We meet Pete Greenwood at dusk on a canal boat by Regent’s Park, which in retrospect may have been a risky choice. For someone who writes songs of evocative, gentle beauty, he seems disproportionately prone to accidents. He winces as he takes a seat, having hurt his back on his girlfriend’s bookcase the night before. More seriously, two accidents a while back, one to each hand, prevented him playing the guitar for several months: ‘I dislodged a knuckle, broke a finger and severed a few nerve endings for good. Really nasty, but after lots of laughing gas and big nurses ramming things back into shape it’s as good as new. They said I’d need surgery but it turned out fine, really. Bloody scary though.’ The first date doctors would allow him to pick up his guitar again luckily coincided with the opening night of a tour with his band, acclaimed psychedelic janglers, The See See.

Leeds-born Greenwood has been taking time away from gigging more recently for more positive reasons: to concentrate on writing and recording his second solo album, ‘Beauceron’, which will be released by Heavenly Records later in the year. The day after we meet, he is heading back into the studio for the last day of recording. He speaks fondly of both Heavenly Records (‘My last album “Sirens” didn’t lose them any money so they’re happy for me to make another’) and label-mates Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou, with whom he recently toured on their lovingly crafted Tin Tabernacle tour.

So what exactly is a Beauceron? ‘It’s a breed of French hunting dog, it’s huge and can kill a wolf. I thought I’d go with something big and scary. The new album’s a bit meatier, there’s a lot more going on and I’m playing most of the instruments myself, including banging an old alarm clock because it was in the right key, B flat.

‘It’s a lot more assured this time round, and a lot more varied. It’s taken so long to make [two years] that it’s been through three or four horrid break-ups, coupled with whatever other weird and horrible things have happened. I’d expect recurrent themes of heartbreak, madness, sturm und drang and resignation.

‘As for the touring, I’m arranging a shedload of gigs at the minute, mostly in London to start with… I’m also playing guitar for The See See; we go to Europe a lot, and just did a Brian Jonestown Massacre tour over here.’

Pete takes a seat in the galley and we film live favourite, ‘The 88’, a song that Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou covered on the Tin Tabernacle tour. Later, as we cab across London to catch Ben Folke Thomas’s gig at the Garage, we discuss the inspiration behind ‘The 88’ and Pete tells us, ‘Since writing the song, the number 88 seems to come up in my life all the time.’ At that precise moment one of us notices the taxi meter has clicked round to £8.80.

You can see Pete Greenwood play songs from his new album at the Lantern Society showcase on Saturday 5th March at the Betsey Trotwood alongside Ben Folke Thomas, Hank Dogs, Joe Wilkes, Simon Stanley Ward and Greg Harrisburg. Turn up early: last time it was such a popular night that people were left out on the street … the capacity is only 88.

Pete Greenwood also plays Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou’s Tin Tabernacle Revue at The Social on 16th March. A European tour with The See See begins at the end of the month, with more London solo dates to follow.

Words by Vicki Hillyard | Images Kathy Magee