Watch out, lovers of good ol’ British guitar rock. There’s a new sheriff in town… well, actually four of them. The Lathums from Wigan (located West of Manchester) are the latest exciting group in the United Kingdom’s long line of fearless, melody loving rock groups and everything about them shouts ‘hype’ even if it might be quite old-fashioned to still use that term from the 90s and 00s, right? And while the catchy hooks and sharp riffs of The Lathums might feel like they could have happened in the same way at any point in the pop musical history of the past thirty years they are not simply another retro adventure but a band for the hear and now, only equipped with familiar musical tools. “We’re here to make a positive movement through creating music that people can connect with and relate to,” explains Alex Moore the mission state of the band. The vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the group exchanged a few questions and answers with us in the wake of their brand new single I See Your Ghost.
Greetings Alex. I sometimes get the feeling that the ‘age of the hype’ is pretty much over, except for a few examples – but here you are, creating a mighty buzz and selling out a tour after only a few singles. Do you have an explanation for that hype?
At the end of the day, if you create good music people will connect with it in a way that fits them. And as a band creating a spark that makes people happy, just from us playing a bit of music, well nothing comes close to that. And we’ll continue to do that till the very end.
People always tend to declare the ‘end of the band’ or the irrelevance of rock groups but then there’s always up and coming new talent like yours appearing. How would you see the current state of British guitar music?
We don’t believe the “end of the band” could ever happen, because the history of bands will always be there and inspiring new people, such as myself. I feel like guitar music is in a strange place at the moment, but we’re just writing tunes that we’re feeling and hope everyone is on the same page. We can’t really comment about anyone else. Music is within us.
Spooky scenes from the “I See Your Ghost” video shoot (Photo by Sam Crowston)
The Lathums not only sold out their hometown show in 60 seconds, their first releases already sparked the interest of established British musicians like Paul Weller and Tim Burgess. If you want a closer understanding of their background we strongly recommend you to take a look at the short documentary The Memories We Make which the band released this summer and which was published along with a sampler by the same name that combined their first two EPs. A new one is already on the horizon and it lookslike The Lathums remain unstoppable, even for a pandemic which forces the passionate live band to slow down for a bit.
There’s something quite old-fashioned in your creative attempt, still your lyrics deal with living in the here and now. What are the themes and thoughts that drive you on as a band?
The experiences that we’re going through, we want to encapsulate the here and now of the roaring 20’s. But still remember and understand our history.
In the middle of a hard Corona crisis and the turbulence of Post-Brexit Britain it’s quite challenging to remain optimistic, still that’s the goal of your music, right?
Music is always the escape. Simple as that.
Despite its title your new single I See Your Ghost is far from being a spooky one – it’s a powerful and funky rock’n roll monster. Tell us a bit about the track and its theme.
I just really love wordsmithery and like seeing how far I can push it, lyrics and syllables-wise. So, it was kind of brought off that really.
Next thing on the horizon for you is a brand-new EP. What can we expect from these new tunes?
The Ghost EP is very different to material we’ve previously released. It’s gloomy but there’s also a bit of happiness thrown in there for good measure. It’s another side of The Lathums that people haven’t seen. It’s dark but with happy undertones.
The Ghost EP arrives on October 30 and you are already invited to fall in love with its lead single right here.
Every Monday we’re updating the 50-track-strong Listen AHEAD Playlist on Spotify, adding ten strong songs by sill relatively unknown artists at the beginning. This week’s new picks also include fresh songs from HighSchool, Joni, Laura Fell, Luca Wilding, Villa Rivercat and a few other talents. Follow the playlist right here on Spotify and give these new talents a chance.
