DECLAN WELSH & THE DECADENT WEST APPEAR ON CHANNEL 4 NEWS WITH JON SNOW

With the dust only just settling on their explosive UK headline tour, Glasgow favourites – DECLAN WELSH & THE DECADENT WEST – are celebrating what has been a whirlwind year for the band.

Following the announcement of their debut album charting in the official Scottish Albums Chart Top 10, a string of rave reviews and a packed-to-the-rafters SOLD OUT hometown show at Glasgow St Lukes recently, it’s safe to say the buzz around this Glaswegian four-piece is off the scale at the moment. So much so it seems, that even a certain Jon Snow wanted a piece of the action.

Personally requesting an interview with Declan for the primetime Channel 4 News programme, the broadcasting icon tagged along to the penultimate night of their 15 date UK tour for an insightful chat with the singer and his audience about the current political climate. Watch the video HERE.

Speaking about the experience and offering a timely reminder to prospective voters to register before the deadline today, Declan said:

“Ya boi Jon Snow may have come for my opinion on Brexit, Indy and the election (vote Labour), but he stayed for the stone cold bangers. Register to vote TODAY folks!”

The recent tour caps off a momentous year for the band, which has also seen them play sold out shows across the UK and play live in areas as diverse as those in Palestine (as part of a Glaswegian cultural exchange), The Great Escape, Reeperbahn, London Fashion Week, and strike up a friendship with Billy Bragg after their performance at Glastonbury 2019. After much hard graft, The Decadent West have solidified themselves as one of Scotland’s most promising talents and an unmissable live prospect, with Tenement TV recently remarking of their Glasgow show: “[it was] a set that truly had everything…. The gig felt like more than a hometown show for the band, it felt like the culmination of years of hard work. This wasn’t a mere recital of songs they had written, this was a celebration…”

For the uninitiated, Declan Welsh is a songwriter and poet proudly from Glasgow. Combining taut indie rock and strongly held beliefs,  Declan and his band, The Decadent West create music that is unapologetic, direct and with a message of humanity that has won over scores of fans already. Releasing their rousing first EP ‘All My Dreams Are Dull’ to widespread approval in 2018, the Decadent West now truly set out their stall with their debut album: ‘Cheaply Bought, Expensively Sold’, 12 studio recordings produced by the esteemed Chris Marshall in Glasgow (Gerry Cinnamon, Baby Strange, The Dunts, The Van T’s etc).

In the lead-up to their recent album release, Declan & Co. whet appetites with singles including: ‘How Does Your Love’ a disco-flecked indie belter that finds nuanced nostalgia in our regional nightlife scene (which was also accompanied by an extended 17-minute mock-umentary guest starring ‘Limmy’s Show’ comedy legend Paul McCole) ; plus ‘No Fun’, a sardonic swipe at the scenester culture found to be lingering in Scottish flat parties and beyond. Most recently, the band showed their unique sense of fun with a scorching live mash-up of Lizzo’s ‘Juice’ and The Strokes’ ‘Reptilia’, as-mixed in with their own single ‘No Fun’; a cut recorded at the legendary Maida Vale studios for BBC R1’s Jack Saunders. 

Releasing their debut album in October, the record garnered a slew of commendable reviews upon release, with THE SCOTSMAN praising its “swagger and attitude”, THE SKINNY MAGAZINE hailing Declan’s profound lyrical abilities to: “dig deep into the seeming mundanity of city life in a way reminiscent of Mike Skinner or Alex Turner”, and LOUDER THAN WAR championing the record as “beautifully produced, a fine representation of the band’s exciting live performance. An excellent debut.” Upon release, the album went straight into the Scottish Top 10, with the breaking band finding themselves in the company of pop giants including Foals, Liam Gallagher, Elbow and The Beatles who also charted that same week.

Their UK tour schedule for 2019 may well be wrapped up now, but this is far from over. Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of exciting new live plans in the not too distant future…..