Ones to watch: MAMAS GUN to release new album 'Golden Days' next month and announce UK tour
Mamas Gun
New Album: Golden Days - May 18th, 2018
June UK Tour: inc. Omeara, London - June 29, 2018
"Their finest collection thus far, beyond the slightest sliver of doubt" - Echoes
"Pure joy" - The 405
“Mamas Gun have hit their sweet spot, more, please!” **** - Blues & Soul“Mamas Gun have constructed blistering albums, releases that place them at the forefront of 21st century soul" - Clash
“A blend of funk and deep soul that really gets you moving” - EARMILK
“The way Mamas Gun are able to pay homage to the sounds of the '70s while adding their own original fingerprint is a testament to the bands creative authenticity” - Indie Shuffle
Golden Days itself chronicles the band's decade-long journey to date. For the first time ever, Andy Platts, the group founder, along with bassist Cameron Dawson, guitarist Terry Lewis, keyboardist Dave Oliver, and drummer Chris Boot, took production duties into their own hands, recording the songs live, whilst using analogue equipment. The album swells with notable contributions from horn players Andy Ross and Dominic Glover, who've performed and recorded with Amy Winehouse and Incognito, songwriters Connor Reeves (Tina Turner, Joss Stone, Joe Cocker) and Christopher Braide (Sia, Lana Del Ray, Paloma Faith), and artist/producer Shawn Lee (Jeff Buckley, Kelis, Saint Etienne), who lent his genius to the album's mix.
Here at Backstage Pass HQ, we have had a listen to the new album, and boy is it good! With nods in style to Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies and more London Soul to boot, album opener, ‘You Make My Life a Better Place’ acts as a fitting entry point to the band’s musical outlook, “that track is a bit of a mission statement," Oliver says. " It has that recognisability of the lineage we're drawing on from classic R&B and soul music.”
It was important to MamasGun this time around to pen an album with musical coherence, tracks could have their own personality, but they had to maintain an instant appeal - from the smouldering soundscape of ‘Diamond in the Bell Jar’, to the velvety grooves of ‘We’ and the spectral ambience evoked by ‘The Spooks’, no track ever loses its immediacy. Towards the album’s conclusion sits ‘Strangers on a Street’, a track that deftly juxtaposes buoyant melodies with a bittersweet storyline. ”I love that idea of talking about something maybe serious, sad, or loaded emotionally, but dressing it up in something that doesn't have too much depth," says Platts. "The music calls you in, then you unwrap it and realise there's something a bit more at the centre of it."
In spite of their more obvious American influences, on Golden Days, Mamas Gun assert a robust British personality - this is an identity that breathes throughout the likes of the Brexit-retorting ‘On the Wire’ and the à la mode of first single, ‘London Girls’, a track that holds a special place for Platts for various reasons. "I wanted to write a tune with 'London' in the title," says the singer, “for most of my career, I've been making American-influenced music and it's nice to do stuff that kind of points to where you're from and the fibre of your being - having something with 'London' in it without it being too tongue-in-cheek.” Whilst ‘London Girls’ works on a patriotic level, it also references the strong females that surround Platts, including the image of his own Spanish guitar playing Filipino mother on the single's artwork.
A sense of joy coupled with exceptional musicianship has always distinguished Mamas Gun from their contemporaries, even as they've grown and experimented with each new release. It's those qualities that catapulted their first two singles from Routes to Riches onto BBC Radio 2 playlists and helped them surpass Madonna as the #1 international act on Japan's airplay charts. The Life and Soul won more support from BBC Radio 2 and solidified their draw as headliners across Europe and Asia. Cheap Hotel powered the group's profile even higher, reaching the Top 20 on the UK's Independent Album Chart with a Top 10 Airplay single (‘Red Cassette’).
Golden Days is the ultimate reflection of the band's refreshed approach to songwriting and recording - "Everything seems to feel consolidated," says Andy, "I firmly believe that this is the best in the golden period of Mamas Gun.”
UK Tour
June 21 | The Jam House, Birmingham | http://bit.ly/2ucjUQy
June 22 | Deaf Institute, Manchester | http://bit.ly/2FQWm9t
June 28 | Rialto Theatre, Birmingham | http://bit.ly/2pt6qLv
June 29 | Omeara, London | http://bit.ly/2FWHLoR
www.mamasgun.co.uk
