A Salford teenager is set to jet off to South America this November to play arena gigs in support of one of Chile’s biggest bands.
John Denton, the 16-year-old indie musician, will play the Santander Arena in Santiago, the country’s capital, over two nights to around 30,000 people, supporting legendary band Los Tres.
John’s social media posts have been flooded with support from Chilean fans, eager to see the teen in action, after a post of support from Los Tres frontman Álvaro Henríquez gained traction online.
“Honestly, it’s mental”, he said. “They’ve got millions of fans and a massive following, (who) have been kind enough to latch on to me, just the outpouring of love on the songs has been crazy.
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“Potentially the biggest band in Chile and one of the biggest bands in South America. (Los Tres). Their singer, Álvaro Henríquez, I’d say he’s an equivalent of like a Noel Gallagher or a Richard Ashcroft.”
It was John’s first and only EP which caught the attention of the iconic frontman.
“A family friend in Chile recommended my music to him, he said Someone Else’s Game is the best new song of the past five years, and that I’m his favourite new artist, which is nice of him,” he said.
“I got sent a video of this family singing along to all my songs in the car, in flipping Chile.
“This isn’t like anything I’ve done before. I’ve played to a 500-capacity crowd but that’s nothing compared to this, it’s the most nervous
I’ve been since my first gig, at Malaga Drift (now 96 degrees) in Eccles, and then I was shaking.”
The young man is no stranger to the big stage however, taking a last minute slot at Neighbourhood Weekender in May this year, which featured UK music stalwarts Richard Ashcroft and Blossoms.
“(Neighbourhood Weekender) potentially the best day of my life, just the whole day hanging round with all these big artists,” he added. “There was a point where I was sat in the cafeteria with Sophie Ellis-Bextor to my right, the Kaiser Chiefs on one side, and I’m just a 16-year-old sat in the middle.”
John released his debut EP Someone Else’s Game in May, after signing a record contract with Modern Sky at only 15 years old.
In between college, and now newfound global support he reflected on his EP release.
“It’s been pretty life changing since the EP came out,” he added.
“I released it in May this year and the reception has been really good, I suppose you can say it’s had international appeal now.”
This may be a first for the teen, but it seems like more may be to come in South America for the Salfordian.
John said: “I’ve been doing zoom calls with promoters in Chile, they said they don’t want to have to wait until the summer next year, so do you want to come in November and play in front of 30,000 people.”
The arena that has played host to the likes of Beyonce, Robbie Williams and Beatle Paul McCartney is sold-out for both nights.
Despite his young age, John has been surging in the industry for years, winning the prestigious Johnny Marr Award in 2023.
From Irlam, he previously fronted band The Height, and featured in a Salford City kit launch, and now signed to indie powerhouses Modern Sky, Denton is aiming to take his music global – first stop, Chile.
