien Rice, it’s no surprise he’s gaining fans as far reaching as ‘Bo Selecta!/Keith Lemon’ creator Leigh Francis (He’s even asked to appear in the forthcoming video single), Radio 1’s Huw Stephens & Trevor Nelson and the delightful Corrine Bailey-Rae it appears Breaking The Illusion is exactly that, and I for one would be happy to pick up these pieces.

www.myspace.com/breakingtheillusion