One of the most exciting breakthrough bands of the past few years, conjurers of the sort of frenzied and wild live shows not seen in the capital for years, and with only two tracks out thus far (the menacing ‘All The Same’ was unleashed in January), Fat Dog are now the creators of ‘WOOF.’, a brilliant and mind-bending record, due for release on September 6th via Domino.
Today, they share new song ‘Running’, a slice of unhinged, hook-heavy twisted trance. The video, directed by Stephen Agnew, hints to Ken Russell, Ingmar Bergman and MANDY whilst revealing the true origins of the cult of Fat Dog and their real leader.
Watch the video for ‘Running’ HERE.
Stream ‘Running’ HERE.
When the chaotic south London rabble known as Fat Dog formed, they made two rules: they were going to be a healthy band who looked after themselves and there would be no saxophone presence in their music. Two simple edicts to live by, and two things long-since broken by the Brixton five-piece. “Yeah, it’s all gone out the window,” says Love.
Life is too short to stick to any plans you made in the unsettling, strait-jacketed times of 2021 anyway. That was when Fat Dog came together, Love deciding to form a group and take the demos he had been making at home as a way to keep himself sane during lockdown out into the world. In Chris Hughes (keyboards/synths), Ben Harris (bass), Johnny Hutchinson (drums) and Morgan Wallace (keyboards and, umm, saxophone), Love found like-minded mavericks to help bring the dream home. “A lot of music at the moment is very cerebral and people won’t dance to it,” says Hughes. “Our music is the polar opposite of thinking music.”
Hughes should know. He was a fan of the band, at that point making a name for themselves with a series of exhilarating and/or wonky shows across south London, before he was in the band. Those formative gigs formed the bedrock of what Fat Dog were all about, seizing the moment, drinking too much with the moment, going home separately from the moment but making up with the moment again the next day.
It didn’t take long for the kennel-dwellers to come flocking, every Fat Dog show in London becoming a huge upgrade on the last. They sold out the Scala in October 2023 and, last week, played a triumphant set to a sold-out Electric Brixton. There is something deeper going on here than the usual punter-goes-to-gig situation. Everyone is in on it. “There’s a sense of community about Fat Dog,” says Hutchinson. And it’s not just the capital who have been bitten; recently, the band completed an ecstatically received tour of the US that included an all-conquering set at a taco joint. No lunches were harmed. They will tour the UK next month and in November including their next hometown show at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town on Saturday 23rd November as well as performing at a string of festivals in the UK and Europe this summer before heading back to North America in October.
The sound Fat Dog make, Love says, is screaming-into-a-pillow music. “I wanted to make something ridiculous because I was so bored,” he declares. It’s a thrilling blend of electro-punk, rock’n’roll snarling, techno soundscapes, industrial-pop and rave euphoria, music for letting go to. Produced by Joe Love, James Ford and Jimmy Robertson, WOOF. passes by in a flash. Influences include Bicep, I.R.O.K., Kamasi Washington and the Russian experimental EDM group Little Big.
The album is a visit into the mind of Joe Love – be thankful you have only been granted a temporary pass. “Music is so vanilla,” says Love. “I don’t like sanitised music. Even this album is sanitised compared to what’s in my head. I thought it would sound more f*cked up.”
Watch the video for ‘All The Same’ HERE.
Watch the video for ‘King Of The Slugs’ HERE.
‘WOOF.’ Tracklisting:
1. ‘Vigilante’
2. ‘Closer To God’
3. ‘Wither’
4. ‘Clowns’
5. ‘King Of The Slugs’
6. ‘All The Same’
7. ‘I Am The King’
8. ‘Running’
9. ‘And So It Came To Pass’
‘WOOF.’ is available to pre-order on limited edition Dinked neon green vinyl (with phenakistoscope), red vinyl, standard vinyl, CD and digitally. Pre-order: Dinked | DomMart | Digital
Upcoming UK live dates:
Saturday 4th May – Stag and Dagger, Edinburgh
Sunday 5th May – Stag and Dagger, Glasgow
Monday 6th May – The Fulford Arms, York
Tuesday 7th May – Trades Club, Hebden Bridge
Wednesday 8th May – The Polar Bear, Hull
Thursday 9th May – Focus Wales, Wrexham
Friday 10th May – Arts Centre, Norwich
Saturday 11th May – Are You Listening?, Reading
Tuesday 14th May – Cavern, Exeter
Wednesday 15th May – Bullingdon, Oxford
Thursday 16th May – Esquires, Bedford
Thursday 23rd May – Where Else?, Margate
Sunday 26th May – Celebrate this Place, Cardiff
26th-30th June – Glastonbury, Somerset
25th-28th July – Latitude Festival, Suffolk
26th-28th July – Truck Festival, Oxfordshire
26th-29th July – Deer Shed, North Yorkshire
Saturday 31st August – Manchester Psych Fest, Manchester
Saturday 28th September – Float Along Festival, Sheffield
Saturday 9th November – Stereo, Glasgow
Sunday 10th November – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Tuesday 12th November – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Wednesday 13th November – Band On The Wall, Manchester
Thursday 14th November – Crookes Social Club, Sheffield
Friday 15th November – Thekla, Bristol
Saturday 16th November – Mama Roux’s, Birmingham
Sunday 17th November – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Thursday 21st November – Papillon, Southampton
Friday 22nd November – Patterns, Brighton
Saturday 23rd November – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
Tickets for November dates on pre-sale from Thursday 25th 10am local, general sale Friday 26th 10am local. Pre-ordering the album gives pre-sale access.
