Championed by everyone from The Line of Best Fit, to Clara Amfo at BBC Radio 1 - VC Pines is an artist we've also been keeping tabs on over the past couple of years.

This week, he releases his highly anticipated debut album 'MRI', and heads out on a UK tour in celebration of the record dropping.

We caught up with the singer-songwriter to discuss touring, crafting the album and more.

Check out the full interview below.

Your UK tour kicks off next week – how are you feeling ahead of it?

Can’t wait! I’ve toured loads in previous projects and couldn’t get enough of it, so it feels like a blessing to now be able to tour as VC Pines playing music that feels more like me than ever. Had a last lil rehearsal with the Violet Collective last night and feeling tight.

Your performance at Glastonbury this year was one of the highlights of the full festival – do sets like that give you more confidence heading into a full UK tour?

100%, Glastonbury itself was a proper privilege to play, but to play three times was nuts. The fact that we had a full crowd at the Greenpeace stage kind of reaffirms that there are people that choose to see me and listen to my music over doing something else, so yeah definitely gives you confidence before hitting a headline tour. And then to be thrown in the deep end live on BBC 2 Glastonbury Festival, and come out alive meant I knew me and the band are ready to tour haha.

Are there any venues or locations you’re particularly excited to get to?

Lafayette for SURE, it’s an amazing venue with great sound that I've wanted to play for a while. Also really looking forward to The Hope and Ruin in Brighton, Bristol Rough Trade and the last show of the tour in Manchester at YES

Away from performing, do you have any routines or habits when out on the road for so long?

I do Karate and Jujutsu a few times a week so I'm definitely going to bring some gloves and pads! It’s important to get rid of any excess adrenaline and stuff in your system on tour, plus it definitely helps with my epilepsy and stops me having seizures. I would love to find a couple of clubs around the UK if I’ve got time.

The tour coincides with the release of your debut solo album – can we expect to hear many tracks from it?

Definitely, I’ll be playing the album in full, along with some long term favourites. I will maybe slip in a cover or two of songs that inspired the album.

Did you consciously approach ‘MRI’ differently to your previous EPs and singles – and how different was it writing a full length release?

I think I was more aware of who I am, and how to get that across with 'MRI'. I’m asking for less advice and trusting my gut more, which means the project itself feels more like one work of art. I loved the process of working with different producers in different studios too, going to each producer for their own tricks and then tying everything together. I wanted to make a project that revolved around my epilepsy and mental health, to finally move forward from it, but at the same time, make something that other people can listen to and learn about themselves and also move forward, and I think that’s worked.

What else can we expect from you across 2023 and beyond?

More shows, more music and more life!