LEON O'LEARY
Leon O’Leary is an indie-folk singer-songwriter from Bury St. Edmunds Suffolk, England. He grew up surrounded by pine forests and the wildness of the Suffolk coast at his doorstep. The environments that often help to create and nurture the very best of British and Irish singers and songwriters, grounded by melodic truth and the beauty that surrounds them. He writes and plays with the depth and passion of a much older soul, his Celtic origins can clearly be heard in his music, giving an insight on his attempts to make sense of the world, and a young man’s discovery of love and loss.
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What has been your best gig to play and why?
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I think the best gig I’ve played was actually my last one which was Bury Sound Heat 2 at The Hunter Club. It’s such a fun venue to play and the audience were wicked, throughout the whole night for all the bands playing. I also feel like I gave my best performance that night.
How does music make you feel and has it ever been your therapy?
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Depends really, haha. I find it really hard to write happy upbeat music but I wouldn’t say I’m a depressive though. I like to vent through music a lot.
Anything that is on my mind I tend to write about. I usually write songs based on the life experiences of people around me, or about current social issues.
Not sure if it’s therapeutic but I hope so haha. It’s definitely not therapeutic when you’re banging your head against the wall trying to figure out lyrics for a song though.
Photo Credit: Excell Photography
Do you think people take you seriously as a young person in the music industry?
I definitely think there is great support in East Anglia for young musicians and don’t feel treated any differently to an older musician. People like BBC Introducing Suffolk, Sonic Youths, Access Creative, are 100% supportive of young local music artists and bands.
What will you miss the most about music during quarantine?
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Gigging is definitely the main thing I miss in quarantine and the freedom to go see other bands perform. Nothing can compare to that feeling when you see a band live and can literally feel the energy getting blasted at you (unless it’s like a stripped back gig which I still love).
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What makes music so important to you and why?
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As corny as it sounds, I really believe music can evoke emotions within you and - depending on what you’re listening to - sympathise with whatever you’re feeling, happy, sad, angry, etc. I love creating or listening to music and just being able to feel what sort of emotion it gives off. Also music is really important to me because I’m not that good at anything else to be fair, haha, and I’d be out of a job.