Ted Lasso's real-life busker and one-man band Cam Cole is coming Sheffield as part of his UK tour

After a whirlwind couple of years, unfortunately impacted by worldwide events, Cam Cole is back on the road and on a mission to spread the joy of music wherever he goes. The best bit is that he’ll be performing at Sheffield’s Corporation on Thursday, 24 November, 2022.

There are many things that stand out to you when you are fortunate enough to have spent some time speaking to the mercurial one-man contemporary troubadour that is Cam Cole. From his distinctive looks, intriguing tattoos and infectious laugh to his rather bewildering ability to seamlessly flit between musical genres with the ease of someone who has the backing of a full band…

“I am pretty excited about getting out on the road for the tour, Covid really f**ked everything for alot of people, and it’s great to finally be able to just perform in front of people again. Whether it’s 10-people or 100-people it doesn’t matter, as long as they love it”

The one-man band, busking sensation and effortlessly endearing nomad seems to leave you with more questions long after the conversation has ended — and that’s just my curiosity that has been piqued over the course of an unfortunately brisk chat. A fact made even worse by the technical error that ruined our audio and the chance of what would have been a memorable podcast episode, but we’ll get back to that one day soon enough. Talking about his career on the road or should that be pavement, Cam had this to say on his experiences:

“I’ve busked all over the place, it’s hard man. It can be brutal but it has its rewards.

“You’ve got to give people something special that will stop them going about their day with the power of music, you’ve got to really work to win them over. Something I don’t have to do for gigs because they’re already coming to see you.”

If you were to get a melting pot, adding to it a whole bad, alongside a healthy dose of folk, Delta blues, grunge and rock n’ roll, stirred it all together, sprinkled in some impressive dancing capabilities, an ever so eloquent conversational tone and a not-so-subtle proliferation of colourful language, you’d come up with Cam Cole. He’s painfully and begrudgingly brilliant, seriously though… he’s pretty damn good.

He’s been hailed as ‘the most impressive one-man band you will ever see’ by UNILAD, who proudly showcased his talents to their 44-million followers. But is Cam really that good? Well… yes, in a word.

Speaking from his touring van and frequent motel, Cam Cole may seem pretty chill and not at all egotistical but he’s kind of a big deal… at least in a viral video sense, oh and also that barnstorming – which perhaps should really be called a ‘room-storming’ – on Ted Lasso.

“When you’re busking, you have to capture people’s attention and keep it. I used to even add some dance moves in, until I got my foot drum.”

But there’s so much more to Cam Cole than viral videos and hit TV-show features. He's been a prolific musician for many years, whether that’s via the solo route or as part of a band, Cam continuously stays busy, always moving and bringing the music with him.

He’s also released a fair bit of music too, his first in 2014 Contribute is worth a listen, as are the excellent 2019 release, I See and 2021’s Crooked Hill. Described as a ‘heavier sounding album than his previous work, album opener Albion – also the name of the tour – is what happens when you mix grunge, Lenny Kravitz-esque vocals and plenty of hard-hitting driving guitar riffs. It’s a perfectly welcome assault on the senses. I’d even go so far as to recommend that you check out the single, White Rabbit, released at the end of September this year it is brilliantly trippy rock ballad that showcases a wonderfully creepy and wailing vocal range — it’s a journey for sure.

"I’m looking forward to all of the gigs on the tour. I’m looking forward to being honest and just saying whatever I feel like at that moment. I don’t mind who’s in the crowd as long as they’re up for following the energy of the music and it moves them.”

If you’re lucky, you may even get to see the multi-talented, multi-faceted, multi-instrumentalist breaking out a few moves at his Sheffield show.

From the streets of Camden to the likes of Sweden, Norway and even Nashville, USA, it’s without a shadow of a doubt an incredible time to be following the career trajectory of this mercurial talent. One thing for sure is that it’ll certainly be a treat for Sheffield audiences for sure.

Cam Cole will be performing at Sheffield’s Corporation on 24 November, 2022. You can buy tickets here: https://corporation.org.uk/event/cam-cole/

Cam Cole also released a two-track EP, Truth Be Told, on 18 November, 2022. It is available on all streaming services.

Find out more about Cam Cole on his website: https://camcole.com/