Over the years, Suffolk has produced some of the biggest and best chart-topping musicians. And if you speak to any of them, you can guarantee they’d attribute some of their success to their Suffolk roots, and how growing up here helped shape them, creatively.

Amongst those hoping to break through and make a name for himself is Jonny Elstone.

Jonny has recently moved back to his hometown of Bury St Edmunds after living in London and on the south coast for the past few years, and has just released his debut EP, Everything's Changing, as part of indie-folk duo Me and The Moon.

“I’m from Bury St Edmunds and I loved growing up around here," he says. "There’s always lots to do and plenty of music to see and be a part of. Both of my parents are retired music teachers, and I had two older sisters who played music, too."

Jonny adds that his school, King Edward VI, had a really active and vibrant music department which helped further fuel his love affair with the arts.

“The school did a lot of pop music, and put on a gig every year, so I think that helped me realise that’s what I wanted to do.”

Jonny also cites venues in the local grassroots music scene as crucial in helping him – and other local musicians – get their start.

“I think there’s a great scene here in East Anglia. The Hunters Club is great for upcoming bands – that's where I started out when I was growing up. It’s funny because I’ve been away for so long, I only moved back two weeks ago, but there’s so many great venues here in the region.

“There’s Voodoo Daddy’s in Norwich, and I’m playing there in a few weeks with another band. And The Smokehouse in Ipswich - I haven’t been there yet but I can’t wait to check out to all of these places and more.”

After completing his studies in Suffolk, Jonny moved to Guildford for university, where he met fellow musician Tamara Grzegorzek.

“I went to The Academy of Contemporary Music, where I studied for a degree in music performance, and it’s where I met Tamara. We had a sort of similar taste in music and we went from there really,” he explains.

The two formed Me and The Moon in 2015, and soon began playing gigs in Guildford before heading further afield to London.

During that time, the two-piece have released a handful of singles including ‘Strangers’, ‘Fast Lane’ and ‘Cutting You Loose’.

But it wasn’t until they received support from Help Musicians' Do It Differently Fund that they could finally record and release their debut EP.

The Do It Differently Fund helps budding musicians get their creative projects off the ground, thanks to grants alongside coaching and support.

“They’re an amazing charity. You get funding, but I think the best part is the you get advice from industry professionals. We had a session about social media and how to plan a campaign, and you get mental health sessions too. It really is super helpful for up-and-coming acts.”

Jonny and Tamara knuckled down and worked on their songs while the world was in lockdown in 2020 and 2021, meaning live music and life as a touring musician was off the table.

“A lot of our songs were written during the first big lockdown, as we were living together in a flat in Portsmouth. It was definitely good to have all of that time to focus 100% on songwriting,” he explains.

When restrictions lifted between lockdowns however, the duo took to a friend’s house in Oxford to begin the recording progress, finally bringing their music to life.

“But then another lockdown was announced, so we headed back to ours and finished everything remotely ourselves, such as the finishing touches. We’d been sitting on it for a whole now, so it’s nice to finally have the songs out now.”

And the result? A stunning five-track release that fuses heartfelt lyricism and lush guitar tones, melding together to create feelgood anthems.

Jonny is influenced as more guitar-based and folky, citing acts such as The War on Drugs, Fleet Foxes, and Kevin Morby as musical inspirations - while Tamara draws more on current and contemporary pop releases.

“The EP is a cross between the two, and it’s quite easy to combine our styles. The songs are in different tunings so you don’t realise straight away – a lot of the songs will start on electric guitar and build up, and by the end it’s covered in synths. Tamara’s vocal sound is quite poppy, too.”

With a musical release to their name now, Jonny and Tamara are looking toward the future and can’t wait to see where Everything’s Changing will take them.

“We’ve actually had quite a busy summer already – we did the Isle of Wight Festival and a couple of other south coast festivals, and some other shows. I feel we’ve done it the other way round, usually you release music then tour but we’ve gone in the opposite direction. Now we’re itching to get working on whatever happens next.”

Me and The Moon’s EP Everything’s Changing was released Friday July 22 via Luna Sky Recordings and is available on all streaming platforms. To find out more, visit meandthemoonofficial.bandcamp.com and listen to their tracks at soundcloud.com/meandthemoonofficial