Cowtown

Formed in Leeds, but like Gang Of Four, born in a variety of other places, Cowtown are made up by David Michael Shields (drums), Hilary Knott (keybass/vocals) and Jonathan Nash (guitar/vocals) and play econo, dynamic, over-stimulated rock music that embraces a heavily abridged history of rock n’ roll. Serious about fun, the band are a firm favourite of BBC 6 DJ Mark Riley, performing music with an emphasis on positive expression and confronting collective anxieties, creating live shows that focus on what they enjoy and discarding the rest.

Drawing influences from bands like The Coneheads, Devo and The Breeders, as well as films such as Teen Wolf and Ghostbusters, songs are later distilled into their absolute fundamentals. It’s not about what they want but what they need, with the delivery being as urgent and tightly wound as possible.