SHEFFIELD troubador Richard Hawley is admired for his heartfelt songwriting and music which sweeps between delicately tender and enthralling.

In the two decades that have elapsed since he abandoned full time band life, first with The Longpigs and then as Pulp’s guitarist, the 52 year-old songwriter has forged one of the most singular and diverse careers in modern music.

On Sunday he plays a show at Oxford’s O2 Academy to showcase his new album Further.

The LP marks a departure for Hawley who has, to date, named his albums after Sheffield icons or landmarks. Challenging himself to keep things relatively up-tempo and keep the songs to about three minutes long, Further is quite possibly his most forthright album to date, clocking in at under 40 minutes.

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Opening track, the thunderous, Rickenbacker thrasher Off My Mind, sets the album’s direct tone. Other songs that display similar swagger includes the Glam stomp of Alone, the outlaw tale that is Galley Girl and the album’s centrepiece, the grungy Is There A Pill.

Tender moments come in the form of the sumptuous ballads, the beautiful yet simple Emilina Says, the yearning Midnight Train and album closer, Doors. All features Hawley’s rich baritone and gift for writing the type of heartfelt songs that have made him the revered songwriter he is today.

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My Little Treasures – a song based on the deep personal experience of encountering two of his father’s oldest friends following the latter’s death in 2007 that Hawley has taken 12 years to record – is not only one of the album’s standout tracks, but also the centrepiece of the hugely successful musical Standing At The Sky’s Edge, named after Hawley’s sixth studio album.

Featuring 20 Hawley songs (including three from the new album), the musical chronicles the life of three families who live on the city’s Park Hill estate across three generations.

It is a local story that covers global issues and has received across the board acclaim.

It also continues Hawley’s journey beyond pure musical performance and into the world of stage and screen – a true Yorkshire renaissance man.

Richard Hawley is at the O2 Academy Oxford, Cowley Road, on Sunday. Tickets from

ticketmaster.co.uk