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Saint Raymond to tour with Haim

October 2013



A BRAMCOTE teenager will be heading out on a sell-out tour of the UK and Europe with one of America’s biggest new bands.
Callum Burrows, who performs under the name Saint Raymond, will support Los Angeles trio Haim for three weeks in November and December.
“That’s going to be good fun,” says the 18-year-old. “They are a hot property at the minute.”
Haim’s album, Days Are Gone, last night won its neck-and-neck battle with Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience for the UK No. 1.
Sisters Danielle, Alana and Este Haim have already sold out the tour, meaning Callum will be playing to tens of thousands of people.

The news came just as he was finishing his own headline tour of the UK, with shows selling out, not just in Nottingham, where he played The Bodega, but also in London, Manchester and Bristol.
“It’s crazy,” he says. “It’s the first time I’d played London and it was sold out. On the Haim tour I’ll be playing to crowds ten times the size, though.”
It’s been quite a year for him.
“I’ve spent a lot of time away from home, touring and writing songs. You have got to put the graft in to make sure that you are ready for when it does take off.”
Over the summer he signed to major Asylum, home to Ed Sheeran and Rudimental, and part of the Atlantic group.
“We had a lot of meetings with different labels and we took our time. I felt that Asylum and the people there were right for what I wanted to do.
“We’ve got the tracks ready for the first EP release on the label but we’re working out the logistics – the best time to get it out there. It’ll be January at the latest.
“I’m really keen that it’s right so I’m taking my time. Whatever that first release is, it has got to better than the last EP.”
That was called Escapade and it reached No. 24 on the iTunes chart.
He supported Gabrielle Aplin on a tour of Europe earlier in the year. The singer behind the No. 1 hit The Power Of Love, as used in the John Lewis TV ad campaign at Christmas, has been Callum’s mentor, releasing his first two singles on her own label.
Over the summer he played Splendour, Y Not and the Leeds and Reading Festival, where he met actress Gemma Arterton.
“I had a bit of a fanboy moment,” he admits. “It was in the VIP section and there were quite a few celebrities hanging around. I was trying to play it cool but then I gave up and thought I’ll just be an idiot and ask for a photo with her. And I asked Chris Moyles to take the photo, which was kind of funny.”
Rapper Example has expressed his desire to write with him.
“It’s just been a whirlwind,” says Callum, back home at his parents’ house in Bramcote for the weekend.
“It is nice to get home and have a couple of days to rest up and have some home cooking. And to be in a proper bed.”
But he’s back to work today, writing more new material.
“My mum and dad are loving it. So are my sister and two brothers. The bass player in my band is my brother-in-law so there is a nice family vibe.”
He’s aware of the inevitable comparisons to that other Nottingham teenager, Jake Bugg but says: “ If you build too big a picture and look too far ahead then you can take your eye off the ball. It’s all about building everything slowly. I’m in this for the long haul.”
For more about Saint Raymond, follow him on Twitter: @Callum_SR.
Haim have just booked a second UK tour that will include Rock City on March 4. The support for that has yet to be announced.

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