The Zangwills formed in 2017, wait, what?? (as the kids like to say), this band formed seven years ago and are not selling out arenas / stadiums? How has that not happened? Following a recommendation to listen to this band from a friend who knows my musical tastes better than I know them myself sometimes, I have spent a lot of time this weekend listening to the songs The Zangwills have recorded and I keep coming back to the question, "why has the whole world not jumped on this bandwagon"? The Zangwills have released a plethora of songs that are full of confidence, full of a swagger, I have a Iife affirming belief that in another time and age the music industry would have lapped them up and there is no way it would have taken seven years to get to arena sized venues.
Please don’t get me wrong, I honestly don’t think it is all about arena sized venues, but it does anger me at times how bands who clearly have a genuine talent, a genuine love for music, a love for friendship, a love for spending time in the company of each other creating music and don’t always get the credit they deserve. The Zangwills clearly deserve every positive comment that comes their way.
I myself, someone who spends a huge amount of my life listening to new music, have not come across The Zangwills until the moment an email arrived in my inbox towards the end of May 2024 asking for my views on this band. Well my views are quite simple, it was love at first listen, and regret as to how it has taken seven years for this band to arrive in my ears and enrich my life.
Reading the band's bio there are plenty who have had their lives improved by spending time in the company of Adam Spence (Drums), Jake Vickers (Vocals, Guitar, Synth), Ed Dowling (Bass), Sam Davies (Guitar). The Zangwills have supported Yungblud, The Lottery Winners and The Charlatans; headlined Telfords Warehouse (Chester), Manchester Club Academy and Academy 3, The Grace (London), Sidney & Matilda (Sheffield) and Hyde Park Book Club (Leeds). They have appeared at several festivals including Focus Wales, Dot 2 Dot, Sound City, Rivfest and Wychwood. This is a band who clearly love playing live, and have a mutual respect and love towards those that come to see them. You only have to look at some of the photos to see the crowds they pull in, you can’t rely on social media to generate love, you only get that by hitting the road, playing your songs to the masses and The Zangwills have clearly been working hard at doing that over recent years.
If you have been following this band for a while hopefully you are reading this and nodding along with approval. If you are new to the band please don’t waste a minute longer there are two EP’s available, the debut four track EP from 2018 It’s Really Up to You which opens with Patio Paradise a funky, upbeat song that instantly gets under your skin and makes you want to get up and of your seat, leave your house and grab life by the scruff of the neck. Inside my Head is an anthemic guitar based indie anthem that in a different time would have been a number 1 single. Seriously how did this song pass so many of us by? It has a chorus, and guitar riffs that will instantly elevate your mood. As for the other two songs on this EP The Horrors of Sobriety and Lipstick River, I am sure it will come as no surprise to anyone that has got this far in this feature to hear that I am head over heels in love with both these songs and in fact every song I have had the pleasure to hear from The Zangwills over the last two days.
The second EP In Amongst The Glitter which was released in 2019 is another four songs that will make you feel glad to be alive. Judas on the Dancefloor will make you feel ten feet tall. Painting by Numbers is a wonderful collision of sounds that you need to share with a group of friends on a Saturday night. Spielberg Sweethearts, a perfect indie pop song where every lyric that is sung and every sound that is created is done so from the heart. There is absolutely nothing fake about this band. 212 closes the EP in a way that further cements the fact that this is a group of mates who are happy in each others company, seem to instantly know what each other is going to do and the result of that being amazing indie songs that make the world a better place.
Together with the two EP’s the band have also released several singles including Could I which came out in 2020 and appears to have been born in those lockdown years. This is a song that makes you long to be in a crowd. Be surrounded by like-minded people, having those shared experiences that we all lost during those years. We all remember a time with no gigs and we are all hungrier than we have ever been to have gigs to go to, moments that allow us to escape from the troubles in the world. Could I is one of those songs that allows us to do just that.
The most recent single the band have released is Walking on a Wire which came out in 2023 and is once again another perfect single. The synths that open and swirl around the song will be sure to brighten up your day. This song should be on radio playlists all over the world. Honestly, Walking on a Wire is pop music at its very very best.
The biggest thing to take from all of this is its never too late. If you are new to The Zangwills you are being introduced at exactly the right time, they have recently announced a tour for November and what I am sure will be a very special gig in Nantwich in September. Don’t miss out, get your tickets now and I am sure you will have a night to remember.
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