Determined to make something of his music career, five years ago Derrin Nauendorf arrived at Heathrow airport from Australia with a guitar, £1,200 and several extra layers of clothing to acclimatise to the drop in temperature. From this, Derrin spent those next five years playing anywhere that would have him, sleeping on floors and living on tuna baguettes. Things looked up a few years ago when he purchased an old Post Office van, which then became his home for the next six months, more importantly, it allowed him to get gigs, and essentially his music, out into the real depths of the UK. They've looked up and haven't looked back yet.
Literally over 1,000 gigs later Derrin finds himself with fans not only in England, but Scotland, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France and his native Australia too. He has since managed to sell over 12,000 albums from the back of that van, and become a bit of a hit on the festival circuit too. He's supported Van Morrison and played to dignitaries and politicians in grand Parisian castles right down to WW2 bunkers in Germany and two-men-and-a-dog type shows in Denmark - all without the help / hindrance of a record label, manager, agent or press officer. Derrin is a determined sort and this independence has meant that he can turn up anywhere and get a show out of it.
His main focus, throughout all this, has been to make a name for himself and his music. It can be hard work, "In Australia, my apprenticeship was hard. Towns and cities are spread out and the living is hard. But while it was hard it made me stronger and when I got over here I knew I'd be able to make the audiences give me a chance". He's now played practically anywhere and everywhere, building up a small barmy army of supporters who'll follow him for several dates at a time, such support has allowed him to get re-booked time and time again. His favourite places to play in the UK include "the South Coast, Jersey and the Channel Islands, Yorkshire... everywhere!".
Derrin's new album, "The Rattling Wheel", is actually his fifth release following such titles as 2005's "New History" and 2003's "Wasteland", and it's also the first to feature his band, adding new dynamics and allowing him to flesh out his songs. The new stuff sounds like "A kind of post modern Steve Earle type thing - more energetic, with a rougher feel - I'm writing more for a band now, rather than just myself; exploring bigger sounds and arrangements".
While Derrin is open to band-mates collaboration and inspiration, The Rattling Wheel is a personal leap forward. Alongside tell-tale nods to his main influences of Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Martin Stevenson and Richard Thompson, there's hints of John Martyn and traditional British folk, blended in with his own rootsier, bluesier, and altogether gutsier sound.
With "The Rattling Wheel", Derrin Nauendorf has finally swallowed a bit of the music industry pill-but only just. His firm foundation built over 5 years of hard slog has taught him what he's willing to accept help with and what he is not. He's hired his own PR company, radio and TV plugger, as well as his own marketing team and all out of his own pockets. He's already had his own label, after all, this is his 5th album. From selling the music out of the Post Office van to now having his songs on iTunes; it's obvious things can only get hotter. An intense and raw performer, Derrin works best in the live setting - it is, after all, how he got his reputation - and why we're here now, at the cusp of the bigger, better things for a man who's more than paid his dues and kept the receipts. The only way now is up.
