SHEFFIELD crooner Richard Hawley is set to soothe your soul.

Despite being nominated for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize, the ex-Pulp and Longpigs guitarist has been happily simmering under the surface of the mainstream for many years with his self-penned soulful tunes.

With his sixth album Truelove’s Gutter set to be released on September 21 he is hitting the road on tour.

And first up is a short hop over the hills from his Sheffield home to the Holmfirth Picturedrome.

Hawley said he was looking forward to the 15-date tour and playing his darkest work to date in some of the country’s grandest venues.

He said: “I really enjoyed playing at the Picturedrome last time, it was a great concert. I like the fact that we’re just playing theatres, I don’t want the audience to be crammed into some shed, I want them to feel comfortable.”

Known for his thoughtful melancholy tones, Hawley said the new album was layered with unusual sounds that had been rattling around his head for months.

“I’m looking to make my sonic palate wider,” he commented.

“I had a lot of really different sounds in my head and I thought I would have to invent my own instruments.

“I was set to put a microphone in a car until I discovered the Crystal Baschet (also known as a Crystal Organ comprising glass rods).”

Other unusual instruments featured include the Glass Harmonica, the musical saw and the megabass waterphone, an instrument that utilises water to bend tones and create echoes.

He said: “On its own the megabass waterphone is almost unbearable; but mixed in it’s a juxtaposition between sweet and bitter sounds.

“I’m interested in sounds, it makes it a bit more interesting for me.”

String instruments are also noticeably prominent on several tracks on Truelove’s Gutter.

Hawley admitted he would love to go out with a full orchestra but said it wasn’t likely to happen as it would bankrupt him.

As you might expect, the new album is for those who appreciate the quiet life and Hawley said he wanted people to take their time to appreciate it.

“It’s very soothing, you can just drift off to it which is what I wanted to do,” he said. “I’m hopeful that people will just sit and listen to it in one sitting.”

Richard Hawley and guests Smoke Fairies play the Holmfirth Picturedrome on Thursday, October 1. Tickets £20. www.picturedrome.net