When: 7.30pm on Wednesday 1 November 2023
Where: Low Four Studio, Deansgate Mews, Great Northern, Manchester M3 4EN

PLEASE NOTE: This show is fully booked up! Watch this space for more Wesley Gonzalez shows in the future.

Gratis – our series of free entry shows – returns, with Bingo Records artist Wesley Gonzalez playing at Low Four!

London’s Wesley Gonzalez has announced his new EP, Wild Garlic, and shared his new single When I Rot.

Wesley said: ‘It’s not always common to sit down and write a song purely for fun. It is, of course, always fun but when you are a professional songwriter sometimes you find yourself trying to come at everything with very serious intent. This song was my attempt to reconnect with the fun I had first writing for my old band Let’s Wrestle when I was 15 or 16, before the idea of labels, release dates and deadlines entered my mind.

‘”When I unwind is when I rot,” the song’s main hook, is in direct response to being particularly manic at the time of writing, I couldn’t seem to stop working. To distract myself from some more difficult things I had to address I approached it from a character’s perspective; an undesirable Venison salesman with a company car who is falling off the rails – not someone you can relate to particularly – struggling to grapple life’s darker issues whilst rampaging through members’ clubs, bragging about his bank account. I remember finding the Martin Amis novel Money fascinating when I read it around the formation of Let’s Wrestle and, I think, this is my condensed tribute to it.’

Wild Garlic – a four-track EP – sees Gonzalez recording with a full band, with the aim of capturing a sound as close to his live shows as possible, for the first time since he played in his earlier band Let’s Wrestle. Production was handled by Jamie Neville (Puma Rosa) and Ben Romans Hopcraft (Warmduscher, Childhood, Insecure Men) at Teeth Studios in Northwood Junction.

Of the EP, Wesley added: ‘I have been blessed with a new lineup of fantastic musicians to accompany me on the road, we started referring to the band as Wild Garlic and the camaraderie and talent of the band has had a direct effect on how I chose to record this EP.’

The EP is the first release by Gonzalez on Sheffield-based independent record label Bingo Records (The Bug Club, Melin Melyn, Mr Ben & the Bens).

Lloyd, who co-runs Bingo Records, said: ‘This is a good one for us. Wes’ music was one of the things Ben, Zac and I bonded over when we were just starting out with Bingo Records in 2017. Early Let’s Wrestle EP In Loving Memory Of… soundtracked my career as the world’s slowest paperboy in 2008. We’re all fans before anything else, so we’re chuffed to even get to listen to demos of these new tracks. Being given the opportunity to put them out feels really special.’

Wild Garlic was released on 9 June as a 12” vinyl on khaki wax, and digitally.

Special guest is Novelty Island. Novelty Island follow up their stunning debut How Are You Coping With This Century? with Wallsend Weekend Television via Nine x Nine Records and Think Like A Key Music. Novelty Island is the bizarre-pop project of Liverpool-based songwriter/producer, Tom McConnell. Wallsend Weekend Television is an album that has been a long time coming. His body of work started taking shape through various incarnations and projects over the years.

In 2018 he made the ultimate pilgrimage from his native north to Abbey Road Institute with all of these songs in hand. This is where Novelty Island was born, inspired by classic pop, woozy electronica and northern wordplay. McConnell would record in session at Damon Albarn’s Studio 13 and in Abbey Road Studios 2 and 3, giving him the freedom to explore and create the album. Whittled down from 80 songs and an almost infinite combination of track listings, it has driven him mad at many points. McConnell returned to Liverpool and released his 2021 debut album, How Are You Coping With This Century?, to five-star reviews (Shindig / RnR) and support from BBC 6 Music, Amazing Radio. Novelty Island’s new live incarnation emerged from lockdown to launch the debut album and support The Pale White on their UK-tour. In 2022 they completed a headline UK run and performed at Glastonbury Festival.

This show takes place at Low Four – a recording studio situated on Deansgate Mews in the Great Northern warehouse. This intimate venue features a Cloudwater bar.

This is a 14+ show. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

PLEASE NOTE: This show is fully booked up! Watch this space for more Wesley Gonzalez shows in the future.

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