From Burt to Brooklyn: Donegal man to support Paul Weller

George and his bandmates

A 23-year-old musician from Donegal says it is "hard to believe" he will be supporting music legend Paul Weller on tour.

George Houston is set to support the former frontman of The Jam on the US leg of the Modfather's tour.

George, who lives in Belfast, says the experience will be an adventure.

The musician told BBC News that writing about his experiences allows him to use music as "therapy".

The Belfast based singer-songwriter, who is originally from rural Donegal, says it would be "naive" to act like he knows what to expect from the tour, but that it will certainly be "an adventure."

When, in 2023, George released his third album 'Vehicular Suicide', he was "shocked" and "excited" to see the attention the record garnered online.

It was around this point in time that Paul Weller, music legend and former frontman of The Jam, became aware of George's work. Weller reached out to the young musician and asked him if he would support him on tour.

"It was hard to believe", says George.

George has since supported Weller in Dublin and Limerick, an experience the artist describes as "amazing". Now, he is about to embark on the US leg of the tour, which will see him play for audiences from New York, to Chicago and Los Angeles.

George on a beach in Malin Head, County Donegal

George credits his parents for his musical upbringing.

"It's always been part of my life," he said. "My parents wanted us to have the gift of music."

George's introduction to music took the form of some of the most highly regarded songwriters of the twentieth century: he grew up listening to David Bowie, Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac and Leonard Cohen.

However, the Donegal man says that the first song he ever learned was from a bit closer to home.

"The first song I ever learned the lyrics to was 'Dr Fell' by Juliet Turner", says George.

As George grew older, his love of music grew too.

"When I was 13, my father suggested that I would be a good songwriter. And, in secret, I thought about that long and hard."

George began to write his own songs. At 16, George's parents gifted him a day pass to a local recording studio, where the musician finally got the opportunity to record the music he had secretly been writing for years.

"I've never had such a high as recording my own songs. I knew then that this is what I was going to do for the rest of my life, that as soon as I left school I was gong to record something, and that I was going to give it everything."

George released his first single in September 2020 and began performing live the following year.

'It's a way to use music as therapy'

George performing on stage

For George, music is all about the stories it tells. "All of my songs are about my experiences", he says. "Storytelling is human. No matter where you go, storytelling prevails. It’s unavoidable when you’re human."

The Donegal man cites the work of artists like Chappell Roan, who write about their real-life experiences, as examples of what pop music "should be".

"Unfortunately, so much pop that’s getting played is a little cookie-cutter and radio friendly. The intention shouldn’t be to get on the radio - it should be to be good.

"When I’m writing, I’m not focusing on my songs being short and sweet and radio friendly. The focus is to do the story justice."

George says he aspires to embody a "genre queer" approach to his work. "I love the idea that music is non binary and can be whatever it wants to be", says George.

George in a promotional photo for his song 'Eat the Rich'

The musician is also critical of artists who suggest that you don't need to be sad to write a sad song. "I think it's probably right if the songs are lacking in feeling", says George. "All of my songs come from a place of sadness or anger. That’s the joy of being a singer-songwriter, you’re not trying to imagine what it's like to feel what the songwriter wrote.

"I’m saying what I’m feeling, and it helps me connect to the music a lot more. It’s a way for me to use music as therapy."

For George, writing music has taught him that people are "all going through the same things".

"I always think ‘this is a really niche concept, nobody is going to get this’. But we’re not as original as we think we are.

"The people listening to my music say ‘oh my gosh, I know exactly the feeling you're talking about’. It’s really nice because I thought I was the only one that thought like that or felt those things."

George in a promotional photo for his album 'Undesired'

When asked what he is looking forward to about the US tour, George thinks for a moment.

"I'm really looking forward to turning off and just driving through all the states. Me and my dad are driving in the car from show to show.

"I love driving. I'm part of this generation that's been sucked into being on the phone all the time, so it's really nice nice when you're forced to be off your phone, and just turn off."