Pete Scott - Brand New Smile (2023)

Pete Scott was a singer-songwriter from Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

In the 1970s, Pete released two much-loved albums: Don’t Panic and Jimmy the Moonlight. His records were played on the John Peel show and he toured extensively all around the UK, appearing with the likes of Lindisfarne and performing on the Jake Thackray TV show.

In the late 1970s, Pete’s record label went bust and the rights to his records were sold to a third party against his wishes. The landscape of the music industry at the time meant that there was very little an independent artist could do to record, release, or promote their own music without the backing of a record label. Fortunately for Pete, his good friend Ken McKenzie owned a recording studio in Newcastle, which meant he was able to record all of his songs from this era, even though at the time he had no way of releasing them. Eventually both Pete and Ken forgot all about these recordings.

Later in his career, with the arrival of the internet and developments in recording technology, Pete was able to record and release his own material without needing a record deal, allowing him to combine his unique blend of the hilarious and the heartbreaking on his albums Why Sing Goodbye Songs and Songs to Sing & Jokes to Tell.

Pete passed away in early 2023 at the age of 74. After his death, his daughter discovered a treasure-trove of previously unreleased recordings in the loft. With the help of Ken McKenzie, these recordings are now being digitised and Pete’s family are working to make it all available to his loyal fans both locally and around the world. The project of making this music available starts with the release of the album Brand New Smile.

Brand New Smile features 11 previously unreleased songs dating from the late 1970s, as well as an early recording of Wallpaper, one of Pete’s most popular songs. Pete recorded these tracks in what Ken assures us were “coffee-fuelled” late-night recording sessions.

Pete Scott may be gone but his music lives on. With your support, the discovery of these recordings means that we can keep releasing new material for a long time to come. “Why sing goodbye songs when we could be saying hello?”