WIGAN’S current chosen few ply an irrepressible line in slightly folky indiepop! gems, ripe for a singalong, sweet as chocolate, and they;re inviting you to drift away on a sunny afternoon’s daydream on their latest confection, “How Beautiful Life Can Be” – all cool breeze and bright blue skies, hoping for a brighter future; and is that a rather adept little vibrato Alex has developed vocally?
The song now comes with a specially-recorded, live From Parr Street in-session video, a one-take run-through of the song showing what a little treat they are live.
And the song sits nicely in a lineage of smiley northern indie stretching from one transpennine coast to the other – from Cast to The Housemartins, by way of fellow Wiganers of times gone by The Tansads – and there’s a lost name to check out.
The new single has its origins in the spring of 2020 – a time when the music (and everything else) stopped completely. Singer Alex Moore sang “How Beautiful Life Can Be” for the first time in his back garden, a proud rallying at the pitch-black then descending.
He says: “Our saddest and loneliest moments can lead to our happiest and most content, because we have felt what it is to be down there looking up.
“It feels like now is the time to appreciate all of the things, big and small, that we’ve missed the most.”
The band are more than ready to get back on the road after taking part in one of the Government’s test events last month, at which they were delighted to play to 5,000 in Liverpool’s Sefton Park, they’re flexed, packed and ready for a string of festie dates, followed by a 21-date UK tour. The full upcoming schedule is as follows:
Saturday, July 24th, Sheffield, Tramlines;
Friday, July 30th, Pikehall, Y Not Festival;
Saturday, August 28th, Portsmouth, Victorious Festival;
Sunday, September 5th, Warrington, Neighbourhood Weekender;
Friday, September 10th, Glasgow, TRANSMT Festival;
Sunday, September 26th, Manchester, Castlefield Bowl (with Snow Patrol);
Wednesday, September 29th, Newcastle, O2 Academy;
Thursday, September 30th, Birmingham, O2 Institute;
Saturday, October 2nd, Nottingham, Rock City;
Sunday, October 3rd, Liverpool, Sound City;
Monday, October 4th, Cambridge, Junction;
Tuesday, October 5th, Brighton, Concorde;
Thursday, October 7th, London, O2 Forum Kentish Town;
Friday, October 8th, Southampton, The 1865;
Saturday, October 9th, Bristol, SWX;
Monday, October 11th, Sheffield, O2 Academy;
Tuesday, October 12th, Leeds, O2 Academy;
Thursday, October 14th, Glasgow, Barrowland Ballroom;
Saturday, October 16th, Manchester, O2 Victoria Warehouse, SOLD OUT;
Friday, November 12th, Hull, Social, SOLD OUT;
Sunday, November 14th, Leicester, O2 Academy 2, SOLD OUT;
Monday, November 15th, Stoke, Sugarmill, SOLD OUT;
Tuesday, November 16th, Cardiff, Globe SOLD OUT;
Wednesday, November 17th, Oxford, O2 Academy 2, SOLD OUT;
Friday, December 3rd, Dunfermline, PJ Molloys, SOLD OUT;
Saturday, December 4th, Dundee, Fat Sam’s;
Monday, December 6th, Aberdeen, The Lemon Tree, SOLD OUT, and
Tuesday, December 7th, Edinburgh, The Liquid Room, SOLD OUT.
Tickets for rescheduled dates remain valid; tickets for all venues are on sale now at Gigs and Tours, Ticketmaster and at The Lathums’ own website.
Connect with The Lathums at their official website and on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
