A MUSIC venue owner who has raised thousands for charities and charted alongside the Artic Monkeys is set to release his first single in seven years to help raise money for Parkinson’s UK.
Nick Byrne, proprietor of the Dragonffli in Pontypool, is going to release the single I’m Falling, which he wrote in 2012 after being misdiagnosed with the condition.
“It’s a single that I wrote about the disease,” he said. “I wrote it in the States in 2012.
“I was misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2010. I took medicine for it for two years.
“I have never really been that public about it before. It was a very scary time. I was taking about eight pills a day. But in the end, I was told that it was a mistake.
“The single has been hanging around for a few years. I played my first gig in seven years in April, and after that I went back through my back catalogue and this song was one that really stood out.
“There is a guy I know who is 34, he’s a drummer, and he has just been diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s, so that brought everything up again for me.
“It was probably the biggest fear I had ever felt. It took me a long time to get over it.
“It was two years of hell.
(Nick Byrne performing. Picture: Nick Byrne.)
“It’s why I have spent so much time raising money for charities helping with neurological disorders.
“I think over the years I have raised about £1,000 for Parkinson’s UK. When I was going through what I went through, they were there for me.”
Mr Byrne has become known for raising money for various charities.
The Dragonffli hosts a number of charity gigs, with possibly the most well known of these events being Ffli Stock, an annual three-day event which has now been running for five years.
“I just like helping people,” he said. “If I could do more I would. That’s just the way I’m imprinted.
“A lot of the charities I have done things for have had a personal meaning.
“In 2010, I did an acoustic tour around the UK in Starbucks shops to raise money for Cancer Research UK after two people close to me were affected by cancer.
(Nick Byrne spent a few months playing across America. Picture: Nick Byrne)
“I don’t do it just so I can say that I’m doing something good, I just want to help people out. It’s just the way I am.
“Ffli Stock came about after hearing about a little girl, Shauna, who was born severely disabled.
“I was talking to her mum one night when she had come into the pub, and she was saying that she didn’t get much help. It was pretty much there and then that I came up with the idea of having the event.
“Five years later and it’s still going strong. Hopefully we will be able to put on a sixth next year.
“In the second year we did it for another kid’s charity, and we did if for TOGs (Torfaen Opportunity Group’s disabled children’s centre in New Inn) the year after.
“I think we raised the most money that year, but I think the first Ffli Stock was probably my favourite.
“I always find it is nice when people involved with the charities come down and join in too.”
Mr Byrne recorded his upcoming single after returning to perform for the first time since 2012 back in April.
(Dragonffli owne Nick Byrne (centre) with punk-rock duo Slaves)
“One of the main things that got me back in to it was hearing Slaves play at my venue last year,” he said.
“I couldn’t believe it. There were people from all over the country coming to see them in this small venue in Pontypool. I was talking with them about playing almost all day.
“From that, I picked up my guitar and started playing again.”
Reflecting on his career to date, Mr Byrne had one main highlight.
“I was in a band, the Evolvers,” he said. “We charted in the official Indie top 20 hit in December 2007 with our double A side single Bullets/Midnight Song.
“We were beaten by the Arctic Monkeys.
“That has been probably my biggest achievement.”
Looking forward to the rest of the year, Mr Byrne is looking get back to performing more.
“There is lots of bits and pieces that I would like to rework from my back catalogue,” he said. “I have some really good experimental stuff that I would like to do something with.
“But I’m taking each day as it comes at the moment.
“I’d like to maybe even do more challenges to raise money for different charities myself. As long as I am able to keep fundraising I will.”
I’m Falling will have an August 12 release, and will be available on Spotify, iTunes and Google Play.
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