 Mike Finley lives by the rule “when you want something done right, do it yourself”. Mike has been playing in various pop-rock bands since he was 16, continuously writing songs from the very beginning. However, he quickly learned that the best way to get a song to sound how you want and to present it how it’s supposed to be presented is to do it yourself, and with that his solo career began.
Mike grew up in a tiny town on the outskirts of Oxfordshire and was born into a very musical family. His father was the drummer for a very successful folk-rock band, and his younger sister is the bass guitarist for an all-female punk band. He picked up an acoustic guitar at age 15, and two months later got his hands on an electric and has been developing his songs and sound since.
Mike lists his influences as the various American indie/pop-rock bands he grew up listening to; bands such as Lifehouse, The Calling and Goo Goo Dolls showed Mike how to beautifully craft melodic emotional songs without overly complex music and lyrics that don’t just focus on love (either gained or lost). He writes about things that matter to him, whether they be trying to find your unique place in a society that places so much emphasis on conformity (“Confidence in change”), dealing with the loss of someone extremely close (“Your last breath”), having someone dominate your life (“Take away the strain”) or looking for a glimmer of hope when all around seems to fall (“Wandering star”), amongst many other things – all of his songs are about something that people can relate to.
Mike has played several amateur festivals and acoustic venues around Oxfordshire and has developed a cult following, and has support from many local (and not-so local) bands and artists.
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