Music | New Single and UK Tour Dates
Some bands seem to be everywhere before they’ve even released a song. Hampshire trio Uncle Junior are one of them. They’ve already had early support from Crack and BBC Radio 6 Music, and now they’ve shared their debut single, “Melt Me”.
Here are five reasons to give it a listen.
1. A big step for the band
Recorded in rural France, “Melt Me” is the first four-chord “pop” song the trio have written together. A romantic piano melody, warm guitars and crashing, cymbal-heavy drums hold it all together. The band say the melodies and harmonies pushed them out of their songwriting comfort zone.
2. Lyrics that hit home
The song looks at the unnerving world of dating apps. In the band’s words, the lyrics explore “the way that one holds memories of lost time and how this affects your self-image”.
3. Friends since childhood
Oli Noble and drummer Isaac West grew up in the same small Hampshire town and have played together since they were kids, including in a hardcore punk band called Scumbag. Eric Rye Lees, who once dreamed of joining the Berlin Philharmonic, went from watching them in the crowd to joining them on stage last summer.
4. A serious live reputation
Uncle Junior have already played alongside Sorry, Adult DVD, Alien Chicks and Marky Ramone. They’re currently touring with Man/Woman/Chainsaw, including London’s Electric Ballroom on 7 October, then go straight into a run with Tooth, including The Garage in London on 27 October.
5. Catch their own headline shows
In November they headline The Hope & Ruin in Brighton on 21 November and The Social in London on 23 November. Small venues like these are the best place to see a band on the rise.
Tour dates
Supporting Man/Woman/Chainsaw: 29 Sep The Boiler Room, Guildford | 30 Sep Concorde 2, Brighton | 1 Oct The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth | 2 Oct Thekla, Bristol | 3 Oct The Globe, Cardiff | 7 Oct Electric Ballroom, London
Supporting Tooth: 13 Oct King Tut’s, Glasgow | 14 Oct Zerox, Newcastle | 15 Oct Bodega, Nottingham | 16 Oct Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds | 19 Oct The Louisiana, Bristol | 27 Oct The Garage, London | 29 Oct The Bunkhouse, Swansea | 30 Oct Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth | 31 Oct Dust, Brighton | 4 Nov Hare & Hounds, Birmingham | 5 Nov Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
Headline shows: 21 Nov The Hope & Ruin, Brighton | 23 Nov The Social, London