Truly Bradley Deeply

Up to a point, Allie Bradley’s story was a recession-busting one to gladden British government hearts.

“I got a job straight after graduating,” she says. “Which I appreciate is a rare thing these days. I was very lucky, and I enjoyed the job. Liked the company, got on really well with everyone I worked with. I had no complaints.”
Any careers advisors out there – turn the page now, and go lie down. The Derry-born songwriter’s next move is going to make your blood boil. With youth employment figures plunging to subterranean lows, and the concomitant message for those in work – any kind of work – a dispiriting: “Keep your head down and count yourself lucky”, Allie made a rather brave, perhaps even radical, move: she quit.
“I don’t know if it’s brave or mad,” she laughs. “It’s definitely a bit scary. The whole time I was working, I was also playing open mic spots in the evening, playing my own stuff and cover sets at the weekend, and I was in the studio a lot too. It was pretty full-on. It was something I had to do, though. Because it was confined to the odd night and weekends, it just made the process so much slower. And it was exhausting balancing the two lives. There’s no doubt about it – it’s hard to make money, but so far so good, I’m making it happen.”
Allie’s decision wasn’t entirely a step into the unknown. The studio experience she talks about was derived during sessions providing backing vocals to Lisburn singer Aaron Shanley: a performer whose own can-do attitude provides a nice counter-foil to her own.
“He’s great,” she enthuses. “Very dedicated and committed. Working with him helped to demystify the whole process – showed me that it was just a job, in many ways. And I realised that I enjoyed that environment, and wanted to try out my own material.”
So far, that’s resulted in three EPs, and while the material has yet to quite match the breadth of ambition, clear progress is being made. The most recent collection of songs, Two, bears the mark of some serious DIY road-testing. What advice to those interested in booking their own tours?
“Well, first off: make sure it makes sense geographically. It sounds straightforward, but it can ruin everything if you don’t pay attention and get it right from the start. Also – budget your money. I was quite lucky, but there are things that crop up that you don’t account for – simple wee things: toll bridges, diesel, the price of beer in the South.”
Which makes it all sound like a lot of hard work. You wonder if Allie ever wonders if she’s made the right decision.
“That’s what my brother said,” she laughs. “He was touring with me – he asked me If I wasn’t sick of travelling and singing. But I genuinely wasn’t. I loved every minute of it. Even the hassle – even the gigs where no-one turns up. You need to turn situations to your own benefit. I’ve been lucky not to have too many nights like that, but I’d be lying if I said to you it never happened. I just use them to perfect new songs. It’s all about having the right attitude. Keeping that enthusiasm going. I was busking on my afternoons off.”
The rest of the year promises to keep Allie just as busy. Another EP is in the offing, and more tours are being arranged.
“I’m just delighted to be doing this,” she says. “I’ve no regrets about taking the plunge because I want to do this for the rest of my life.”

'Two' is out now.