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The Zutons are an English
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band formed in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, in 2002. The band currently consists of Dave McCabe (vocals, guitar), Abi Harding (saxophone), Jay Lewis (guitar), Neil Bradley (keyboards) and Tim Cunningham (bass). The band's debut album, '' Who Killed...... The Zutons?'', was released in April 2004. With the release of their second studio album, '' Tired of Hanging Around'' (2006), the band achieved UK chart success with the singles, " Why Won't You Give Me Your Love?" and " Valerie", both of which reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. Founding guitarist Boyan Chowdhury left the band in 2007 and was replaced by Paul Molloy for their third studio album, '' You Can Do Anything'', which was released in June 2008. The band quietly disbanded the following year in 2009, and briefly reunited in 2016 for a one-off performance with Chowdhury, billed as "probably
heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...
last ever performance" in remembrance of their friend, actor and former
Tramp Attack Tramp Attack are an English rock band from Liverpool. History Tramp Attack formed in Liverpool in 2000 by Hollyoaks and Brookside actor Kristian Ealey, Matt Barton, drummer Ian Lane, bassist Scott Dulson and guitar player Tony Dunne who l ...
frontman Kristian Ealey. In November 2018, the band announced a full reunion tour to commemorate and perform their debut album, with Jay Lewis of
Cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...
and
The La's The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group are best known for their hit single " There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike ...
replacing founding bass guitarist Russell Pritchard. Following the tour's completion, the band remained together, with Chowdhury eventually departing again in 2022. After a sixteen-year gap between studio albums, the band released their fourth studio album, '' The Big Decider'', in April 2024. The album was produced by
Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 1 ...
,
Ian Broudie Ian Zachary Broudie (born 4 August 1958) is an English musician and singer-songwriter from Liverpool. After emerging from the post-punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to produce albums (somet ...
of
the Lightning Seeds The Lightning Seeds (also known as Lightning Seeds) are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1989 by Ian Broudie (vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the bands Big in Japan (band), Big in Japan, Care (band), Care, and Ori ...
, and drummer Sean Payne. It reached number seven on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
.


History


Formation

The Zutons formed in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in 2001, taking their name from
Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born 'Don Glen Vliet'; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as the M ...
's Magic Band guitarist
Zoot Horn Rollo Bill Harkleroad (born January 8, 1949), known professionally as Zoot Horn Rollo, is an American guitarist. He is best known for his work with Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. In 2003, he was ranked No. 62 in a ''Rolling Stone'' magazi ...
. McCabe had previously been in the band Tramp Attack. Both Pritchard and Payne were members of Edgar Jones' post
Stairs Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical direction, vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps wh ...
band The Big Kids (with Sean's brother Howie Payne of
The Stands The Stands were an English people, English alternative rock band, formed in 2002 in Liverpool. The band was composed of singer-songwriter Howie Payne, guitarist Luke Thomson, bassist Dean Ravera and drummer Steve Pilgrim (musician), Steve Pilgr ...
). The band was originally a four-piece, before Payne's girlfriend Abi Harding began joining The Zutons on stage for a couple of songs mid-set, playing simple
saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...
lines. The other band members liked the way her saxophone enhanced their sound and Harding became a full member, contributing vocals and sax. Deltasonic head Alan Wills was initially dubious about the musical talents of McCabe: "I'd heard other bands Jay had played in and I thought they were all rubbish".
The Coral The Coral are an English rock band, formed in 1996 in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside. The band emerged during the early 2000s. Their 2002 debut album ''The Coral (album), The Coral'', from which came the single "Dreaming of You (T ...
's James Skelly was persistent in trying to convince Wills of his friend's potential and the breakthrough finally came when the bedroom demos of the newly formed Zutons persuaded the Deltasonic head into working with them. At first, the band had to battle comparisons to
The Coral The Coral are an English rock band, formed in 1996 in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside. The band emerged during the early 2000s. Their 2002 debut album ''The Coral (album), The Coral'', from which came the single "Dreaming of You (T ...
. Both bands were
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...
bands prominent in the Liverpool music scene; were on the same record label; shared the same producer,
Ian Broudie Ian Zachary Broudie (born 4 August 1958) is an English musician and singer-songwriter from Liverpool. After emerging from the post-punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to produce albums (somet ...
; and were good friends, with McCabe having previously written songs with James Skelly. The band's music has proved difficult to categorize, being described as "psychedelic cartoon punk". McCabe, who is also the lead songwriter, includes amongst his influences
Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads
,
Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...
,
Sly & the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1966 and active until 1983. Their work, which blended elements of funk, soul, psychedelic rock, gospel, and R&B, became a pivotal influence on subsequent Amer ...
,
Dexys Midnight Runners Dexys (known as Dexys Midnight Runners from 1978 to 2011) are an English pop rock band from Birmingham, with soul music, soul influences, who achieved major commercial success in the early to mid- 1980s. They are best known in the UK for their ...
, Sublime and Madness.


Early singles and ''Who Killed...... The Zutons?'' (2002–2005)

The first record the band put out was the 3-track CD '' Devil's Deal'', released in September 2002. The following spring they released ''Creepin' and a Crawlin','' and then the download-only single "Haunts Me" in November 2003. The band's "Z" logo was changed early in 2004 to avoid confusion with the
Zenith The zenith (, ) is the imaginary point on the celestial sphere directly "above" a particular location. "Above" means in the vertical direction (Vertical and horizontal, plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location (nadir). The z ...
logo. The Zutons' debut
album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
, '' Who Killed...... The Zutons?'', was released in April 2004, and initially reached No. 13 in the UK album chart. However, after nearly a year, it moved up to No. 9 in early 2005. The LP had a specially printed 3-D cover and came with Zutons 3-D viewing glasses, which many fans then wore to their concerts. Early copies of the album also included a bonus 4-track CD of alternative versions of their songs. The album was critically acclaimed and was a nominee for the 2004
Mercury Music Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...
. The band themselves were nominated for the British Breakthrough Act award at the 2005 BRIT Awards. The album was later re-issued following the single " Don't Ever Think (Too Much)", with that song being added as track 13. The track "
Confusion In psychology, confusion is the quality or emotional state of being bewildered or unclear. The term "acute mental confusion"
" was used in a Peugeot 307 car advert in the UK during 2004-2005.


''Tired of Hanging Around'' (2006–2007)

The new album '' Tired of Hanging Around'' was released on 17 April 2006 and reached No. 2 in the UK album charts. The first two singles from the album, " Why Won't You Give Me Your Love?" and " Valerie", both peaked at 9 in the UK charts, a fair achievement considering their highest place previously had been with the single "Don't Ever Think (Too Much)" at 15. The band toured the UK in May 2006 following the release of this album. They played at the
Jersey Live Jersey Live Music Festival (alternatively Jersey Live) was a music festival held annually at The Royal Jersey Showground in the parish of Trinity, Jersey between 2004 and 2016. Overview Jersey Live started out as a 4,000-capacity, one-day even ...
Festival on 2 September 2006 before their second UK tour, which began in November 2006. In October 2006, they performed at
The Secret Policeman's Ball ''The Secret Policeman's Ball'' is a series of benefit shows staged initially in the United Kingdom to raise funds for the human rights organisation Amnesty International. The shows started in 1976 featuring popular British comedians but lat ...
. On
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...
2006, the Zutons appeared on
Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Marc Almond, Jayne County, To ...
's annual ''Hootenanny'' on
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
television, on which they performed their songs "Valerie", "Why Don't You Give Me Your Love?" and "It's The Little Things We Do." As the November tour began, the band gave an interview to STV discussing songwriting, making videos and their American dates with
The Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bas ...
. In a separate interview, Payne complained about the tendency of music writers and magazines to generalise a particular city as the breeding ground of new 'movements', "A lot of bands get lumped in when they're in the same neck of the woods and journalists–especially in England–like to make a big deal out of that and make it into a scene, as if the individual bands aren't good enough to write about." The band announced on 13 July 2007 that guitarist Boyan Chowdhury had left The Zutons, citing "musical differences". In late 2007, Paul Molloy, formerly of The Skylarks and
The Stands The Stands were an English people, English alternative rock band, formed in 2002 in Liverpool. The band was composed of singer-songwriter Howie Payne, guitarist Luke Thomson, bassist Dean Ravera and drummer Steve Pilgrim (musician), Steve Pilgr ...
, joined the band.


''You Can Do Anything'' and split (2008–2009)

The band released their third studio album, titled '' You Can Do Anything'', on 2 June 2008. It was the band's first album to feature Molloy on lead guitar. The first single was " Always Right Behind You", which was released on 26 May 2008. The album was recorded earlier in the year in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. On 17 May 2008, The Zutons appeared on
Soccer AM ''Soccer AM'' was a British football-based comedy talk show, produced by Sky Sports. It aired from 20 August 1994 to 27 May 2023 on Sky Showcase, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football. From 2010, the programme was put on a short b ...
as guest stars. They performed "Always Right Behind You" at the end to celebrate the last show of the season. In the summer of 2008, The Zutons had their first UK tour in 2 years. They were scheduled to play seven gigs in forest settings as part of The
Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respons ...
's Forest Tour. On 26 July 2008, The Zutons performed at Japan's
Fuji Rock Festival is an annual music festival, rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash (Music promoters), Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it th ...
for a third time. On 30 August 2008, the band appeared at the indie festival
Jersey Live Jersey Live Music Festival (alternatively Jersey Live) was a music festival held annually at The Royal Jersey Showground in the parish of Trinity, Jersey between 2004 and 2016. Overview Jersey Live started out as a 4,000-capacity, one-day even ...
, headlining the festival along with
The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured Rapping, MC and vocalist Maxim (musician), Maxim, dancer and occasi ...
. Over the 2008 Christmas holidays, the Zutons were dropped from Sony/BMG. Following a run of 2009 festival performances including Summer Sundae in Leicester and Wickerman Festival, the band quietly disbanded. Chowdhury formed a new band, the Venus Fury, shortly after his departure from The Zutons. In May 2013, he collaborated with musician David South and scriptwriter Michelle Langan to produce ''Shoebox'', a musical theatre play set in 1950s Liverpool. In 2016, Harding became the keyboardist and saxophonist for
The Lightning Seeds The Lightning Seeds (also known as Lightning Seeds) are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1989 by Ian Broudie (vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the bands Big in Japan (band), Big in Japan, Care (band), Care, and Ori ...
, the band of the Zutons' former producer
Ian Broudie Ian Zachary Broudie (born 4 August 1958) is an English musician and singer-songwriter from Liverpool. After emerging from the post-punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to produce albums (somet ...
.


Reunion and ''The Big Decider'' (2016–present)

In April 2016, three members of the band, including original guitarist Chowdhury, performed at a tribute concert for the Warrington indie rock group Viola Beach, whose members had died earlier that year in a car accident in Sweden. On 23 June 2016, it was announced that the original line-up of the band would reform for a one-off gig at Mountford Hall, Liverpool, on 30 September 2016. A fundraiser in celebration of their friend, actor and former
Tramp Attack Tramp Attack are an English rock band from Liverpool. History Tramp Attack formed in Liverpool in 2000 by Hollyoaks and Brookside actor Kristian Ealey, Matt Barton, drummer Ian Lane, bassist Scott Dulson and guitar player Tony Dunne who l ...
frontman Kristian Ealey, who died earlier in the year. The show was billed as the band's "last ever". McCabe explained: "I'm not against doing gigs as The Zutons, it's the others who don't want to keep doing it, and I understand why. With two of them it's personal issues and Russ plays with Noel Gallagher." He also revealed that the band almost reformed in 2014 to mark the tenth anniversary of the band's debut album but that, "if The Zutons were ever to reform properly, I don't think it would be the original line-up". In November 2018, the band announced a reunion tour to play ''Who Killed..... The Zutons?'' on its 15th anniversary. While original members , Boyan Chowdhury, Sean Payne and Abi Harding were all on board, Russell Pritchard confirmed via social media that he was not taking part in the reunion tour. In place of Pritchard,
Cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...
member Jay Lewis was recruited to play bass. On 27 July 2021, the band announced via their Twitter page that they were to support
Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 1 ...
on one of the UK dates of his tour. They also confirmed that Rodgers would be producing the band's fourth studio album. On 24 October, they posted a photo with Rodgers at
Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...
while working on their fourth album. In November 2023, the band announced that their fourth studio album, '' The Big Decider'', would be released on 26 April 2024. The new album announcement was accompanied by news that the band was to play a series of 22 UK gigs in smaller venues from late January to March 2024. Strong sales for these shows led to the tour being extended with 11 more UK appearances throughout April at larger venues. On 20 March 2025, The Zutons announced via their Facebook page that Sean Payne had left the band, and would be replaced on tour by Paul Maguire, former drummer with the Stairs.


Members

File:The Zutons (53545277992).jpg, Dave McCabe File:The Zutons (53546587255).jpg, Sean Payne File:The Zutons (53546337633).jpg, Abi Harding File:The Zutons (53546587375).jpg, Neil Bradley File:The Zutons (53546337603).jpg, Jay Lewis File:The Zutons (53546587275).jpg, Tim Cunningham Current members * Dave McCabe – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano (2001–2009, 2016, 2018–present) *Abi Harding – saxophone, backing vocals (2002–2009, 2016, 2018–present) *Neil Bradley – keyboards, percussion, backing vocals (2018–present) * Jay Lewis – lead guitar, backing vocals (2022–present), bass (2018–2022) *Tim Cunningham – bass (2022–present) * Paul Maguire – drums (touring 2025–present; substitute 2004) Former members * Sean Payne – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2001–2009, 2016, 2018–2025) * Russell Pritchard – bass, backing vocals (2001–2009, 2016) * Boyan Chowdhury – lead guitar, backing vocals (2001–2007, 2016, 2018–2022) * Paul Molloy – lead guitar, piano, keyboards, backing vocals (2007–2009) Timeline


Discography

Studio albums * '' Who Killed...... The Zutons?'' (2004) * '' Tired of Hanging Around'' (2006) * '' You Can Do Anything'' (2008) * '' The Big Decider'' (2024)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zutons English indie rock groups Musical groups from Liverpool Musical groups established in 2001 Musical groups disestablished in 2009 Musical groups reestablished in 2016 English musical trios Musical groups disestablished in 2019 Deltasonic Records artists