There are probably few things in life scarier than going it alone; moving out, starting a new job, or in Michele Stodart‘s case, going solo. Best known for her work as bassist with The Magic Numbers, Michele has temporarily hung up her bass in order to write, record and produce her first solo album ‘Wide-Eyed Crossing’. Ahead of her upcoming Dublin gig, we caught up with her to find out a bit more about her solo work, her inspirations, and her love of the Emerald Isle.

Moving from the comfort of a band setting – especially one in which your actual family is involved (Michele works with brother Romeo in The Magic Numbers) – to a situation in which you depend entirely upon yourself for all creative purposes is a big step. So did Michele find this change a big one? “It’s really exciting, if a little unnerving at times… I’m just really enjoying playing the songs for everyone – and I’m also very lucky to be able to play them with some amazing musicians in my band. I’ve always just played these songs on my acoustic guitar in my living room, so having the chance to add drums, pedal steel, horns, violin – as well as trying my hand for the first time at the double bass – it was an amazing feeling finally hearing back the parts I’d only ever sang along in my head. Also, having the experience of co-producing with my brother Romeo on all the Magic Numbers records, I felt comfortable and ready for the challenge.” 

Michele was lucky enough to have help with ‘Wide-Eyed Crossing’ from engineering wizard Phil Brown (Joni Mitchell, Talk Talk). So what did such a seasoned hand have to offer to the album? Michele talked a bit about what it was like to work with an industry pro. “I’ve always admired Phil Brown’s work and he had a lot of amazing stories to tell. He really captured the intensity of tracks like ‘List Of Don’ts,’ ‘O Heart Of Mine’ & ‘My Baby, My Sweet’ – we worked solely on recording the acoustic & vocals together, which was key to the whole process for those songs. Most of the album was engineered by Ben Amesbury, who was also great to work with.”

Now for the question we’re all thinking. Why step away from a successful, touring band to go it alone? For Michele, it didn’t seem to be an active decision; “It wasn’t until the album was finished that I thought about actually releasing it into the world, to finally develop a sort of closure towards the songs and a particular relationship within my past that a lot of them are dealing with on some level or other.” And with this new success, are there plans to return to The Magic Numbers? Or is her new success in the limelight too much to give up? Michele plans to have the best of both worlds. “I’m still 100% committed to the band, but I’d also really like to continue down this solo road. We (The Magic  Numbers) are currently working on what will be our fourth album and plan to release sometime next year… I’d like to continue down the solo path, as I’ve already written so many new songs, some of which I’ll be playing on the tour… so look out, we’ve plenty in store for you.”

And with her return to Ireland, how is Michele feeling? Having worked with some Irish artists such as Duke Special and David Kitt, there’s obviously a connection to the Emerald Isle there. Is she nervous about premiering her new solo work to Irish audiences? “Really excited to be playing in Ireland, honestly can’t wait… I’ve been very fortunate to be able to work with Conor (Villagers). He added something really special to the album, singing duet on ‘Invitation to the Blues’. Also just recently did some dates supporting Duke Special – such an amazing guy, with so many great songs. I’m hoping David Kitt will come down too – I’ve always been a huge fan of his.  Getting a chance to sing on ‘Up To You’ for his album Not Fade Away was a dream come true.”

Michele will be playing the Academy 2 on Wednesday November 21st, and with her album making waves since its release, what excuse do you have not to pop along for a listen?