FROM being the first winner of the region's Lakes Got Talent competition as a teenager, Ulverston singer-songwriter David Miller has been off our radar for a while.

Having moved to Lancaster for university, then going on to find regular gigs on the Manchester acoustic circuit, he has re-emerged with a new band and a new EP to boot.

Boxes is a five-piece folk pop band that only really kicked into gear earlier this year, but have already played some sizeable venues in Lancaster and Manchester.

David fronts the project, with Jack Hyphen, Dan Bryson, Zoe Peterkin and Micheal Coop joining him in the acoustic-driven act. Their debut EP, Fragile, has just been released, and is definitely a taste of things to come, with an album's worth of material just about ready to go.

David says: "We've been quite fast in getting the songs out - we actually only spent about eight hours in the studio, so the tracks are very raw.

"It's very much a "live" EP, and it's a mix of songs that I had previously written with other projects, and a couple that Jack and Dan had wrote.

"The EP has five songs, out of about 15 we have written so far, so we'll be looking at making another one early next year - maybe even an album."


David Miller on stage (photo by Nia Clamor Photography) While there's been no shortage of gigs or small festival appearances around Manchester, having a record to their name certainly helps.

Early feedback has been good, and it sets Boxes up for a busy second half of 2016 before they head into the studio for a follow-up.

"It's going down very well," says David.

"Our intention was to release an EP which would help up get some bigger gigs. Promoters tend to want to know what you sound like, and if you don't have music released it can be tricky getting gigs - especially in music mad Manchester - it's a little different from the acoustic scene where promoters can take more chances.

"Our drummer is currently teaching drums in America for the summer so we'll use the EP to book in some great gigs for when he is back at the end of September.

"Short term we'll keep writing songs and gigging as much as we can, hopefully we can get our name on a few festivals next year and then see where we go. The most important thing is to continue to enjoy what you're doing, no matter what you're doing - being in a band with your mates makes that a bit easier."

The move to Manchester brought about the band, but David believes it has also helped him up his game to stand out in such a big pool of talent.

"Manchester seems like the next step for these artists," he says.

"I know many have moved to Manchester since I have been here and it's been great catching them at venues around the city. The Manchester scene is highly competitive, and I remember heading to one of my first open mics and being blown away by the quality of the talents. It's made me a lot better.

"I was quite a big fish in a small pond at university, and that can make you a little lazy, Manchester keeps me on my feet."
While return visits for gigs in Cumbria have been few and far between, his roots on the local scene are still something he's proud of.

"Cumbria music is brilliant in its range - you have some fantastic talents doing some amazing things at the moment. The scene deserves more people supporting it.

"I'll try and come back to Cumbria to play soon, it's always great seeing so many people turnout when I do show my face."