Glastonbury based Nick Parker started gigging in his early teens playing mandolin and singing in folk/rock/skiffle band ‘Why?’, and spent the next 10 years bouncing around on stages at hundreds of venues and festivals around the UK and Europe. In 1998 Nick called it a day with Why? and started guitar band ‘Tobermory’. After various false starts, a few flirtations with industry ‘big’ boys and a few tours in Germany, Tobermory played their last gig in 2004.

In 2010 Nick embarked on a solo career and has since enjoyed over 30 tours around the UK and Europe, releasing five full-length albums along the way, many songs from which have been featured on BBC6 Music among many other radio stations.

Nick’s songs are often tongue-in-cheek and cheerful, and on the rare occasion when fun IS poked (usually at himself) it is always with a wry smile and an element of satire. The audience are often encouraged to be a part of the show, from holding up lyrics or creating sound effects, to providing basslines or collectively being Nick’s duet partner.

Although primarily a solo effort Nick often plays with his band ‘Nick Parker and the False Alarms’ which is a folky/rocky/country affair using guitars, fiddle, pedal steel, banjo, mandolin, cornet, accordion, keys, whistles, pipes, bass and drums, often with various members switching instruments when space permits. At a recent gig the band were described as ‘A British Arcade Fire’, something that Nick was very pleased about. At that same gig they teamed up with Les ‘Fruitbat’ Carter to perform a 9-piece version of CarterUSM’s Only Living Boy in New Cross, something that now happens whenever Les is in the building. Nick also often gigs as a duo with fiddle player Ben Wain.

Over the years Nick has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with The Wedding Present, Bright Eyes, and Tom Robinson among others, and has recently provided tour support for Levellers, Ginger Wildheart & the Sinners, and Skinny Lister.

During the pandemic Nick kept himself, and others, busy with an online series called Stranger Tunes, in which he collaborated with many musicians including members of Pearl Jam, Levellers, The Wonder Stuff, Boomtown Rats, Blossoms and many more.

When Nick’s not gigging, he is usually busy making videos for his songs which include a very time consuming lyric video made using spaghetti letters, and an even more time consuming stop motion animation of a live gig which was selected for inclusion in the Leeds International Film Festival.

Nick recently made a return to video making and his animations were featured on Levellers’ latest album Peace (DVD version).

In the autumn of 2022 Nick toured Europe supporting Levellers both solo (5 dates) and with his band the False Alarms (11 dates) taking in Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark and Sweden.

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