Black Country, New Road: The British band that turned the loss of their leader into an opportunity

"In a world that almost exclusively worships solo artists, it seems strange and almost anachronistic to see six musicians arrive together to give an interview. But Black Country, New Road aren't known for going with the flow. Formed in Cambridge, they have established themselves as one of the most magnetic and unclassifiable British bands of their generation. Their approach combines experimental rock with the sensibility of a chamber sextet, shot through with echoes of spectral folk and a lyrical ambition that has become their trademark."

"Their songs combine emotional density and post-adolescent scruff. They're cool in the way one was cool at the turn of the millennium: effortlessly and ostentatiously. They grew out of their city's student scene, a small but fertile ecosystem where everyone hung out in the same bars. There, studying at rival colleges and performing on tiny stages, they forged the complicity that continues to sustain the group."

"The band members are aged between 24 and 28. They introduce themselves one by one: Charlie Wayne (drums, redhead with a serene and thoughtful expression), May Kershaw (keyboards and accordion, silent but attentive), Luke Mark (guitar, with a prominent mustache and a sharp wit), Tyler Hyde (bass and clarinet, whose melancholic features hide a lively and graceful woman), Lewis Evans (saxophone and flute, reminiscent of a slightly more lanky Sufjan Stevens), and Georgia Ellery (violin and mandolin, intense gaze and firm speech)."

Black Country, New Road formed in Cambridge and comprise six musicians aged between 24 and 28. Their music blends experimental rock with a chamber-sextet sensibility, infused with spectral folk echoes and strong lyrical ambition. Songs combine emotional density and post-adolescent scruff, projecting an effortless, ostentatious cool evoking the turn of the millennium. The members developed within a close student scene, performing on tiny stages and forging long-standing complicity. The group travels together for festival shows, including multiple Primavera Sound visits. The lineup includes Charlie Wayne (drums), May Kershaw (keyboards, accordion), Luke Mark (guitar), Tyler Hyde (bass, clarinet), Lewis Evans (saxophone, flute) and Georgia Ellery (violin, mandolin). The former frontman Isaac Wood departed in 2022.

Read at english.elpais.com