Tommy Reilly

In January 2009, Glaswegian singer/songwriter Tommy Reilly first came to widespread attention after claiming victory on Channel 4’s talent show Orange UnsignedAct. His solo acoustic ballads struck the judges so forcefully that A&M Records later admitted they would have offered a contract even without the win. Reilly favored performing alone, valuing the onstage freedom this choice provided, and demonstrated strong multi-instrumental skill on guitar, piano, and drums. Rejection and isolation formed recurring themes across his material, which Reilly captured when he remarked, "It's not like I've had loads of girlfriends -- but there's lots of girls I'd like to have gone out with." Following the competition triumph he joined A&M Records, only to switch to Euphonios once the label dropped him after his debut album appeared.

Reilly had entered Orange UnsignedAct the previous year and nearly failed to advance beyond the open audition, where Radio One presenter Jo Wiley questioned whether he possessed sufficient performance experience. He recovered from that early setback, reached the show’s tour, and repeatedly won over the judging panel of Lauren Laverne, Alex James, and A&M’s Simon Gavin. His radical reworking of the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” moved Blur bassist James to tears. After the final, Reilly cut his debut single “Gimme a Call” alongside ex-Suede guitarist and Libertines producer Bernard Butler, whose studio time with the young artist prompted the remarks “he was just a natural at so many things” and “we had an instant trust and a bond.”

Although “Gimme a Call” surprisingly debuted at number 14, Reilly’s first album Words on the Floor reached only number 79 on the album chart, prompting A&M to end the arrangement and his subsequent move to Euphonios. Throughout summer 2009 he maintained a busy touring schedule, including a headline slot on a stage at Scotland’s T in the Park festival—an ambition he had held since his teens—plus appearances at Lovebox and Summer Sundae. His opening Euphonios release, recorded inside his parents’ house and produced by Scottish singer/songwriter Roddy Hart, who had earlier supported Reilly on the road, arrived as Hello! I’m Tommy Reilly in June 2010. Reilly then supported Justin Currie and the Proclaimers before mounting his own nationwide headline tour in September 2010.