The announcement follows the success of his acclaimed debut album ‘Mission Creep’ last year and subsequent headline tour across the UK Released last year to critical acclaim, ‘Mission Creep’ is a testament to Lewis’s multifaceted talent, featuring standout tracks such as the debut single ‘Down On The Bowery’, the bluesy ‘Zaragoza’, and ‘She Comes’. The album, praised by The Daily Telegraph as “a rootsy, bluesy, folky, rocky set of songs about love and life.’
A festival appearance at Wilderness led to more live shows. Packed gigs at London’s The Tabernacle and Hoxton Hall resulted in glowing reviews from the crowds and the critics who described Lewis as “a compelling performer apparently in his element” (Telegraph ★★★★) as he “wowed the crowd” (Times ★★★★). A label battle for his signature ensued. Last year he played Deer Shed Festival and began his first headline tour.
Lewis wrote all of the original songs on the album during the first lockdown of the pandemic, allowing the continuation of a story that first began when Lewis, after leaving school, took to the road with his guitar and went busking through continental Europe. This experience has stayed with Damian ever since and is reflected on the album.
Once the songs were complete, Lewis presented them to his friend Giacomo Smith, one of today’s most exciting jazz musicians. Smith liked what he heard and gave Lewis all the encouragement he needed, offering to produce the album. Led by Lewis, the pair then set about putting a band together, with Smith introducing Lewis to an array of brilliant musicians, many of whom had played with Smith in the hugely loved and admired Kansas Smitty’s House Band.