Well dear readers, I have not been idle during my time at home, though of late I have not had much of that!

First up, as we approach the fourth year of our collaborative guitar instrumental show at the Edinburgh Festival, Paul Tasker & I have been hard at work in the studio recording, and are now busily mixing the pieces, progressing towards having the final available for this year’s run of shows in August. This year will be the most ambitious for the show yet as we aim to play the new album in its entirety.

Exciting times, and please do keep updated here and on the socials for the release schedule and of course for the shows themselves, which will be on sale soon.

In more wonderful news, the songs for the next solo album are almost ready and I shall be heading into the studio next month to put down my guitar and vocal parts, with piano to follow later. In the meantime, there’s a lot of rehearsing to do as you can imagine!

And I am more than halfway through writing the next instrumental album, a follow up to ‘Moonrise Over Mostar’, which you can order here if you haven’t already. I hope to also record this later in the year if the schedule allows.

And if you’ve read this far, many thanks, I don’t as of yet maintain a newsletter but am considering doing so as the social media sites begin to fragment. Any thoughts on this, please do let me know.

And in the meantime, please do subscribe to the YouTube Channel here and follow me on Instagram here if you aren’t doing so already, it really would be much appreciated.

Love to you all, and hope to see you all out on the road somewhere soon.

SK x

Wishing everyone reading this a very happy, prosperous, peaceful and of course, a very musical New Year. May 2025 bring you everything that you desire – . I’m now working hard on the schedule for 2025 and into 2026, and if you’d like to book me then please do not hesitate to contact me!

And now, in time-honoured fashion and tradition I present below my Top 10 SK highlights of 2024, which has undoubtedly been one of my favourite years in this weird and wonderful world of music yet!

1 – My favourite Italian tour to date, featuring my first ever show in the south of this wonderful country – the audiences were my first of the year and amongst my finest – . It was my third tour of Italy, and my fourth time performing in the country, and I’m looking forward to returning again in 2025.

2 – 8 long years had passed since my last visit to the beautiful country of Spain for concerts, and in March I returned for a series of concerts which were absolutely wonderful. The chance to travel and perform in this wonderful country once again was one that shall live long in the memory and I shall endeavour to return much sooner.

3 – After two long years away, June and July finally provided another opportunity to tour Western Canada, my 9th Canadian musical adventure, and my 8th Western Canadian Tour (picture below taken on a hike near Squamish). Taking in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, featuring inspiring, stunning locations new to me like Candle Lake, SK and Kimberley, BC, I can confirm that it was more than worth the wait!

4 – The release in July of the video for ‘Moonrise Over Mostar’, filmed in Berlin by the multi-talented luthier Michael Batell, in his atelier and featuring one of his beautiful handmade classical guitars. A piece which has become a favourite amongst my audiences, it was a thrilling feeling to finally have a video to do the piece justice, which you can, of course, watch here (please do subscribe to the channel, it really helps me to make new videos!)

5 – After composing a batch of songs in January, working hard in the studio through late winter and Spring, I was thrilled to release my latest album ‘My Dreams Are Theirs’ at the end of August, featuring 12 brand new original compositions, fresh from the guitar and pen in 2024. You may purchase the album here, if you are interested and yet to buy a copy, which for the first time ever features myself performing everything on the album – all vocals, guitars, piano and harmonica are played by yours truly.

6 – In early September, I was thrilled to undertake my first tour of the Balkans, featuring my first ever performance in Bosnia and Herzegovina, taking my grand total of countries performed in up to 38 (if you’re reading this from a country I haven’t performed in and would like to bring me there, please don’t hesitate to contact me!). Taking in Zagreb (HR), Banja Luka (BIH) and Novi Sad (RS) it was a real highlight of the year, meeting some amazing people and being able to perform my music in such exotic and inspiring locations is not something I can ever take for granted.

7 – The release in October of the video for ‘Don’t Let Her Hear You Say That’, filmed in Vancouver during my time there, featuring yours truly on piano. Filmed once again by the talented Rachael Dudley, we were all delighted with how it turned out and if you haven’t seen it, please watch it here and of course, please help me fulfil one of my New Year ambitions and subscribe to the channel here if you haven’t already.

8 – Seven long years had passed since I last set foot on the Emerald Isle in a professional capacity, and it was fantastic to reunite with my old friend Paul Campbell and perform a show together in Derry, which even saw us feature on BBC Radio beforehand – . And great to be back at the Sunflower Folk Club in Belfast too, many fine memories to look back upon and rest assured I shall not leave it so long again!

9 – I was absolutely delighted with both the audience and critical feedback for ‘My Dreams Are Theirs’. The record received fantastic reviews in The Herald Scotland, The Scotsman and The Daily Express as well as ‘Album of the Week’ on Celtic Music Radio, not to mention the airplay picked up on BBC Radio stations across the UK as well as local radio stations closer to home in the Auld Country.

10 – The best, finest, not to mention longest since 2017, SK Autumn Tour yet – taking in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, audiences were really appreciative and enthusiastic about the new songs, whilst the press reviews were extremely complimentary and it gave me a lot of confidence building into 2025 and the many tours still to come. And of course, how could I forget my debut live performances on the piano in concert – a wonderful, nerve-racking yet thoroughly exciting development in my career with hopefully more to follow!

Once again I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to anyone who has hosted a concert and/or helped me on the road in any way, attended a concert, purchased an album, subscribed to my YouTube Channel or followed my Instagram Page, read my posts and website blogs and written supportive messages and comments, whether on Social Media, email or post. The support has been amazing, and I simply could not continue in this incredible yet insane life of a troubadour without you.

2025, you have a lot to live up to….but for those of you who have kindly been asking, you shouldn’t have to wait too long to hear new music, some exciting collaborative projects are in the works along with my various solo projects, please don’t worry – !

Here’s hoping 2025 shall be a successful and prosperous year for us all – may you all be healthy, wealthy and wise in the year to come.

Sláinte

SK x

Well, dear readers, I have to say I’ve been delighted with the positive reaction to the new album ‘My Dreams Are Theirs’, and have been enjoying touring it greatly, and am finding the new songs are fitting well into the existing set. It’s always an exciting challenge trying to bed in new songs to the show and working out which ones to play, and which of the older ones to leave out, I feel I’m beginning to get that balance right, but there is plenty of room left for experimentation!

Following on from receiving Celtic Music Radio coveted album of the week slot –

Simon Kempston – My Dreams Are Theirs – Celtic Music Radio

the album has gone on to receive fantastic reviews in the Herald Scotland –

https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/24612390.album-makes-simon-kempstons-name-scotland/

The Scotsman – 

https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/music/patterns-in-repeat-by-laura-marling-review-a-tender-pacifier-of-an-album-4838818 (scroll down!)

The Daily Express – attached

These positive words have been great to see, but don’t take their or my word for it, why not find out for yourself?

Please be assured all copies bought from the website will be delivered in time for Christmas and can be purchased here –

My Dreams Are Theirs – Simon Kempston

Send this hard-working troubadour to the Post Office on his day off on tour – ;-)!

Love to you all, and thanks for all the support.

SK x

On Friday I had the really great experience of being on BBC Radio Foyle on the Mark Patterson show, previewing the Derry concert with the excellent Paul Campbell, Kevin Brown and Ryan O’Doherty. You can listen back here on BBC Sounds – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002442b, we’re all on from about 26:30 onwards, please enjoy at your leisure!

Last month I had the great fortune to be a guest on the wonderful Serbian radio station Radio Zajednice CK13 and you can listen back to the full interview which also features live performances directly from the studio here

And of course, you can listen back to my launching ‘My Dreams Are Theirs’ live on Celtic Music Radio, also featuring live performances and an interview here.

There you have it – three wonderful countries – Northern Ireland, Serbia and Scotland and three radio performances from your humble Scottish troubadour.

Another year around the sun or around the world completed…..here we go again!

Love and gratitude to you all.

SK x

All good things come to those who wait – .

The video for my new single ‘Don’t Let Her Hear You Say That’ is finally here.

Please watch, like and share, and let me know what you think, and if you haven’t already, please subscribe to the channel- https://www.youtube.com/@SimonKempstonMusic, it really helps me to keep making more content.

With huge thanks to Rachael Dudley for a most wonderful job on this, our third collaboration of Canadian videos, it definitely feels fantastic to have filmed one in one of my favourite cities, Vancouver.

The album, of course, can be purchased here

With thanks and love to you all.

SK x

Thrilled to announce that as of today, ‘My Dreams Are Theirs’ is album of the week on Celtic Music Radio! Thanks to all those who made this happen, really appreciated. Tune in on 95FM in the Glasgow area, DAB digital in Edinburgh or on Celtic Music Radio online around the world.

The Album of the Week program is on at midday today here but tracks from the album will be played every hour for the next week – .

Happy listening, folks…. do you have your copy yet – ?!

Visit https://simonkempston.co.uk/albums/my-dreams-are-theirs/ if not!

Love to you all.

SK x

Finally, my dear friends and followers, my new album ‘My Dreams Are Theirs’, is available to purchase on this very website here.

I can’t express how delighted and excited I am to share with you all 11 brand new songs and 1 instrumental piece all penned by my own fair hand. Moreover, for the first time in my career, this record features myself performing every note on the album – vocals (lead & harmony), guitar, slide guitar, piano and harmonica.

The album is released as a CD only for now, complete with lyrics booklet in a lavish 6-panel sleeve, and all copies purchased from the website shop will be signed, and with a personalised message of your choosing as you wish, please just detail this at checkout.

I am extremely happy with how it looks, and am even more happy with how it sounds, which is, of course, the most important thing. I am excited to be touring the album in the autumn across Europe after a highly successful run of Songs Without Words, an instrumental guitar showcase with Paul Tasker at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Lastly, please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already as the video for the lead single will be arriving shortly – :-).

Hope to hear from you soon and thanks as always for your support.

SK x

Delighted to announce I shall be appearing live on Celtic Music Radio this Friday 8pm Scottish Time on the Thank Folk It’s Friday show with Ross MacFadyen launching the new album ‘My Dreams Are Theirs’. This will include both me in conversation with Ross as well as live performances of some of the songs from the new album.

The details are here and you can tune in on 95FM in the Glasgow Area or on DAB Digital Radio or from around the world on https://www.celticmusicradio.net/

And if you’re curious about the album and can’t wait for me to tour in your location then please order your copy here, it’s a very good looking album with a lavish 6-panel sleeve and a full lyrics booklet with the artwork as always, by the fabulous Nexus 24.

Thanks, as always, for reading, can’t wait to share the new songs with you all.

SK x

Finally, at last, I bring news of my latest album to be released at the end of this very month, on the 30th of August. News of pre-orders and how to order to etc will follow soon.

I can’t express how delighted and excited I am to share with you all 12 brand new songs all penned and performed by my own fair hand, recorded and mastered by the legendary Ian McCalman.

The album will be released as a CD only for now, complete with lyrics booklet in a lavish 6-panel sleeve, please be sure to keep an eye on here and on social media for further announcements.

Love to you all, and thanks for being a part of my musical journey.

SK x

Dear Sir/Madame,

The long-awaited video for ‘Moonrise Over Mostar’ is finally here, please watch below –

Please watch, like, share and subscribe to the channel, it would be very much appreciated.

Filmed the morning after the night before a wonderful concert in Michael Batell’s atelier on a brand new creation of Michael’s, I’m delighted to now finally have a video for a piece which a lot of you have come to recognise as a highlight of my concerts.

Please do take the time also to explore the wonderful world of Michael Batell and his classical and flamenco guitars, you will not be disappointed.

Berlin is such an important and titanic city in the history of recorded music, not least to a few of my own leading inspirations, so I’m delighted to have a composition of mine performed live on video here.

Please watch, like, share and subscribe, it really helps to get the music out there.

Enjoy, and please let me know what you think.

Love to you all.

SK x