Picking up his first guitar as a young teen, John Illsley has always held music close to his core and, despite following an early interest in politics to read sociology at Goldsmiths, it became a viable career option when Illsley started jamming with flatmate David Knopfler.
An introduction to David’s brother and later lead singer and guitarist, Mark Knopfler, plus the creation of an early demo tape was enough to get the boys noticed. It was the first play of Sultans of Swing on Radio London in 1976 that saw the melancholic rockers set for stardom.
Fast forward 40 years and the bass guitarist has enjoyed a remarkable career, selling over 120 million albums worldwide, playing Live Aid with Sting in 1985, Nelson Mandela’s birthday alongside Eric Clapton in 1988 and picking up 4 Grammys and 3 Brit Awards on the way. The band also won an Ivor Novello award in 1988 for “outstanding contribution to British Music”. Though the Straits called it a day in 1993, John is yet to set down his guitar and has since enjoyed the success of 7 solo albums, the latest of which, Long Shadows, was released last May.
A family man, dog owner, keen painter and pub owner, John’s passion for life has helped him overcome some big hurdles, not least his diagnosis of leukaemia. Two heavy courses of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant later and John is back on track with a full bill of health and shows no sign of stopping.
With a European tour on the horizon for next spring, John will first embark on a brand-new UK tour this autumn, with his opening date landing him at Swindon Arts Centre, for one night only on Thursday 19 October.
Accompanied by his five-strong band, the show will feature all of the well-known songs from Dire Straits such as Sultans of Swing, Money for Nothing and Brothers in Arms plus songs from John’s latest album Long Shadows. Expect John’s unmistakable sound paired with his faultless lyrical storytelling – an evening not to be missed.
John Illsley performs at Swindon Arts Centre on Thu 19 October. Tickets are available at swindontheatres.co.uk or by calling the Ticket Office on 01793 524 481.
