Born in Winchester and raised in South Devon, Allen began making music as a teenager.

This pivotal project led to an appearance on BBC's Jools Holland early in his career, which opened doors for sync opportunities with TV, ad campaigns, films, and radio.

Allen's music is influenced by Free, The Faces, and the songwriting of Van Morrison and Elton John.

The song "Going Home" featured on the worldwide Land Rover TV commercial in 2008 bringing him wider recognition.

As a founder member of northern soul production team, The Third Degree, he co-produced and sung one of the most widely recognised cover versions of the Duffy song Mercy.