The Bellwether

The Waterboys have been led by Scottish singer and guitarist Mike Scott since the 1980s and have evolved through many line-ups, winning a fearsome concert reputation along the way. Indisputably one of the best live bands in the world, the 2025 group features double keyboard players Brother Paul from Memphis and James Hallawell from Cornwall, and is grounded by killer Irish rhythm section Aongus Ralston (bass) and Eamon Ferris (drums). They reconfigure music from all stages of the band’s career, from the early “big music” of The Whole Of The Moon and classic album This Is The Sea through the roots-inspired Fisherman’s Blues era and the run of in-form records that have poured out since 2015’s Nashville-recorded Modern Blues, taking in soul, funk, country-rock and any other kind of music they care to play – and always rooted in Scott’s songwriting mastery and a sense of exploration.  Waterboys songs feature in the current or recent live sets of The War On Drugs, Bleachers, U2, The Killers, Tom Jones and many other acts but no one plays Waterboys quite like The Waterboys themselves. This year the band is touring their audacious new album on Sun records, Life, Death And Dennis Hopper, a brilliant concept record which tells the story of the maverick American actor and trailblazer. Audiences can expect Waterboys classics, new directions, drama, improvisation and musical fireworks.

Living Thing, the newest full-length album from Oregon-based songwriter Anna Tivel, is an arcing dive into the existential. Written through the tumultuous eyes of 2020 and recorded in Eau Claire, WI in profound collaboration with long-time friend and producer Shane Leonard, these are songs of struggle and aliveness expressed with great joy. 

“I wrote feverishly in the strange chaos of that year, suddenly out of work and attempting to understand the shifting human fabric, the depth of desperation, and the overwhelming tenacity of spirit. The resulting songs felt rhythmic and vital, with more melody and soaring chorus than I’ve explored in the past. There was no way and no means to gather a full band, and I brought the songs to Shane’s doorstep knowing and fully trusting the skill and exuberance of his creative imagination. Shane stripped everything down to the studs and we rebuilt it together, just the two of us for a month in his garage studio, Shane dreaming up each sonic layer while I chased the lyrics to one last double chorus.”