Westside Cowboy

RELEASE NEW SINGLE 'PIN UP BOYS'

WATCH HERE | LISTEN HERE

DEBUT ALBUM IT GOES ON OUT AUGUST 21st VIA ISLAND RECORDS

UK RECORD STORE SHOWS ANNOUNCED

UK HEADLINE TOUR ON SALE NOW

ALBUM PRE-ORDER HERE

Manchester quartet Westside Cowboy release new single ‘Pin Up Boys’ following its premiere this evening as Radio 1's Hottest Track In The World. It arrives with a video directed by SNL UK star Jack Shep.

Debut album It Goes On (pre-order here) is set to land August 21st via Island Records - and the four-piece announce a run of record store shows in support of this, full details further down  (on sale Thursday / July 2nd). 

Hot off the heels of an already iconic Later… With Jools Holland performance, ‘Pin Up Boys’ lands as the second single from their highly anticipated debut album It Goes On. 

Beginning with Reuben Haycocks’ affecting vocals against a sparse arrangement, the fan favourite track is a rousing single from the quiet-loud school of classic indie. It showcases the quartet’s deference to, and re-imagining of, the guitar music cannon.

As with all the tracks on It Goes On, the recording is a snapshot of the song at a moment in time - organic evolution being a hallmark of their songwriting process. ‘Pin Up Boys’, explains Reuben, became “heavier and more aggro” every time they played it live; a mirror to its preoccupations with the struggles of self control.

Speaking further on the track’s origins, the band say:

“Pin Up Boys was written a year and a half ago using an acoustic guitar, a drum machine sample pad and some screwdrivers as drumsticks. It is by far the longest serving song on the album and the one that we have played the most live, which was a blessing and a curse when we came to record. After realising this song was set in its ways, we thought the recording should be a somewhat faithful version of the live performance. We hope you get something out of it.” 

The music video captures this energy, as director Jack Shep details:

“Westside Cowboy’s performance style is so energetic and distinct. They clearly have a mountainous future ahead of them, and it was awesome to work with young people at the precipice of starting something really special together. 

In the video we wanted to capture the band’s dynamism, through a spotlight. We follow this fixed, malevolent spotlight chasing our hero (played by the band’s mate, Will) as he tries to escape its gaze. As he runs, he manages to escape, splitting into a new spotlight with a new version of the band. The whole thing begins to buckle and shatter.”

The album was produced by Loren Humphrey (Geese, Cameron Winter, Wunderhorse) at Greenmount Studios in Leeds. Big feelings are at the heart of the matter: these are songs that aim to distill the confusion, desperation and blind hope of youth into eleven stirring tracks.

Westside Cowboy have always tried to focus on what unites people. Early on in the group’s life, they co-created No Band Is An Island: a Manchester-based collective putting on fundraising nights to spotlight both local artists and important issues via speakers from charities and direct action groups, and the video for the album’s lead single ‘Kick Stones (The Boys)’ was shot in collaboration with activist football club FC United of Manchester.

The quartet will be supporting the album release with their biggest headline tour to date this autumn/winter including shows at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town and Manchester’s Albert Hall (full dates below). Westside Cowboy will also appear at festivals including Green Man, Latitude, and Reading and Leeds this summer, and have today announced limited record store shows around the LP’s release. 

Record Store Shows Announced

19.08 -  Resident Brighton

20.08 -  Rough Trade East

25.08 -  Jumbo Leeds

27.08 - Rough Trade Liverpool 

03.09 -  Rough Trade Nottingham

04.09 - Assai Glasgow

ABOUT WESTSIDE COWBOY

Described as “thrilling” by The Guardian, “reshaping UK indie” by DAZED, and “one of the UK’s most exciting forces” in an NME Cover feature, Westside Cowboy’s output so far showcases a band blessed with a telepathic synergy, and unafraid to take this coalescent magic outside their comfort zone. 

The quartet recently came to mainstream attention with an instantly iconic Later… With Jools Holland performance, becoming one of the most talked about appearances of the series. This follows winning audiences over with their unrelenting energy, melodies and wistful guitars whilst supporting Brooklyn icons Geese, as well as a fully sold-out headline UK run in January/February, debut US dates in late 2025, and a tour with Black Country, New Road last October.

The group’s electric live shows have slingshotted them towards 1000+ cap venues even before any mention of a debut album. This is establishing an immersive mythos, replete with ‘I was there’ credentials, and if-you-know-you-know moments. Last summer’s packed-out festival stages including at Glastonbury, Green Man and End of The Road are evidence of an outfit striking the core of the scene.The band’s two EPs so far - So Much Country ‘Till We Get There (Jan ‘26 / Adventure Recordings) and This Better Be Something Great (August ‘25 / Heist or Hit), spawned singles which landed on BBC 6 Music’s playlist and saw support on BBC Radio 1 from Greg James, Sian Eleri, Alyx Holcombe, and more.

Westside Cowboy is

Reuben Haycocks (guitar, vocals), James (Jimmy) Bradbury (guitar, vocals), Aoife Anson O’Connell (bass guitar, vocals), Paddy Murphy (drums, vocals).

Westside Cowboy Online

Instagram / X / TikTok / YouTube / Website

SELECT ACCLAIM FOR WESTSIDE COWBOY:

“Thrilling - marked by a mood of ramshackle invention at odds with the studied, polished air of current alt-rock”  The Guardian

"Westside Cowboy’s fun-loving indie rock comes straight from the heart" NME

"Westside Cowboy are reshaping UK indie"  DAZED

"one of Britain’s most thrilling bands"  Rolling Stone (UK)

“Come for the urgent, wistful guitars, and stay for the heart-wrenching harmonies” Stereogum

“Rapidly climbing the rungs and notching up the wins ” DIY

“(if Westside Cowboy aren’t set up) for a very big 2026 I’ll eat my laptop”  Loud & Quiet

"wherever Westside Cowboy end up next, they’re not planning to slow down to get there" DORK

“Music for the ancillary moments of everyday life that make everything else real” So Young

“The much-touted band blend Americana aspects with jagged, post-punk riffs, resulting in a home-brewed sound” CLASH Magazine

“The future of British rock? Undoubtedly.” Wonderland

“packed with earnestness yet just the right amount of vigour”  NOTION

“The Manchester outfit.. started out covering Hank Williams, but this debut EP cut has more nervy post-punk to it than honky-tonk” MOJO

LIVE DATES

04.07 - Down the Rabbit Hole, Netherlands

05.07 - Rock Werchter, Belgium

09.07 - Ally Pally Park, London, UK

10.07 - BBK, Bilbao, Spain

18.07 - Bukta, Tromso, Norway

24.07 - Tramlines, Sheffield, UK

25.07 - Latitude, Suffolk, UK

26.07 - Truck, Oxfordshire, UK

31.07 - Watt En Schlick, Dangast, Germany

01.08 - Appletree, Diepholz, Germany

03.08 - Congés Annulés, Luxembourg

06.08 - Haldern Pop, Haldern, Germany

08.08 - Winterthurer, Winterthurer, Switzerland

09.08 - Weinturm Open Air, Windsheim, Germany

12.08 - Paredes De Coura, Paredes, Portugal

14.08 - Oya, Oslo, Norway

15.08 - Way Out West, Gothenburg, Sweden

21.08 - Green Man, Wales, UK

28.08 - Leeds Festival, Leeds, UK

30.08 - Reading Festival, Reading, UK

28.10 - Doornroosje, Nijmegen, Netherlands

29.10 - Paradiso THT, Amsterdam, Netherlands

30.10 - Helios37, Cologne, Germany

01.11 - Voxhall, Aarhus, Denmark

05.11 - Lille Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark

06.11 - Lido, Berlin, Germany

07.11 - Bike Jesus, Prague, Czechia

09.11 - Arci Bellezza, Milan, Italy

10.11 - Exil, Zurich, Switzerland

12.11 - Botanique (Museum), Brussels, Belgium

13.11 - Petit Bain, Paris, France

14.11 - Aeronef, Lille, France

24.11 - St Lukes, Glasgow, UK [SOLD OUT]

25.11 - NUSU, Newcastle, UK

26.11 - Crookes Social Club, Sheffield, UK [SOLD OUT]

27.11 - Irish Centre, Leeds, UK [SOLD OUT]

29.11 - XOYO, Birmingham, UK [SOLD OUT]

30.11 - 1865, Southampton, UK

01.12 - Chalk, Brighton, UK

02.12 - O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK [SOLD OUT]

04.12 - Electric Bristol, Bristol, UK [SOLD OUT]

05.12 - Albert Hall, Manchester, UK [SOLD OUT]