And while others worked their lives away
He sat in the park all day
Dreaming poetic things to say
Conscientious Mr Jeays
- 'Mr Jeays'

A regular on the acoustic club circuit in London and beyond, Philip Jeays has taken the French tradition of 'chanson'¹ and added his own wonderfully British sensibilities.

The Man

Only This High

I lived in a house so white and so high
Like a ship that had stopped just short of the sea
And I was just a passenger there
Waiting impatient for that journey to pass
- 'Only This High'

Born in 1962, Philip grew up on the south coast of England: first in Somerset, then later in Sussex. When he was 11, his parents divorced, an event that had a major impact on young Philip, featuring in a number of his songs. With his mother and two brothers, he moved to South London, where, without much success, he completed his education: according to his official biography, he spent his English A-Level exam writing a letter to the examiner pleading for an 'A' grade.

Arles

Arles I remember you well
Days were long and the nights were still
Here in this old hotel
- 'Arles'

After leaving school, Philip left home and went to live in France, to paint beautiful Provençal landscapes. Early misadventures included discovering that the hotel in which he was staying was also used regularly by prostitutes and their clients, meeting a bullfighter called Igor and falling in love with a local girl (all detailed in the song 'Arles'). He was soon distracted, however, by the music of the Belgian singer/songwriter Jacques Brel, a master of the modern chanson genre. Having fallen in love with Brel's style of music, he returned to England to see if he could make a career out of something similar.

Down at Harry's

Tonight I'm going down to Harry's
A little bar with a sordid smile
- 'Down at Harry's'

Philip's first step was to spend some time with his mother - an opera singer - learning how to sing. He also raided his family history for a new name, ceasing to be Philip Harris and taking the name of a great-great-grandfather on his mother's side to become Philip Jeays.

His first stab at performing, singing two of his songs and accompanying himself on the guitar at a folk club in south-west London, was a success. Despite this, Philip was racked with nerves and spent the next four years away from the stage. He eventually overcame his fears and began performing at acoustic clubs across London. He also recruited a guitarist, allowing him to focus on his singing and performance.

Since the mid-1990s, Philip has continued to work the London club circuit, and has also ventured further afield, with gigs in, amongst other places, Brighton, Manchester and Leeds. He has also featured on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4, playing his songs and discussing chanson and European songwriting tradition.

The Music

I give thanks 'cause I know damn well
Without the minds of mental girls
Well, what would singers sing?
- 'What Would Singers Sing'

The Band

Given the over-riding importance of the lyrics to the songs, the musical accompaniment is generally kept quite simple, but Philip is blessed with a talented group of musicians to back him up: piano (David Harrod), guitar/bass guitar (John Peacock, formerly William George Q) and drums (Jezza Campbell). For live performances and recordings, the band is occasionally joined by other instruments, such as cello or flute. Philip also plays guitar on some songs (but only 'the easy bits', according to the sleeve notes for Fame).

The Songs

So, what does Philip write and sing about? Well, like most songwriters, love and romance (and the inevitable failure of both) feature heavily. But there are a few other subjects close to Philip's heart...

Religion

And in the vestry
Drinking whisky
Cupid's feeling sick
For lasting love
Is hard enough
Without religion's stick
- 'Cupid is a Drunkard'

Phil's opinions on religion² start somewhere out by Richard Dawkins³ and then head off rapidly into the far distance. The quintessential Jeays religion song is 'Oh, To Be a God', in which the Almighty reflects on the underhand tactics used by his vicar to 'rake in souls when they are down', the willingness of soldiers to die in his name, and the fact that atheist singers can 'just go to hell'. Less vitriolic, but only just, is 'Cupid is a Drunkard', in which the eponymous love-god despairs at the damage done to loving couples by being forced into religious marriage. His most bitter sentiments, however, are saved for his 'Death Bed' when he delivers an unapologetic, expletive-ridden tirade at the officiating vicar and a passing nun, his critics and, finally, Death.

War

I died a piece of cannon bait
Because I had no choice
I died to answer for the hate
In someone else's voice
- 'The Soldier'

Philip is a staunch pacifist, and horror and futility of war are a common feature of his songs. This sometimes leads to moving stories, such as that of Muslim and Christian lovers caught up in ethnic cleansing in 'Sarajevo', but is more often a vehicle for Philip's biting wit and sarcasm. 'The Soldier' leads the listener in with an increasingly absurd list of causes for which the soldier didn't die (roast beef, Auntie Joan, science research, tax relief) before hitting hard with the real, ultimately pointless, reasons why he did die. Similarly, 'The Great War' ('better yet than Agincourt, better still than World War Two') lists the many reasons why war is anything but, and, like 'I'll Never Be A Patriot', expresses Philip's disgust at those who would perpetuate the myth of the glories of war.

Authority/Conformity

Why not join the Police Force
They need good men like you
But I've got a sense of humour
And that would never do
- 'Idiots in Uniforms'

At heart, Philip is a bit of an anarchist, and while his dislike of religion and war have already been detailed, there is also a more general rejection of authority to be found in his songs. Nowhere is this more so than in 'Idiots in Uniform', in which he rails at those throughout his life who have tried to make him conform, from the school cadets, to the fashionistas who would have him buy ludicrously over-priced clothes. This latter point also reappears in 'Seven Signs of Ageing', in which he harangues the advertising industry (particularly beauty products) for their fatuous claims.

An interesting, if slightly eccentric, offshoot of this topic is Philip's apparent dislike of old people. Specifically, the type of elderly person who becomes increasingly reactionary and illiberal as they grow older, leading, for example, to a 'birch him, church him, damn him, hang him' attitude to penal correction ('The Old Granny Waltz'). Perhaps this is a reflection of the retirement towns he grew up in, such as Eastbourne where, in the song of that name, 'they wander in lines of four, still clinging to the Great War'.

Celebrity

Even if one day I go straight to number one
Miming to a song I've never even sung
Even if one day my management suggest
A tragic early death might be for the best
- 'The Man From Del Monte (He Say Yes)'

As a singer who has struggled around the club circuit, it is perhaps not surprising that Philip has a certain... lack of respect for those who would sell out to achieve their 15 minutes of fame. 'The Man From Del Monte (He Say Yes)' is scathing of stars and their enormous entourages, and those who would 'sing shooby dooby do doowop doowop doowop hey dibby dobby do' simply for the honour of having 'a man in Luxembourg say "deux points Grande Bretagne"'. 'Faust's a Singer', on the other hand, encourages people not to mourn for singers who die, but 'pity more those who remain' who, given their lack of musical talent, have presumably sold their souls to the devil for their success⁴.

Moving away from wannabe singers to celebrity of a more general (and insidious) kind, 'Fame' deals with reality television 'stars' and the like who seem to have achieved celebrity status with no discernible trace of talent, ability or personality. Fame may indeed be 'the sickness of the age', where the pinnacle of achievement is 'a footballer to grope half-naked in The Sun'.

Himself

I see your little Philip now
He's standing here, but wait, what's this
He laughs at all that you believe
He spits on God and mocks the police
- 'Little Philip'

In a sense, all of Philip's songs are autobiographical or, at least, highly personal. There is a subset, however, that is, literally, all about him. From 'Little Philip', a letter written to his family after his supposed death, to 'Mr Jeays', in which he mocks himself, his opinions, his romanticism and his songwriting abilities.

Other aspects of his life story that crop up in songs include his childhood ('Only This High', 'The Eyes of the Thief', 'The Trains'), his time in France ('Arles', 'The Mas de Bagne Loup') and his family and friends ('Geoff', 'Terry's Dog', 'Ed is at the Ritz', 'The Raj'). His fractious relationship with his absent father also makes several appearances within songs, often accompanied by an expletive or two.

Love

And I will say, 'it's me
Don't turn away
I've come back again'
And you will look at me
The way that you did then
- 'In My Long Grey Coat'

It would be doing a disservice to Philip not to mention this aspect of his songs, as the love songs in his back catalogue easily outnumber those about religion, celebrity or war. Whether the songs are wistful and heartfelt ('The Turning of the Leaves', 'Love You Madly), pleading ('Don't Walk Away', 'Say You Love Me'), drunkenly desperate ('Richenda'), wryly cynical ('Down at Harry's'), or simply achingly beautiful ('Beachy Head'), there is no doubt that the ostensibly angry and bitter Mr Jeays has a romantic streak a mile wide.

The Albums

To date, Philip has released six albums: five on the independent Ditton Pye record label, with his fifth album - Mr Jeays - released by Irregular Records.

• October (1999)
• Cupid is a Drunkard (2000)
• The Ballad of Ruben Garcia (2002)
• Fame (2003)
• Mr Jeays (2005)
• London (2009)
• My Own Way (2012)

Demonstrating the loyalty of his fans, a large part of the costs for Fame and Mr Jeays were raised before recording started, through pre-orders of the albums. Those who contributed were rewarded with a signed copy and, in the case of Fame, their name in the sleevenotes.

For those wishing to try some of Philip's music before committing to spending any money, a wide range of MP3 versions of his songs are available on his website: www.jeays.com.

Philip continues to bring his unique brand of music to the clubs of London and elsewhere, and his many devoted fans are hoping he will find time to commit more of his passionate worldview to record very soon.