AFTER a false start caused by a leaky tap in his bathroom, Dan Whitehouse, settles down with a brew to share his thoughts on his forthcoming appearance at Ramsbottom Civic Hall.

Dan will be supporting one of the UK's leading songwriters Boo Hewerdine at the show on Saturday, October 1.

"It's lovely when someone takes the time out to give you a bit of a leg up like that," said Dan.

"The first person who did that for me was Ian Matthews from Fairport Convention back in 2009 when I'd just released my first EP.

"He was good enough to take me out on tour with him and said I should listen to Boo as he thought we had got a lot in common in terms of our songwriting.

"That's when I started listening to Boo's rich catalogue but I never thought I'd be signed to same label as him, co-writing with him and now going out on tour with him."

This month Dan released That's Where I Belong, his first album for Reveal Records, which features two songs he co-wrote with Boo, the pair having first met at a songwriting workshop.

For those of us not privy to the dark arts of putting a song together, Dan explained that there are two basic types of songwriting workshop.

"You can have a one-off session where you write group song together, maybe before a gig with a random group of songwriters," he said.

"These are completely inclusive and there's no real hierarchy to them, although some people may have more experience in the craft.

"I also do a 12-week songwriting course at the Midlands' Arts Centre in Birmingham.

"There, 10 people come together and work on their own songs and share them with the group.

"The idea is that sharing and airing them gives them the space they need to develop and it's always useful getting comments from like minded people."

Dan's latest album was produced by Danny Wilson and Chris Clarke of Danny and the Champions of the World.

"The new album is a joy to behold," he said. "It was the first release I've done on a record label so I had to share some of the control but I managed to keep my finger on the pulse throughout and I was lucky to be working with the right people in Danny and Chris.

"Their studio was just as I imagined a recording studio would be as a little boy.

"To be honest, they reignited my passion for making music

"They don't do lot of post production and they've got the space to set up the full band and record a full performance virtually as live.

"I like that approach as I think things can become pretty stale pretty quickly if you are doing too much in the studio."

Dan is now looking forward to heading out on the road supporting Boo for the next few weeks.

"I want music to be a central part of my life and luckily it is after grafting for several years," he said.

"With this tour with Boo, it would be nice to reach out to a wider audience with my music and hope that it connects to them.

"Boo's audiences are very discerning and are really lovely people. They stop and listen to songs which is a surprisingly rare thing these days."

Dan Whitehouse, with Boo Hewerdine, Ramsbottom Civic Hall, Saturday, October 1. Details from 0161 761 2216.