Roachford relishing the thought of a "listening crowd" in Rye

The British soul singer, best known for his hit Cuddly Toy back in the late 1980s, will be in concert in St Mary's Church, Rye on August 27 from 8pm.

“I have never been there before and I'm really looking forward to it. They just got in touch with me and asked if I would do it and especially when I heard it was going to be in a church, I thought yes and also the fact that it is a jazz festival means that it is a listening crowd. The audiences that you will get at a jazz festival are people that appreciate musicianship. It is not just about the hits. You know that it is going to be a discerning audience.

"I don't really change my sets drastically depending on who it's for. I literally just play what I am playing. It's just all about connecting at a very human level. It's not a different set just cause it's a jazz festival. It's just what I'm doing.”

And what he is doing at the moment comes with the added excitement of performing post-pandemic: “I'm definitely back into it all now. It was certainly a tough time and there were moments where you just thought that this will go on forever but I've been back touring and it feels... well, I wouldn't say like it was before exactly, but it feels pretty much like it was before. I don't think it will ever feel the same because of the lockdowns we had and the fact that people have lost loved ones.

“I lost my brother just before the first lockdown. He had cancer and he used to manage me so this is now a very different world for me pre and post pandemic. We have all been through something collectively and it just changes you. And I think I do find people more appreciative now. We've all been affected by it both negatively and positively. I've always really really appreciated what I do and really loved performing. I've always thought that I am really fortunate to be able to do it. It's not like I ever took it for granted but I do think that you just live in the moment more now because of what we've all experienced. And I think that you connect with your audience even more now because of it all. It has shown us what really matters and it has shown us that we are all human. It just makes you appreciate things more. I don't know if I am changed but if it's impacted on me as a person, then it has impacted on me as a musician because the two are the same.

"Maybe it makes you more introspective. I am aware musicians can sometimes get a little bit cynical about what they do, that is their job and ‘I've got this talent and the world should bow before me’ but the pandemic showed us that we are all equal. During the pandemic not even Lady Gaga could get a gig! No one could. We were all in the same boat.”

Roachford managed to get an album out during the pandemic.

"It was all planned together with the record label and with my brother before the pandemic and everything was in place. The only thing that was weird was that the first single was very upbeat, very happy go lucky and came out just as the first lockdown was starting. It felt a bit naive but at a deeper level maybe it was just about the fact that we all appreciate each other and we've all got to help each other out.”

This year’s festival features Curtis Stigers, Aug 26, St Mary's Church, Rye; Stanley Jordan, Aug 27, St Mary's Church, Rye; Roachford, Aug 27, St Mary's Church, Rye; Mud Morganfield, Aug 28, St Mary's Church, Rye; Imelda May, Aug 28, St Mary's Church, Rye; and Roberto Fonseca Trio, Aug 29, St Mary's Church, Rye.