New Street Adventure
New Street Adventure are a British Soul band fronted by singer songwriter Nick Corbin who have released 2 classic albums on the legendary Acid Jazz record label . Soon to be a third . No hard Feelings (2013) and Stubborn Sons (2017) platformed a British take on the soul music that was both extremely well received while building up a loyal and sharply dressed fan base . However a shock announcement of a “farewell show” in January 2018 at London’s 229 saw them disappear as an act from the public eye.
Always on the front foot , Nick kept himself busy with a well received solo album “Sweet Escape” in 2020 alongside running Big AC records , named after the iconic “Big Ac” track , a tribute to northern soul all nighters that has closed many a NSA live show .
2024 saw band reform for a celebration of 10 years of “No Hard Feelings” where Nick was quoted as saying “people kept telling me how much they missed NSA, and I realised I do too “
Nick and The band decided to “keep it burning “ and this year sees the release of the bands third album “What Kind Of World?” which on a sneak preview Merc is proud to say sits superbly in the NSA back catalogue. The record is stepped in a soulful vibe and Nick’s songwriting has matured and settled into a real art form, no doubt influenced by a more objective view of the world we live in since he became a father .
Merc was delighted to sit down with Nick and talk all things soul , NSA and his plans for a much loved band never far from a spin on the decks at Merc !
Firstly , after seeing your farewell show at the 229 - can I just say how glad we are that NSA are back as a band , what prompted you guys getting back together ?
Thank you! Last year was the 10th anniversary of the release of our debut album ‘No Hard Feelings’ and Acid Jazz reissued the LP, which had long since sold out. I approached a promoter we used to work with asking if he’d be interested in promoting a “Nick Corbin plays the music of New Street Adventure” type of tour and he said that in order for it to sell, we had to go out as New Street Adventure again.
NSA always had a fluid line-up and I felt it best to continue with the musicians I’d had in my solo band but we still had various former members make appearances at some shows, including the amazing Carmy Love who was an ever-present backing vocalist for us. The tour was a huge success and I was already writing a new album so it felt like the right thing to do to continue as New Street Adventure!
What are your memories of the 229 farewell show? On a personal level the love for you as a band and connection with the audience did feel the end was premature ?
I guess I should give a little context: 2017 was a mixed year for us - we released our second album ‘Stubborn Sons’, which we were hoping would kick the band on but our trajectory seemed to level out a bit and we had another band member leave immediately after the record was released.
However, we were then booked onto a co-headline tour with The Milk, which was probably the highlight of our time so far as we’re all good friends and we had such a good laugh.
Towards the end of the year though, I had become really tired of running the band; a couple of the guys weren’t really enjoying it any more and I felt like it had all become a bit stale, so I decided our next gig would be our last one.
The 229 show was really emotional and I struggled to say anything on the mic for the first half an hour or so.
There was an unbelievable amount of warmth and support for the band and a lot of tears in the audience.
I guess before that night I wasn’t fully aware that we actually meant something to people and I was very touched by all the stories I heard after the gig. People had come from all over the place and I’ll never forget it.
Post NSA you were particularly busy with your lockdown acoustic sessions online (thanks for the shout outs by the way) and released the excellent solo album “Sweet Escape" - did it feel any different being a solo artist after years with a band ?
It was very liberating and I met some incredible musicians who I’m still playing with now. I missed the regular rehearsals but the solo project felt much more of a professional operation and over the years the band have become my close friends.
The lockdown sessions were really special and gave me a much-needed focus throughout those first few difficult months. I think everyone needed that musical connection and I’m glad that those evenings meant so much to people.
Sweet Escape came out during lockdown, do you feel you missed out on touring it as a solo artist ?
Very much so; we had to rearrange the tour three times and even when we finally managed to get out on the road in September 2021, things were still not back to normal and lots of people still felt reluctant to go out to gigs, so it was a struggle!
How does it feel to see the love and longevity of your NSA songs, which formed a large part of your lockdown sessions ?
Really refreshing because there were loads I hadn’t played live for years before the NSA tour last year. Songs like She’s An Attraction and Keep It Burning hadn’t been aired since 2015 so it was almost like playing new songs again, only to she surprised that the audience knew all the words!
Both your NSA and solo output shows a deep routed grounding in soul music , where did this influence come from?
My Dad has always been obsessed with soul music and although I went through various phases in my youth, I feel completely in love with soul in my late teens and early twenties.
I went to uni in Birmingham and Dad would often send me mixtape CDs which he had recorded from whatever he was listening to at the time.
The soul all-nighters and weekenders followed and I’ve been hooked ever since.
How did it feel to be adopted by an audience so influenced by the British subcultures - always a well dressed crowd turnout at your gigs !!
I feel very fortunate because it is so hard to build a fanbase these days, let alone find a ready-made one.
I really wasn’t aware of any mod scene when I started the band but after we released our first EP in 2011, we suddenly had a dedicated following at our gigs.
It’s a great community of people who are really supportive.
Previous NSA tracks have given a British soul tinged observation on society with tracks like on our front door step, be somebody or hard living - how does Nick Corbin see the world at the moment ?
This album documents my experiences of becoming a Dad and how that has changed the way I see everything around me. There’s still a bit of social commentary within a few of the songs but the album focuses on family and togetherness, which overall I see as being more important in what’s becoming an increasingly divided society.
How does New Street Adventure Mark 2 differ from the band that started out with the 2014 release of No Hard Feelings ?
I don’t think there’s a huge difference really. I’ve always been fortunate to work with great musicians who can bring something extra to our recordings.
From a personal point of view, I’m always trying to refine my songwriting and the arrangement/production of my records and this album represents another step in that direction. I don’t believe there are any filler tracks here although I never have done with any of my albums!
The new album “What Kind of World?" is due for release this year - how do you feel it sits in the NSA back catalogue ?
It’s the most soulful album of the three in my opinion. It has elements of the production of the first album, with lush arrangements of strings, horns and backing vocals, whilst also delivering the grit of the second album across a wider range of soul styles.
What prompted you to go back to the iconic Acid Jazz Label instead of going with your own label, Big AC Records ?
Self-releasing just wasn’t an option for me as the label has taken a back seat since we started having kids.
We managed a single release for Carmy Love in 2023 but we didn’t feel we did it justice as both Sophie and I didn’t have the time or energy Carmy deserved.
I approached Acid Jazz because of our history together and luckily they were very keen to work with me again!
Listening back to all three albums can you see the journey and maturing of a band , or do you see each one individually?
Most definitely - I love them all but last year’s tour made me realise why ‘No Hard Feelings’ in particular was so special to people.
When you’re young and making records for the first time, you don’t really worry about what people are going to think and the output is more authentic and relatable as a result.
There are a couple of songs on there that make me cringe now listening back to the lyrics but it was all very much from the heart and it was a very special time.
With ‘Stubborn Sons’ we stripped back the production to make the songs shine through a bit more and although fans still loved it, I think they missed the horns, strings and richer backing vocals.
‘What Kind Of World?’ takes lessons from both previous albums and I think is a better, more mature record as a result.
What are your hopes for New Street adventure and the new album moving forward ?
It sounds boring to say this but I just hope people enjoy it!
I’ve been making music long enough to know that it might not ever be my full time job but I’m fine with that and just hope I can continue making it whether that’s as New Street Adventure or collaborating with other musicians.
I’ll always want to do more writing and I think this album is a great addition to my songwriting CV!
Will you be touring the album, and where can we catch you ?
Full schedule:
Sun 24th Aug: Brighton Komedia
Thurs 4th Sep: Bury St Edmunds Apex
Fri 5th: Tamworth No.18 (SOLD OUT)
Fri 26th Sep: Manchester Band On The Wall
Sat 27th Sep: Stroud Sub Rooms
Tues 14th Oct: London Scala
Aside from writing, you and your wife Sophie also run Big AC records which has worked with many up and coming Soul artists, what’s the plans for that in the future ?
It’s still on ice as we recently had a new addition to the family but I’d love to get things going with the label again, especially on the live side as our soul revue shows were really popular.
It’ll all start with co-writing with other artists though and I’ll have more time for that next year, so I hope I’ll meet some exciting people to work with!
Any acts you care to “tip us the wink” on to look out for ?
There are lots of people making great soulful music at the moment and you may have already heard all of some or all of these: Nia Wyn who I think is just great and seems to be going from strength to strength at the moment. 7:45s from Manchester who have a great album out and are supporting us at our London show. Finally Albert, the band who own The Cube: the studio we recorded the album at in Stole Newington!
Quick fire fives
5 fave albums
Bobby Womack - Facts of Life, Four Tops - Main Street People, Aretha Franklin - Young, Gifted & Black, John Martyn - Solid Air, Delines - The Imperial
5 fave songs to cover
Bobby Womack - If You Don’t Want My Love, Gil Scott Heron - I Think I’ll Call It Morning, Herb Alpert - This Guy’s In Love With You, Paul Weller - Above The Clouds, Matt Berry - Silver Rings
5 fave singers
Bobby Womack, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Aaron Frazer, Carmy Love
5 items of clothing
an old Uniqlo Lemaire jacket in olive green, Penfield 80/20 short jacket with shearling collar, John Simons linen summer suit in navy, my old Bass Weejun loafers in oxblood, Sunspel drawstring trousers in khaki
5 films
The Ballad of Wallis Island (most recent film we saw!), Past Lives, Chef, Superbad, Uncut Gems
Words by Richie Kyle
Photos by Dean Chalkley
