Beans On Toast is a British artist who should need no introduction, as we’ve covered him a lot over the years! He’s become a staple of the music festival circuit, and for good reason! We saw him earlier this year at Y Not Festival, and the set was fantastic as always. He also has a new album coming out soon titled The Toothpaste and the Tube – make sure you check it out when it’s released in December!

By Jane Howkins

You’ve just announced a new album titled The Toothpaste and the Tube. What can you tell us about the record? What does the title refer to?

It’s a record about life, love, death and the modern world. The title refers to the saying “You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube”, which is a line from a song from the album called Work To Do. I guess it’s about being honest about our predicaments and obstacles, so we might be best placed to overcome them.  

Most of your albums are released at the same time each year, in December. What prompted this decision?

It actually happened quite naturally, as one year after my debut album I was ready to release another one. So we did it on the same day, after a few years, to became a thing. It does feel like my natural output and I’m a creature of habit, so I now work on an annual rotation of tours, festivals, writing, recording and releasing music.  

The first single from the album is titled The Golden Lion. What can you tell us about the track? 

It’s about a pub in Todmorden of the same name. I played a gig in the pub last August, before then I’d never heard of the pub or the town (and had no idea how to pronounce Todmorden) but from that one visit I was incredibly inspired by the place, it left quite the mark, and that turned into the song. 

Do you have any more singles planned for release anytime soon?

Yeah, there’s still 3 singles that’ll be out before the album in December. The next one in a few weeks is my take on the incoming AI revolution. 

You’re performing a special album release show at The Golden Lion in Todmorden. Are you doing anything special for the show?

Yeah, it’s gonna be the album launch at The Golden Lion – obviously, it’s the perfect venue for the launch party. Personally, I’m excited to go back. And I always do something special at a show!

As an artist, you’ve been in the music industry for a long time now. What’s the secret to your success?

I’ve kind of ignored the music industry at large, I work with a couple of close friends and we carve out our own path, which seems to have worked so far.

You have a new tour coming up, including some dates in interesting locations like Annie’s Burger Shack in Derby. What can fans expect from these shows, particularly if they’ve never seen you live before?

I’ll be doing that tour with Matt magic fingers on the piano, so we’ll be playing as a duo. We’ll be playing tunes from across the back catalogue and a bunch from the new record. I like to think that my shows are a fun, relaxed affair with some thinking, some laughing, some drinking and some celebrating.

You’re a mainstay within the British festival community, and we always catch your shows at Y not Festival. How does a festival show compare to a normal gig?

I love being on stage, be that in a little boozer or a massive festival stage. I get the same feeling from it and I’ll always put my heart and soul into it. 

What acts have you been listening to recently? Who influences you as an artist?

My favourite new songwriters are Gabe Lee, Bella White, Dillon Warnek and a bunch of new-style country acts, I also saw some excellent bands over the last weekend including Madmadmad and Cyril Cyril – neither of which sound anything like what I do. I take inspiration from anywhere and everywhere, I’m always thinking of things to write songs about.

Any last words for the fans?

You got this!