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Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey’s Interview with Rebecca Downes

Birmingham-based singer, songwriter, and independent artist Rebecca Downes has spent more than a decade building one of the most respected reputations in modern blues-rock. Working closely with longtime co-writer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Birkett, she releases all her music on her own label Mad Hat Records—a fully self-sustained operation that handles everything from writing and recording to manufacturing, marketing, and global distribution through Cargo Records.

Rebecca performs live with a powerful five-piece band, delivering bold, emotionally charged sets built around songs from her acclaimed studio albums Believe (2016), More Sinner Than Saint (2019), The Space Between Us (2022), and her upcoming 2025 release A Storm Is Coming. She also tours as a stripped-back trio with Steve and drummer Neil Ablard, reimagining key tracks in a more intimate style.

Raised in Wolverhampton, Rebecca grew up listening to legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Etta James before stepping onto stages herself at age thirteen. Through her teens she developed into a fierce rock vocalist and songwriter, a passion that carried through university, full-time work, and ultimately back into music when encouragement from producer Mark Viner Stuart led her to reconnect with writing and recording. Her creative partnership with Steve Birkett began in 2011 and quickly blossomed, launching a prolific catalog marked by soulful vocals, fearless songwriting, and genre-blending influences.

Her rise accelerated after early releases like Real Life (2013) and Back to the Start (2013), earning airplay, festival invitations, and growing national attention. By 2015, a stable full band lineup helped push her onto major UK stages, including a standout performance at the Skegness Rock & Blues Festival and a ten-date UK tour supporting King King. Her momentum was reflected in awards, with Rebecca winning Female Vocalist of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2016 British Blues Awards, followed by Female Blues Vocalist of the Year at the UK Blues Awards in 2018.

Rebecca’s music continued to evolve across the albums Believe and More Sinner Than Saint, the latter shaped with input from world-class producers including Chris Kimsey, Bill Drescher, and Chris Childs. The album earned critical acclaim and national radio support, including playlisting on Planet Rock Radio.

The pandemic pushed her creativity in a new direction, resulting in Stripped Back (2021), a relaxed and intimate reimagining of her earlier work, produced entirely in-house with remote contributions from her live band and team. In 2022 she returned with The Space Between Us, an album that expanded her sonic palette—mixing blues-rock roots with darker moods, cinematic textures, and a powerful emotional core.

Rebecca maintained a steady output of singles and collaborations, including charity releases, electronic remixes, and a run of cover songs that led to the Stranger Blue EP in April 2025. These stripped-back interpretations allowed Rebecca and Steve to experiment with production, vocal nuance, and emotional space while preparing for the next chapter.

In May 2025, Rebecca announced her sixth studio album, A Storm Is Coming, releasing October 31, 2025. The ten-track record is a dynamic journey through tension, grit, release, and resilience—big-hearted, guitar-driven contemporary rock shaped by her powerhouse voice. Early singles These Days, Falling Into You, and Hold The Reins earned playlisting on Apple Music editorial lists and Planet Rock Radio UK, signaling her strongest momentum yet.

Praised for its anthemic choruses, Hammond-rich textures, and emotional honesty, A Storm Is Coming has already earned rave reviews. Rebecca and the band—Steve Birkett (guitars/multi-instrumentation), Neil Ablard (drums), Nigel Darvill (keys), and James Peterson (bass)—will bring the new music on tour beginning December 2025.

Across her entire career, Rebecca Downes has remained fiercely independent, relentlessly creative, and sonically adventurous. Her music continues to grow, stretch, and elevate—always rooted in powerful vocals, raw emotion, and a lifelong love of the blues and rock traditions that shaped her.

 

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