​Nicky Lipp Finds Joy In Rebirth On Debut Solo Single 'One Of These Days'

Nicky Lipp, the stage name for Scottish singer-songwriter Nick Mercer, has had one of the more tumultuous and exciting rides in music folklore. 

Having burst onto the scene during the mid-noughties garage rock revival as the frontman of Scottish indie darlings Sergeant, success was firmly in the grasp of the Glenrothes native. 

With backing from major music mogul Alan McGee and a tour supporting Oasis under their belts, world domination would have seemed in the realistic sights for Nick and his bandmates, but as is often the case, it wasn’t to be.  

After being dropped from their label a move to London was on the cards, before the partying lifestyle saturated into his daily life. A five-year period of sobriety and the formation of a family allowed Nick to mellow, whilst a connection with his faith led him to return to Scotland to spread the word of his newfound holiness. 

The background of Mercer’s life is important to understand when listening to his debut solo single, the exuberant ‘One of These Days’. The track is driven by an upbeat piano riff that plays in time with pounding drums and precise bass notes to create a song that endlessly gallops along to its own joyous tempo. 

Vocals sung in Mercer’s Scottish drawl obviously draw inspiration from the singer’s own reconnection with God and faith. “One of these days / I’m gonna tell you something / Something that you can’t deny / By the way it moves in my life/ It’s irresistible” he proclaims, in a phrase that clearly harks back to his own rebirth through the kindling of his credence with God in later life. Yet, the lyrics are ambiguous enough to allow the listener to find their own meaning, where they aren’t overtly pushing us to become like the singer himself. The track, therefore, feels more like a jubilant declaration of any kind of personal growth, and its infectious nature is matched in the music video, where Mercer struts and dances down a Scottish high street. 

Even as the relentless driving nature of the track subsides for the chorus, Mercer continues on his crusade of positive affirmation. “All the mistakes that I made / Were suddenly washed away” he croons in an infectiously reassuring manner. 

‘One of These Days’ may well be intended to be a quasi-hymn, that inspires the listeners to take up the mantle of faith, but it doesn’t come across that way. The cheerful pop nature of the track is inspirational to anyone who wants it to be, I’m just glad Nicky Lipp was able to come out the other side, and maybe his latest iteration as an artist will help others to do the same. 

James Ogden 

Image: ‘One of These Days’ Official Single Cover