Their story
Thomas taught primary school in Leeds for twelve years and began writing songs for his pupils' end-of-term assemblies. In 2009 a parent passed a recording to a small label, and 'Lullabies for Grown-Ups' (2010) became a slow-burning success. Records like 'The Long Way Home' (2013), 'Porch Light Left On' (2016), 'Small Kindnesses' (2020) and 'Evening, Gently' (2023) made him a veteran of the quiet-songs circuit. He now writes full time, still in a back room that overlooks his garden.
Influences: Classroom singalongs, mid-century folk lullabies, parlour piano, the stillness of Sunday afternoons
Latest from Thomas Averill
- The clocks went back this week, and the evenings have that lovely slow hush to them again. I've started a new little record in the back room, five songs called "The Last Light on the Landing", about hallway lamps, mittens on radiators and the soup a neighbour leaves on your step. Thank you for the 69 plays this week. If you're listening tonight, I hope there's a warm drink nearby and a light left on for you.