Just A Quickie with... Belfast troubadour Andy White, whose gig at The Shed in Brawby will be filmed for a documentary.

How is the tour going so far; are you enjoying being back in Britain?

"Back in Europe! I flew from Australia and played in Switzerland and Holland before coming to Scotland and then working downwards to England. It's great to be here. The North of Scotland and Inverness were beautiful. It's just funny that they hardly mention football and now I am back in England that's all I hear."

You seem to play The Shed a lot; do you particularly like this venue, and why?

"Definitely, the Shed is one of the finest venues I've ever played. It's the kind of venue that you drive right past saying 'surely that's not it' and then realise it was. When you are there it is amazing. A lot of its charm is down to Simon Thackray, who runs it. He is excellent at spreading the word on music, so there is a real hype and the people are ready for anything. I'm being filmed for the Yorkshire Television show Dales Diaries while I'm there, which is exciting. I've hired a posh car and bought a new shirt especially."

How is the new material from your Boy 40 album being received on tour?

"Good. With this material I went right back to the beginning and wrote it on an acoustic guitar by myself, the way I always used to, so it's really personal. There are also some pop songs in there as well, so it's really modern and fresh."

Are you still playing Religious Persuasion? Do you feel it has even more resonance in today's political climate?

"I tend to play the new stuff and play Religious Persuasion when people request it. It definitely has more resonance now though, every week. It recalls a memory of me sitting at the July 12 Carnival, watching a celebration of violence when I was a child. It questions how religion is meant to be about love but really it is just used to bash people with. When I go back to Ireland, people just decide if you are Protestant or Catholic based on how you look, and judge you. Of course it has resonance with September 11 and the subsequent terrorism."

What issues are you addressing with your new material?

"A lot of the material is concerned with feeling young but being older, innocence versus experience, I suppose. Tell Me Why is one of the most serious songs on the album. It asks why a person would ever want to hurt someone. It's not all serious. Italian Girls On Mopeds is a pop song and is quite self explanatory."

You have recently relocated to Australia, how are you finding life over there?

"I've been there two years now and I love it. I had released a song called Because I'm Free, about the Australian 400m Olympic champion Cathy Seaman, and it became her theme song. I also have strong connections with the Finn brothers, Tim and Neil from Crowded House, and the factors combined meant I had a better chance of getting a visa to go over there. It was a now or never thing. Life is great, it's just like being in the UK except for the wildlife and the weather."

What are your upcoming plans?

"Well at the moment I am busy touring and promoting the latest album. I'm calling the tour Around The World In 96 Days, and am going to Ireland, Canada and America before I go back to Australia. I'm doing a bit of poetry in my spare time, but I don't have any plans to release any of it at the moment."

You get the last word, what is it?

"It's the title of my song... Can't Hold Back!"

Andy White, with David Crichton, The Shed, Brawby, near Malton, tomorrow, 8pm. Tickets: £11 on 01653 668494.

Updated: 15:28 Thursday, June 17, 2004