“If you give yourself a silly name, you’ve got to answer to it,” said Essex born folk singer, Beans on Toast, ahead of his show at Strings Bar and Venue this week. 

Speaking to the Isle of Wight County Press, whilst strolling around the Devon town of Totnes, Jay “Beans on Toast” McAllister, shared his sense of delight, as he revealed he was on the “home straight of a 25 date tour.”

Speaking about his appearance at the Newport venue, Jay said: “I’ve heard good things and it’ll be the end-of-the-tour-blowout on the Island.

“The first few times I came [to the Isle of Wight] was for Bestival - and I’ve been over for a fair few shows.”

Isle of Wight County Press: Beans on Toast's new albumBeans on Toast's new album (Image: Beans on Toast)

Jay’s most recent Isle of Wight gig was Rhythmtree Festival in 2022, on a line-up that featured The Wailers and Turin Brakes. 

Growing up listening to the music of “great songwriters”, including John Prine and The Beatles, Jay is himself an experienced singer-songwriter and he has no fewer than 16 albums under his belt. 

The Toothpaste and the Tube is his newest and it came out earlier this month.

It is billed as a unfiltered take on the environment's dire straits, the UK political landscape, the ominous rhythm of war drums, and the impending AI revolution.

But don't let the weighty topics fool you – this album also delves into the lighter side of life, with reflections on parenthood, whimsical creatures, and the sheer bliss of a sea dip.

Its 13 songs were recorded with duo Ferris & Sylvester.

“[The new album] feels a bit like an old-school Beans on Toast record, in that the last few have had an overarching theme, whereas this is a collection of songs about different subjects,” said Jay. 

Be that the environment, swimming in the sea, or the cost of living crisis, Jay said, “each song is its own story.

“I like to think my albums are a closing of one year and the opening of another," says Jay about his December release. 

The album title comes from the saying "you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube” which is basically about this being the world we have created. We have to work with what we have, as we move forward.”

Despite playing almost every UK music festival, Jay has somehow never played the Isle of Wight Festival and so many appearances across the country are bound to create some clashes.

“I definitely missed Kacey Musgraves at Glastonbury one year. 

"That was kind of heart-breaking, because she’s an American act that doesn’t come over too often.

"I’m never gonna turn down a gig so that I can go to [watch] another one. The best gig I could be at would be onstage at a Beans on Toast gig!”

When a clash against Noel Gallagher and Mark Ronson split the crowds at Victorious Festival one year, Jay noted, “[Playing the show] made my show more special as I knew that everyone that had come to watch me was fully invested and they really, really wanted to be there.”

On Friday, Jay will be supported respectively by Bassie Gracie and Tensheds, who will then join Jay on stage as his backing band. 

Considering the trio as a “travelling show,” Jay said they have been “up and down the country” and that this tour has avoided the “the major cities.”

He added that the tour took them to “a lot of the places that touring bands wouldn't often visit and that brings a certain magic to the room. 

"I really love that side of touring and it means I get to see so much more of the country,” he said.