SINGAPORE—Black Country, New Road, the band that released the critically acclaimed Live at Bush Hall film, has just unveiled a new live album, which includes the set from their three sold-out back-to-back shows at London’s Bush Hall in December 2022 where thousands of fans have been requesting for the official music to be made available on streaming platforms.
The release of the new live album comes on the back of the band’s first ever tour in Japan and dates in Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as an array of festival appearances including a performance at the Glastonbury Festival debut on the West Holts stage, four different sets across various Primavera Sound events in Spain, as well as further European festivals such as Best Kept Secret, Super Bock Super Rock, Motel Mozaïque festival, and more.
Image courtesy of Holly Whitaker via Secret Signals
The gigs at Bush Hall marked a new beginning for the band. In early 2022, Black Country, New Road released their UK #3 album “Ants From Up There” (their second Top 5 UK album debut in 12 months, following their Mercury Prize shortlisted debut “For the first time”), which was lauded by fans and critics alike, gaining numerous 5-star reviews and appearing on multiple end of year lists across the globe, including a number of tastemakers in Southeast Asia like Whiteboard Journal (Indonesia), The Jakarta Post, Clockenfap (Hong Kong) and more. All of this despite the album being released just days after frontman Isaac Wood announced his decision to step away from the band.
Fresh from the success of “Ants From Up There” and with a full touring schedule ahead of them in 2023, remaining members Lewis Evans, May Kershaw, Georgia Ellery, Luke Mark, Tyler Hyde and Charlie Wayne, now a six-piece, decided to write an entire new set of material to perform. They played to swelling crowds at festivals, including triumphant performances at Primavera, Green Man and Fuji Rock, entering a new musical phase as they navigated and developed songs that were just weeks old.
As the songs continued to develop on the road they decided to avoid conventional next steps. People waiting on new material have eight new, excellent songs to hear, but not in the way they might have expected. “We didn’t want to do a studio album,” says BC, NR pianist May Kershaw, along with saxophonist Lewis Evans and bassist Tyler Hyde, now taking on vocal duties. “We wrote the new tracks specifically to perform live, so we thought it might be a nice idea to put out a performance.”
The result is a filmed live performance, directed by Greg Barnes and mixed by PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish, that took place over three nights at London’s Bush Hall. “It’s about capturing the moment,” says Lewis Evans. “A little time capsule of these eight months that we’ve had playing these songs on the road.”
Image courtesy of Secret Signals
A nod to the band’s resilience and the dedication of their tight-knit fan base, their latest sold-out gigs saw a crowd eager to sing back every word of these new songs, learned exclusively from online snippets and YouTube recordings.
While this is a platform for the band’s excellent new music, this is first and foremost a film the band stresses. “We want the focal point to be this film,” says Wayne. “We’ve put a lot of effort into making it feel like you’re watching a live gig. It’s not an album in our eyes, it’s a live performance.”
Listen to the album ‘Live At Bush Hall’ here: bcnr.lnk.to/bush-hallPR
Watch the official film here: