Photo Credit: Press

As he prepares for the release of his second album ‘No Place to be Young‘, Cian Downing continues to bring the sound of Mod, Ska and Northern Soul to new ears as well as giving fans of those iconic times a new name to support as he crowdfunds his sophomore release. Pre-order HERE.

We sat down with Cian to chat about the decision behind crowdfunding the album, where his music taste and influences stem from, as well as his upcoming UK headline tour and plans for 2026.

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What has the reception been like for ‘Come Around’ since its release at the start of 2026?

Cian: Really good. It’s the first new song I’ve put out since ‘The Grassroots to the Sky’ came out. It’s gone down really well and what’s really nice about that song is that it’s really relatable for a lot of people in my fanbase. It’s about going down the pub, getting older and being more responsible, but there is the comedic side to it as well where my mate left me behind in a pub. I sat there and wrote a song before I went home. The storyline people seem to enjoy. When I wrote it, I knew the chorus was really strong and it’s so simple. I did an acoustic gig in my hometown of Stevenage and people were singing along to it then, so the fact is a singalong tune is great. My core fanbase have responded to it really well. The aim for it now is to keep promoting it as I feel it has a lot more potential.

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What can we expect from your upcoming second record?

Cian: It’s a bit of a mixture really. So we recorded it at the start of April at Woods Lodge Studios in Essex. It’s got a core of indie, mod and ska influences which you see a lot of in the first album. There is a track on there called ‘Flag Flying High’ which originally didn’t make the cut for the album but a week before I went into the studio, I perfected it and that’s kind of brought it to like the early stuff from The Jam. A more punky element to it. Personally, I think the song writing is a lot better than the first album. I was pulling stuff up that was written five or six years prior to put it all together. Artistically for me this feels a lot more fresh and relevant now. Lyrically it is where I am out now as a person and as an artist. Musically it is a big step forward as well. There’s more sort of soul influences in there which I dabbled with in ‘Led Astray’ and ‘Tale of Two Cities’ from the first album. So I’ve dived into that sound a bit more, which you’ll hear from the title track ‘No Place to Be Young’ and another track ‘Try To Understand’ which sounds similar to The Style Council and inspired by Brit Soul band New Street Adventure. Nick Corbin is a great songwriter. So I’ve been trying to explore those avenues a lot more because my writing has certainly been influenced by Motown, Stax Records, Disco from the US. It’s a mixture.

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Where does your music taste stem from that has led you into being influenced by those sounds?

Cian: Originally it was from my parents. My Dad is a fan of The Jam but he never got to see them as he was too young, but he loves them and The Style Council. My Mum is a big 60’s fan. So bands like The Who, Small Faces and Northern Soul. My Dad is a big fan of Jazz and Soul too. I got into The Beatles and The Rolling Stones off of my own back and then into the Britpop era too. Even when I was in secondary school, people were listening to Eminem and One Direction, I was never interested in that. My parents definitely started it off but then I continued to find stuff myself. I’ve got all these influences that people my age don’t tend to have. When bands like Courteeners, The Strokes, The Libertines were popular, I was trying to replicate that sound but with the Weller, Billy Bragg sound added into it. My sound has been a combination of all those influences really.

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You’ve decided to crowdfund ‘No Place to Be Young’. What was the reason you made that decision?

Cian: The only way to describe it is it’s like getting an advance from your fanbase and not from a record label. The connection between the artist and the fanbase is so direct. Whenever I chat to people at gigs, people love to tell the story of the first time they saw my play. It’s really meaningful. That connection people feel is really important to them. They’re parting with their hard earned money to support me. I’ve been very transparent with my fanbase. I am asking people to put their hand in their pocket for an album that wasn’t even recorded. There is a level of trust but also they want to be part of the process as well. That is quite a powerful thing. I had a small group of people come into the studio on the last day of recording. They were watching me record vocals and then they got involved doing some hand claps and backing vocals. They were buzzing to be there. I think in this day and age, people can feel quite distant from artists, but having a real connection is important to them. I’ll make sure all their names are printed on the CD and vinyl sleeves. Having that personal connection with the fans means so much to me as well, I am making it not just for myself, but for these amazing people I have met along the way. It restores your faith.

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You’re playing a bunch of shows in May and June. How excited are you to get back out on the road?

Cian: I can’t wait. I’ve been planning to do this for a couple of years now. It’s been a big investment hiring the venues myself. It’s quite a big risk. I know places like London and Newcastle were always going to do really well. York and Manchester I’ve never played there before, which is a risk but it adds excitement to it. It’s quite humbling that people are buying tickets in these places and parting with their hard earned money. We’ve got four gigs in seven days which is great. It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.

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What other plans do you have in store for the remainder of 2026?

Cian: It’s going to be quite a steady stream of single releases. There are at least four more singles coming out in 2026. There’s a few festival slots booked as well. Skagate in Margate, Alston Live in Cumbria, Brighton Mod Weekender, North Devon and Whitby Ska & Mod Weekenders. All around the UK really which is nice. The new singles coming out will be a nice preview of the album. On the crowdfunder, I’ll be doing a raffle for a signed guitar, launching alternative artworks for the album. To coincide with the album release, there is going to be a big album launch party. I can’t reveal too much currently.

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What message do you have for your fans for their continued support as well as those who have discovered you more recently?

Cian: You guys are incredible. It is quite hard to express your appreciation as you lose sight of it easily. The fact I’ve gone from writing a couple of songs in my bedroom at university, to now being able to release two albums, tour the UK without any backing, is all down to the incredible fanbase that I have slowly built up. Thank you so much to every person who has bought a ticket, pre-ordered the album and said kind things along the way. It is an amazing community of people that is built around my music which is incredible. I’ve got real imposter syndrome about it. Unbelievably grateful and humbled about it, so thank you very much.


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