“Thrilling – marked by a mood of ramshackle invention at odds with the studied, polished air of a lot of current alt-rock” The Guardian
“Come for the urgent, wistful guitars, and stay for the heart-wrenching harmonies” Stereogum
“Rapidly climbing the rungs and notching up the wins, Westside Cowboy are the buzzy Britainicana newcomers determined to let down the ladder behind them” DIY
“One of the new acts heralding a gloriously ramshackle new era of ’90s-styled slacker rock” NME
AUGUST 8 – Manchester quartet Westside Cowboy release their debut EP ‘This Better Be Something Great’ (pre-order vinyl here) – today (August 8th) via Nice Swan Recordings / Heist or Hit.
Produced by Lewis Whiting of 2024 Mercury Prize winners English Teacher, ‘This Better Be Something Great’ is a culmination of the band’s hectic first phase. Sprouting from unserious jams in their drummer Paddy Murphy’s bedroom, what initially began as an inside joke as a welcome distraction from mediocre employment and higher education for Westside Cowboy has quickly gotten out of hand – and their riveting, ramshackle indie has been winning fans across stages, wax, ink, and the airwaves since.
The confluence of each member is central to Westside Cowboy’s infectious magic. Each player has their distinct style and personality – a call-back to classic 60s groups – yet together they’re elevated into a timeless flow state. All four members sing and it’s via their harmonies, and competing lead melodies which battle before combining, that the true connection is witnessed, especially live.
It’s in this setting that the quartet are truly turning heads – numerous heroic sets at Glastonbury this year following their ascension as the Emerging Talent Contest winners prove this point, alongside a peerless summer festival run.
Through the autumn they are supporting Blondshell on her UK tour, before hitting mainland Europe with Black Country, New Road following personal invites onto slots with English Teacher, Ezra Furmann and mary in the junkyard. Further evangelising by the likes of Black Country, New Road and Ezra Furman have augmented the ‘artist’s artist’ tag as well.
Released earlier this week with an iconic video ‘Drunk Surfer’ completed the EP previews, following ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’, and the BBC 6 Music-playlisted tracks ‘Shells’ and ‘Alright Alright Alright’.
The band are certainly not short of admirers, with early praise from the likes of The Guardian, Stereogum, Uncut, NME, DIY, DORK, So Young, The Line Of Best Fit, Clash, Rolling Stone UK, Rough Trade and Paste. Whilst the four-piece have landed primary support from Huw Stephens, Steve Lamacq, Nick Grimshaw and Sian Eleri and Alyx Holcombe (BBC Radio 1), Jo Whiley (BBC Radio 2), Matt Wilkinson (Apple Music), KEXP and John Kennedy (Radio X).
Westside Cowboy’s ’This Better Be Something Great’ EP is out now via Nice Swan Recordings / Heist or Hit and available on all digital platforms.
Westside Cowboy is Reuben Haycocks (guitar, vocals), James (Jimmy) Bradbury (guitar, vocals), Aoife Anson O’Connell (bass guitar, vocals), Paddy Murphy (drums)
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Live Dates
9th August – Yes Pink Room, Manchester
16th August – Green Man Festival, Brecon Beacons
23rd August – So Young takeover: Harbour Parade, Southampton
24th August – All Points East, London
28th August – End Of The Road Festival, Dorset
30th August – Manchester Psych Fest, Manchester
2nd September – Button Factory, Dublin (with Blondshell)
4th September – New Century Hall, Manchester (with Blondshell)
6th September – Oran Mor, Glasgow (with Blondshell)
7th September – Project House, Leeds (with Blondshell)
8th September – SWX, Bristol (with Blondshell)
10th September – CHALK Live, Brighton (with Blondshell)
11th September – Electric Brixton, London (with Blondshell)
12th September – Electric Brixton, London (with Blondshell)
14th September – Leffingeleuren Festival, Leffinge
16th September – ACU, Utrecht
17th September – Nochtspeicher, Hamburg
27th September – Float Along, Sheffield
9th October – Casino de Paris, Paris (with Black Country, New Road)
10th October – Stereolux, Nantes (with Black Country, New Road)
12th October – Paradiso, Amsterdam (with Black Country, New Road)
13th October – Paradiso, Amsterdam (with Black Country, New Road)
14th October – Gloria, Cologne (with Black Country, New Road)
15th October – Astra Kulturhaus, Berlin (with Black Country, New Road)
17th October – VEGA, Copenhagen (with Black Country, New Road)
18th October – Fållan, Johanneshov (with Black Country, New Road)
19th October – Sentrum Scene, Oslo (with Black Country, New Road)
21st October – Mojo Club, Hamburg (with Black Country, New Road)
22nd October – Roxy, Prague (with Black Country, New Road)
23rd October – Les Docks, Lausanne (with Black Country, New Road)
25th October – Magazzini Generali, Milan (with Black Country, New Road)
26th October – Epicerie Moderne, Lyon (with Black Country, New Road)
28th October – Ancienne Belgique, Brussels (with Black Country, New Road)
18th November – Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich
19th November – The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham
21st November – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
22nd November – KOLA, Portsmouth
25th November – Future Yard, Birkenhead
26th November – The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge
27th November – The Fulford Arms, York
28th November – Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
10th Dec – Night Club 101, New York, NY
15th Dec – Scribble, Los Angeles, CA