Dudley's Omar Anthony releases debut single

Deceived By The Lights came out on Friday and Anthony describes it as an “indie-drum n bass-pop experiment”.

With a video to follow soon, the musician is gearing up for a big year where he says we can also expect to hear his debut album later in 2019.

Anthony, a two-time semi-finalist in the UK Songwriting Contest, has been a member of a number of bands on the local circuit in the past but this is his first real foray into the real of a solo artist. It also comes with production credits for one of his former bandmates Fatbwoi.

And having cut his teeth as a solo acoustic live performer, Anthony has gathered inspiration from dance, funk, pop and rock to reflect these uncertain times, “blending drum machine-based grooves with strong guitar riffs and melodic vocal hooks”.

“It is a colourful clash of old and new,” he said. “The now electronic set-up was first showcased in front of an enthusiastic crowd with a room-filling return performance in the Black Country at the end of last year.

“Deceived By The Lights deals with our attraction to the bright lights of the big city. Its unusual fusion of drum n bass rhythms with acoustic guitar attempts to convey the hazy confusion of a hedonistic night out.”

The released single also features the original version of the song, recorded years ago at the beginning of Anthony’s adventure as a solo artist.

“It feels like a bit of a relief to finally put something out as a solo artist having always been involved with bands or projects with others here and there,” Anthony adds.

“I've got close before but never felt I was being true to myself releasing as a solo acoustic live act as I really love electronic and dance music as well. So what I'm doing now is a real attempt to put everything in the mix and see what comes out.

“Deceived always seemed to go down well whenever I played it acoustically so thought it would be a good choice. Compared to my other songs it's a bit of an anomaly with its drum n bass influence, so it's a standalone single.

“It retains the main guitar riff of the original version though, so it bridges the two different ways I've presented my work so far. For this reason I thought it would be a nice way to start a new chapter.”

And fans can get on-board with the new chapter when Anthony returns to the Black Country live scene to play the Holly Bush Ale House in Cradley Heath on April 5.

Omar Anthony can be found on Twitter @OmarAnthony and Facebook @OmarAnthonyMusic