Beans On Toast (musician)

Beans On Toast
Beans on Toast at Knuckleheads Saloon in Kansas City, MO
Background information
Born	(1980-12-01) 1 December 1980
Origin	Essex, United Kingdom
Genres	Folk, alternative rock, antifolk
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, Vocals
Associated acts	Billy Bragg, Frank Turner, Johnny Flynn, Laura Marling, Emmy the Great, Mumford and Sons, The Holloways
Website	http://www.beansontoastmusic.com/

Beans On Toast, is the stage name of British folk singer Jay McAllister from Braintree Essex, who rose to out of the UK folk scene in 2005. His songwriting openly deals with the topics of politics, drugs and love. Beans on Toast has released seven studio albums, traditionally releasing a new record each year on 1 December, McAllister's birthday.

Embarking on the folk music scene in 2005, Beans on Toast opened Glastonbury Festival and has done so every year since. This success prompted him to support Kate Nash at London's Hammersmith Apollo in 2008. After much anticipation, he finally released his debut 50-track double album Standing On A Chair in 2009. Produced by Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons, it featured guest vocals by Emmy The Great, Frank Turner and members of The Holloways, amongst many others.

Along with Ian Grimble, Beans on Toast produced 2012 follow-up Writing On The Wall. Both albums were well-received and gained rave reviews in the Sunday Times and the Mirror, alongside airplay on 6Music, XFM, and Radio 1 and 2. The greater exposure, coupled with Jay's humble nature and quirky stage presence, began to draw a loyal fanbase.

Beans on Toast's third album, Trying to tell the Truth, was released in 2011 and produced by Frank Turner, with Beans on Toast going on to be the support act for Turner’s sold out Wembley Arena show in April 2012. This led to his fourth studio album, Fishing for a Thank You. During this period, Beans on Toast also headlined a sold-out Scala show in Kings Cross, London, which was captured and released as the ‘Live at Scala’ album in 2013. The fifth album, Giving Everything, was released on 1 December 2013 and made it into the top ten of the iTunes’ Singer-Songwriter Charts.

In 2014, Beans on Toast performed to a crowd of over 100,000 in one week while opening Frank Turner’s UK stadium tour. In the same year, he embarked upon his first American tour, playing headline shows as well as several dates with Irish-American punk band Flogging Molly. A limited edition 10” was released in the UK entitled Best of Toast Pressed On A Vinyl for Record Store Day 2014 in April. This led to a sixth studio album, The Grand Scheme of Things, followed by a UK tour.

Throughout 2015, Beans on Toast toured the UK and USA, as well as playing one-off shows in Amsterdam, Germany, and South America. He kicked off the year touring America before returning to the UK for an "Off the Road" tour, visiting smaller venues in the UK. Beans on Toast also toured during the festival season, appearing at YNOT Festival, Boomtown and Glastonbury Festival, amongst others. In mid-September, Jay followed long-time friend and producer Frank Turner on his headline tour of America. In December 2015, Beans on Toast released a seventh album, Rolling Up A Hill, recorded in Kansas with Truckstop Honeymoon. A tour is planned to celebrate the album's release.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Standing On A Chair (1 December 2009)
• Writing on the Wall (1 December 2010)
• Trying to Tell the Truth (1 December 2011)
• Fishing for a Thank You (1 December 2012)
• Giving Everything (1 December 2013)
• The Grand Scheme of Things (1 December 2014)
• Rolling Up The Hill (1 December 2015)

Compilations

• Rock Against Malaria (2009) Eunuch Records
• Live at Scala (25 September 2013)
• Best of Toast Pressed on Vinyl (19 April 2014)

External links

• Official website