DAVID Ford is on the charge once more with a new EP out now, his fifth studio album on the way, and a tour that finds the Eastbourne singer-songwriter changing his performance mode again.

Ford has been known to play solo, with a string quartet or fellow songwriters, or with book in hand for readings from his diary of rock'n'droll confessions.

Last time out, it was The One Man Full Band show, Ford alone in his multi-layered, multi-instrumental land of loops. This time, as he concludes his latest tour at Leeds Brudenell Social Club tonight, it will be one man and his guest full band, comprising Michele Stodart, from The Magic Numbers, and JP Ruggieri, a folk musician from Connecticut, USA.

"It's similar to the format that I did a few years ago, where I invited two singer-songwriters to be in my band," says Ford. "Tonight we'll all be on stage throughout, with everyone rotating the job of being the singer, which allows for more rapport with the audience. It's better than having a support act that no-one's interested in."

Michele Stodart needs no introduction; JP Ruggieri may be less familiar. "We've both played in Jared Dickenson's band on tour over here," says Ford. "He's an incredible guitarist; he's like the handsomest, the best, guitar player that I know."

On sale tonight will be Ford's new CD, The Union EP, "five tracks of eclectic beginnings and ends thrown into a beautiful union", released on June 1 with the track listing of Why Don't You Answer The Telephone?, A Perfect Day, Timber To Ashes, Someone Other Than You and 100 Streets.

"It's a broad range of songs from lots of different places that are all drawn together as, to be honest with you, I wanted to put something out before the album," says Ford. "It might have started as, 'What can we bring out?', but it's ended up being coherent.

"The first song, Why Don't You Answer The Telephone?, is taken from the new album; Timber To Ashes was a co-write with Tom McRae at one of Kathryn Williams' songwriter weekends; A Perfect Day is about when my wife and I went to hospital to have a scan of our baby. I'm not aware of any other song about a 12-week scan, but then I wasn't really prepared for how the scan would make me feel!"

York Press:

David Ford: "Studies in amateur macro-economics"

The Union EP title evokes memories of Ford's signature song, the lacerating diatribe State Of The Union. "All the 'state of the union' stuff will be on the album," says Ford, who is yet to confirm a release date. Stick with "forthcoming" for now and watch this space.

Entitled Animal Spirits, the album was recorded in the United States with Foo Fighters and Kings Of Leon producer James Brown. "The record has a concept to it; all about my studies in amateur macro-economics," Ford says.

"It's a personal hobby: I must have read 30 to 40 books on the subject, going from economics to macrobiology to macro-economics, which is the politics of it all.

"I never really got past the financial crash of 2007-2008, where we just let it all go and didn't talk about what happened, why it happened, and we haven't really talked about how we prevent it happening to us again as a society.

"I feel the prevailing thought among the powers-that-be is, 'let's take it back to where it was before the crash', rather than immediately trying to make changes to avoid it happening again."

Songs rooted in macro-economics are rare indeed, but Ford says: "I realise it's a subject that songs aren't normally written about, but I'm an experienced writer now [Ford is 39] and a lot of the stories are told with well-crafted metaphors. I'm very happy with it as a piece of dense songwriting on a serious matter, where hopefully I've made it accessible on one level, but there's more going on underneath to dig deeper for.

"I like to take on a topic and fight whatever battles I can with it, and for me, one of the things that's particularly troubling with economics is how ideological it is. Regardless of what evidence teaches us, like religion, if you're an economic fundamentalist, you're missing the point. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, just as if you're religious fundamentalist, I don't believe that's the best position to be in."

Come the album's release, "I might do some live shows that are more dense, maybe even with supporting lectures," says Ford.

The Gig Cartell presents David Ford plus Michele Stodart and JP Ruggieri, Leeds Brudenell Social Club, tonight. Tickets: £15 on 0113 245 5570 or 0113 243 6743, at jumborecords.co.uk or crashrecords.co.uk or on the door from 7.30pm.