Hi everyone,
Quick apology — this was meant to land in your inbox yesterday. Small tech hiccup at my end (I was trying to send it from a different machine and it didn't quite line up). All sorted now, and back on track.
One of the things I've really enjoyed about writing these Soundcheck updates is that they've quietly become a bit of a timeline for me. Nice for keeping everyone in the loop, but also useful for noticing how long certain things actually take to build.
For a long time I felt like I just didn't have enough time. And honestly, there's truth in that — some weeks are so packed that bigger ideas can't happen in the timeframe they really need. They want focus, long uninterrupted blocks, creative energy.
But becoming a parent has taught me you can't do everything all at once. It's less about "not having time" and more about learning how to use the small pockets of time you do have to slowly build something over the months.
In an ideal world I'd write a song, head straight into a studio while the feeling's fresh, then move into visuals and a music video. Life doesn't quite work like that.
The song I've been talking about recently — Love's Gone Sailing — was written a very long time ago. Honestly, I couldn't tell you exactly when. Fifteen years ago, maybe more. It's not the most commercial thing I've written, or even necessarily my best — it's just one I wrote in a moment where I felt something strongly enough that I had to put it down.
That's what songwriting has always been for me. Not really "good" or "bad" — just a feeling or a storyline vivid enough that I can't help trying to describe it.
What stayed with me about Love's Gone Sailing was the imagery. When I wrote it I could see the scenes like a film. Especially the first half — it always felt incredibly visual.
That's partly why I've been digging into AI video generation. Growing up, music videos shaped how songs felt to me — put a film on mute and you immediately lose something important. In a dream world I'd have a full production crew, giant sets, stormy seas and a ridiculous budget… but until that day arrives, this technology feels like a genuine opportunity. Someone doing what I do twenty years ago wouldn't have had access to any of this. I'm grateful and properly excited to see what comes from it.
The week in rooms
Quieter week than usual — and every now and again that's a lovely thing.
Thursday — The George, Eton. Intimate crowd, lots of requests, stripped-back acoustic. Really enjoyable evening. Hoping to pick up a few more there over the summer because their beer garden is glorious when the weather plays ball.
Friday — The Poyntz Arms, East Molesey. Started slightly quiet as everyone was outside enjoying the sun (I nearly took the first set out there myself), but I had a feeling people would filter back in once the temperature dropped — and they did. Polly and Sarah jumped up for a sing, and by the end of the night the place was dancing. Quieter starts get a bit of a bad rap, but from a musician's side they can be brilliant — people throw out requests they'd never ask on a packed dancefloor, and I can hold back the big tunes until the moment's right.
Saturday — Marney's, Esher. A place that holds a real place in my heart — years ago I used to go out drinking there with mates, so it's slightly surreal regularly playing it now. Sunny afternoon, beer garden full of families, couples, groups chatting away. I sat in the sun taking requests and soaking it up. A lovely gig.
Behind the scenes
I've been reaching out to a few music companies about the busking guide, and it's looking really promising — one fairly major instrument retailer has shown interest in featuring it in their newsletter, which is genuinely exciting.
How to Busk in the UK — The 2026 Guide: aaronnorton.co.uk/busking-guide — free 5-page preview, full guide on Etsy from there.
I've also noticed quite a few people trying out the queue app I built. If you run anything where queues or sign-ups are part of the process, it might genuinely be useful — and it's completely free. You can even run it alongside whatever system you use now to see how it feels first.
The List: list.posterposter.app
And I've been building a small collection of free tools through the Poster Poster site — quick utilities you can use in the browser, no sign-up:
- posterposter.app/resize — image to any social size, all presets built in
- posterposter.app/design — drop in a photo, add text and a logo, export
- posterposter.app/compress — get a JPEG or PNG under any target size for email, Reddit, Discord
- posterposter.app/pdf — quick PDF utilities
Poster Poster itself is very close to completion now. I hit a bit of a wall a while back — jumping between the laptop build and the phone app while still doing gigs and teaching wears you down. But again, small pockets of time are quietly adding up. Every block of work nudges it closer to ready for Apple submission, and I want it done properly.
One more thing I'm quietly excited about — some of the work I've been doing with automation and YouTube is starting to show. Not long ago the channel was under 1,000 views a month with around 20 hours of watch time. This month it's reached around 95,000 views and over 200 hours. Long way to go, but it's encouraging seeing the small things move in the right direction.
More soon,
Aaron
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