A SELF-TAUGHT musician from Cwmbran has released his first album during the coronavirus lockdown.

Adrian Wilding, 59, decided that, after having to take an early retirement last year as a result of a serious injury he suffered at work 20 years previously, now was the time to focus on his music.

After revisiting songs he had worked on from when he was younger, Mr Wilding finished these and recorded them just before entering lockdown.

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“You get ideas for these songs and you write something down,” he said. “I had a little old tape recorder that I’d put things down on tape.

“The main parts of the songs were on there, and they’ve just been going around in my head for years. I’ve just never really had the time to do anything with them.

“It was about 18 months ago and I was performing with The Geoff Smith Group. The lead singer Geoff fell ill when we had a recording space booked. I suggested to the studio that maybe I could record a few of my own things instead.

“We finished recording just before lockdown.

“I was about to start gigging as part of The Erin Mac Band this summer. It was quite disappointing having these things cancelled. So I thought I might as well release the album now.

“It’s been quite well received. But it’s much more difficult to get your music out there than when I first got into music, and it’s difficult not being able to go out and perform it live.”

Mr Wilding said he took inspiration from a wide range of bands and artists he listened to growing up.

“Growing up, my big influence was The Beatles,” he said. “It was the first music I remember listening to when I was about four or five.

“As I grew older, I started looking in to their influences, and then started to listen to blues and early rock.

“I would listen to Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Santarna. Peter Frampton was another big influence.

“I’ve got quite a wide ranging musical taste, and have taken influence from so many people.

“My father bought me my first guitar when I was seven or eight. I went to a couple of lessons, but they wanted me to learn classical music and I just wanted to play The Beatles.

“When I was about 14, I got into Slade, and that awakened me wanting to play the guitar again.

“I went into Soundwave and with my pocket money bought a book of folk songs. They were a bit boring, but it taught me the basics of how to play.

“A friend of my father taught me how playing lead guitar was different to rhythm guitar, and then I would listen to songs and try to play along by ear.”

Mr Wilding’s album, Ghosts of my Past, is available to listen to on streaming services. For more information, search Ade Wilding Music on Facebook, or @ade_w17 on Twitter.