With a title as lofty as ‘Shakespeare’, you might expect the latest single from Aiden Scott-Browne to be laced with grandiosity- but what you get instead is something far more grounded and potent. The Northern Irish songwriter is aiming for connection, and that’s what makes this track hit so hard.
From the first beat, ‘Shakespeare’ pulses with drive. You can feel the sweat of backroom gigs and street corners in its bones. Produced by Matt McGlinn- who first heard the song during a live set and was instantly pulled in- the track bristles with the kind of energy that comes from belief in a song’s core message. Built on the rhythmic DNA of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer’, it crackles with lively guitars, synth flourishes, and a touch of saxophone soul, thanks to contributions from John Byrne and drummer Nigel Simpson.
What gives ‘Shakespeare’ its staying power isn’t just the punch of its production- it’s the bare-boned sincerity pulsing beneath every word. Aiden Scott-Browne doesn’t dress his performance up in theatrics; instead, he delivers it with the grit of someone who’s lived the lyric. When he sings, “I don’t need Shakespeare tonight, I’m just trying to get it right,” it lands part plea, part protest. It’s not about lofty perfection; it’s about the messy, determined business of simply carrying on.
Scott-Browne’s evolution from busking the streets of Omagh to shaping fully-formed studio releases speaks to a quiet kind of tenacity. There’s no overnight success here- just years of doing the work, of sharpening the edges and staying true to his sound. ‘Shakespeare’ is a reflection of that journey: imperfect by design and soulful by nature.