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The band’s peers reflect on their rise and continuing contribution to the community on the eve of debut album ‘It Goes On’. |
| Photo: Clémentine Schneidermann | Words: Marty Hill |
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You’re going to be hearing a lot about Westside Cowboy over the next few months. The self-described “Britainicana” band release their debut LP ‘It Goes On’ later this week. Since their debut single, ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’, the band have released two stellar EPs, won the prestigious Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition, toured with Geese and signed to Island Records. It is no exaggeration to call this one of the most highly-anticipated debut records of their generation. |
What shouldn’t get lost in all the much-deserved buzz, though, is the profound impact the band have had on the music scene around them. Sonically, the undercurrent of alt-country bands popping up around Manchester owe them plenty. Meanwhile, the culture of the grassroots scene that they continue to operate in despite their success has been bettered by the group’s rise. They’ve given the likes of Wyatt, Holly Head and Formal Sppeedwear some of their biggest shows yet by continuously letting down the ladder when they move on to bigger stages. No Band is An Island, of which they are a huge part, continue to put on some of the city’s best shows whilst raising money for incredibly worthwhile causes. So many small decisions on the way have helped to enrich the environment around Westside Cowboy. It seems only right ahead of the album’s release, then, to hear about how the band got to this point through the people who’ve been there along the way. |
Ben Williams (Rainy Day Café and the band’s live sound engineer) |
“The first time I heard these songs was at practice in Paddy’s bedroom. They played through their 30-minute set, which they refer to as “the half hour of power.” I remember being absolutely flawed by the songs, they were incredibly catchy and heartfelt. They all sang along over the drums and amps without microphones, which was really cool and fun! The music they’ve made encapsulates everything pure and wonderful about starting a band with your friends. I find it very inspiring.” |
Oliver Duffy (YAANG & Hopalong Gretzky) |
“They’re the benchmark for a lot of bands that I know that are just starting out. They’re a lot of what newer bands are aspiring to, myself included. A lot of the time, there are bands you like and bands you know, and bands you know can only be so good because they’re your friends first. With them, they are the best band around at the moment and they’re also our best friends. It’s nigh on impossible to be both and somehow they are. |
“The guitar playing in the record is a great show of restraint. Jimmy and Reuben are both great guitar players and are capable of doing crazy shit but they choose not to. They play the bare minimum, in a good way. On ‘Pin Up Boys’, it’s literally one note for the first half of the song. There’s no crazy tunings or anything. It’s so simple, you’re like ‘why didn’t I write that?’ It’s so inspiring to hear music that is so simple in places but never sounds played out or done before.” |
| Yasmin Coe by Ella Roberts |
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“I remember seeing them at Band on the Wall and thinking ‘they’ve just played three songs in a row that were all in open D but they all sounded different and they all sounded sick!’ They’re really good at not pushing their songs so far and keeping them relatively simple. |
“It’s so nice that everybody is rooting for them, because they root for everyone else. We’ve known them from the circuit for years so it’s funny when people are like, “Wow it’s happening so quickly for them.” Because it’s not like that, these guys have been grinding away in different projects for years. Everyone’s so on board with it because not only is the music great, but they’re so nice and you see them around at other people’s gigs all the time.” |
Ellis Hodgkiss (Shaking Hand) |
“I remember being blown away by them the first time I saw them, and it was still the case the last time I saw them! It always feels like there is a real emotional sincerity to their performances, on top of the tunes just being great they feel like they’ve always been there while still being new. Their group vocals are amazing too – in fact it was seeing them live which made us start thinking about how to better use backing vocals in our own songs. I’d also add that I thought their Jools performance was such an important moment, it felt like a long time coming for a Manchester guitar band to get an opportunity like that and they knocked it out of the park.” |
Harvey O’Toole (Wyatt & Pyncher) |
“I first saw Westside in The Castle Hotel. After watching that set it was obvious straight away they were something really special. To be honest, it was probably obvious after the first song. Now they have an album, and it’s been amazing to see them get to this point. They have spearheaded a new generation of bands coming out of Manchester and brought so much deserved attention to the city. It’s a privilege to be asked to support them on tour, and we are lucky enough to get to watch them every night for a month. I challenge anyone to watch Westside Cowboy and not smile.” |
Jim Marson (Martial Arts) |
“I remember seeing Cowboys at one of their very early shows in London at The Old Blue Last. I bumped into Paddy, who I knew as Holly Head’s guitarist, completely by chance and he said that his new band were playing upstairs for free. They arrived fully formed and you just knew they’d fly. It’s been a pleasure sharing some great moments along the way! Congrats, Cowbros x.” |
Gabbi Goldman (Photographer and promoter) |
“There’s a huge sense of pride around them across the city and it goes far beyond their successes as a band. I’ve been in and around the Manchester music scene for the last 5 years and when I first started photography, it felt like an impossible task to integrate myself with the bands and essentially ‘network’ (because that’s the only way you can then get more work). |
“I would say it’s never been as welcoming and accepting as it is right now and I think Westside Cowboy play a huge part in why that is. They are always exceedingly genuine, friendly and supportive of the other bands and artists within the community, and set a precedent for how we should all be treating each other.” |
“What’s happening for them now is incredible and so well deserved. Our band had a difficult period when we didn’t have a permanent guitarist and having them be so supportive was really important. They offered us some really important shows in that period, they’ve done pretty much as much as they possibly can with their position to help us and other bands too. There are people at huge record labels who’ve heard loads of smaller Manchester bands because Westside Cowboy will always bat for their friends in those meetings. They’ve also partnered with War Child, which is incredible. Just an amazing band and great people as well.” |
| Holly Head by Akoustik Anarkhy |
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Matt Deakin (Dove Ellis & TTSSFU) |
“I remember hearing Cowboys for the first time rumbling up through the floorboards of my room in our old, almost inhospitable house. I was surprised, it didn’t sound like the skiffle project they’d been talking about on the phone whilst I’d been away. Each time I’d hear the songs they’d get faster and louder, but equally more refined and crafted, it’s a trajectory they’ve continued. |
“A few months ago I got a call from Reuben asking for a mix opinion on one of their new songs, ‘Patchwork’. I’d heard bits of the album from bedroom rehearsals and had a visit to the studio in the early stages hearing them pushing out many takes to get ‘Dobro’ feeling right. |
“With ‘Patchwork’ though, I was blown away by the subtlety and craft they’d achieved whilst still at the core being a very ‘Cowboys’ song. |
“It’d be trite and frankly wrong to call it a left-turn. Individually they’re all incredibly creative and uncompromising musicians, put them together and they’re dangerous. This really comes across down to the very minutia of this album. Very proud.” |
Westside Cowboy’s debut album ‘It Goes On’ releases this Friday, 21st August. |
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