‘Take A Bite’ saw the band further adorning their naturally expressive take on British folk with sizeable dollops of rockin’ soul, sharp indie-rock, vulnerable balladeering and festival-ready psychedelic trips towards the Middle East, ‘Take A Bite‘ sets its stall confidently in the previously unoccupied space between the Gossip, Arctic Monkeys, the B52s and Gogol Bordello. It is the sound of a band who have been searching and experimenting for several years; arriving at a place where they can say “this who we are and this is where we want to go”.
The band’s most recent single, the effervescent ‘Upside Down’, crystallizes this approach to performance and songwriting over a thrilling 3 minutes. And now the band have captured all the elements they’re famed for – the performance, the passion, the sonic ingenuity and their classy feral energy – in a live-in-studio performance of ‘Upside Down’, shot at Newcastle’s Loft Studios, shot by Craig Newton (Counterfeit., Hello Operator).
Another co-write between singer Ruth Patterson and accordion player “Squeezebox” Rosie Bristow (authors of the band’s breakthrough single ‘Cold Comfort Lane’ from 2017, which featured on the end credits of 2018 summer blockbuster movie, Oceans 8), ‘Upside Down’ is inspired by the travelling circuses of North East England. Rosie, who works with the circus when she’s not touring with the band, says: “I’ve met some very weird, beautiful and talented performers from all over the world, and been invited to some crazy festivals and big top shows. I’m now even working on an act myself involving playing a tiny accordion whilst hanging upside down.”
Of ‘Take A Bite’ itself, it’s seen the band go from strength to strength in 2019. It afforded them a European tour alongside peers Skinny Lister, saw the band headline festival stages up and down the UK including closing Cambridge Folk Festival on Friday night. And this October they tour the UK again, after a sell-out headline run in the Netherlands and Germany. The band’s dates in October are their biggest and best yet, including the Sage in Gateshead and London’s legendary Scala venue.
“This album is asking the audience to take a chance on us,” explains Ruth. “Obviously we’ve got a bit of a daft name and we look a bit mad, but I think once people actually come to a gig, they’re always swept up in the music and the energy. We get kids, old people, Goths, hippies, whatever. Everyone’s invited, everyone’s part of it. And people seem to lose themselves. No one’s like, “Oh, how do I look?’ while dancing. They don’t care. It brings everyone together.”
“All roads lead to the stage,” Conrad continues. “The arguing, the loving, the making, the listening – it boils down into one manic, riotous party. That’s where we connect with the audience and with each other and that’s what we’re all about.” It’s an all-systems-go mentality. “We’ve arrived at a place here, with this album, where we can start the journey that we want to be on. This is who we are now; this is what we’re doing.”
OCTOBER
4 – Gateshead, The Sage – SOLD OUT
5 – Ayton, Hemelvaart
6 – Glasgow, The Art School
10 – London, Scala
11 – Bristol, Thekla
12 – Southampton, Joiners
17 – Southport, The Atkinson
18 – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
19 – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
25 – Aldershot, West End Centre
26 – Cambridge, The Junction
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