Tony Black has been writing songs since he was fourteen, incorporating eclectic influences while never losing sight of his love of two-and-a-half-minute pop classics. Originally from North Yorkshire, Tony was based in London for many years, playing the scene there with his band The Collectors. Since 2017 he has been making his way as a cycling troubadour, pedalling the roads from Glasgow to Barcelona, playing the bars, cafés, pubs and streets along the way.
Tony's sound has been variously described as:
“A cross between Billy Bragg and Bagpuss”
“The Violent Femmes playing Wire and Thomas Mapfumo”
“Resolutely English”
“The White Stripes meet The Proclaimers”
The songs cover a wide range of subject matter, taking in the joys of cycling (‘Ridgeback’), public transport (‘Escalator’), day-jobs (‘Not Interested’), nostalgia ('Old Things'), environmental concerns ('Scientists'), and occasionally a little romance ('My Wife').
Le Monkey Factory, Maubeuge
El Bar de la Cate, Figueres
Rue Emile Zola, Troyes
Le Chaudron, Bages, Perpignan
Rue des Tanneurs, Lille
The Workshop, London
The Collectors
Tony has performed and recorded his music with various musicians over the last few years.
Xavier Fernandez
Xavier Fernandez (drums/vocals) first met Tony in 2006 when they were both teaching at the same language school in London. Impromptu gigs for the students in the school café soon led to more serious musical collaborations. A reciprocal arrangement sees Xavier playing drums for The Collectors, while Tony plays guitar in Xavier's band the Gotta-Dos.
Ben Galinsky (Bass/Vocals) has been playing with the Collectors since 2014.
Matt Hill has engineered the last two Collectors albums, contributing percussion and bass to several tracks, as well as a good deal of patient advice and wisdom.
Richard Partridge (Double Bass/Vocals)
First meeting at a traditional English music session in Greenwich in 1997, Richard and Tony worked as a duo in the early 2000s, and played together in Americana group The Mounthoolies. They have recently begun teaming up again, with Richard adding double bass to several tracks on the new album.
Rich McLelland played bass with The Collectors from 2010 to 2013, and is featured on their eponymous debut album of 2012.
