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Fast-rising Cambridgeshire band to release debut EP




Cambridgeshire indie rock band Tom Lumley & the Brave Liaison are to release Sign of the Times next month.

Tom Lumley & the Brave Liaison. Picture: Sam J Lance
Tom Lumley & the Brave Liaison. Picture: Sam J Lance

This explosive up-and-coming band burst onto the scene in 2017 and their star has continued to rise ever since.

Released on Friday (April 3), Shrink is the new single from the four-track EP, which itself is out on April 24. Shrink is a hard-hitting number that addresses issues concerning mental health - a theme that Tom and co revisit throughout the EP

The four-piece - tipped by Huw Stephens on his BBC Radio 1 show as ‘ones to watch in 2020’ - comprise Tom Lumley (vocals/guitar), Jake Day (guitar), Billy Stewart (bass) and Jonny Thompson (drums).

After supporting Sam Fender and The Hunna, not to mention playing at the last Secret Garden Party and festivals such as Isle of Wight, Bestival, and Camden Rocks, they have been consistently proving their worth on the live circuit.

Tom Lumley & the Brave Liaison. Picture: Sam J Lance
Tom Lumley & the Brave Liaison. Picture: Sam J Lance

Speaking to the Cambridge Independent from his home near March, Tom, who started out as a solo acoustic artist, says: "Myself and Jake, we do all the writing together, and we had a lot of songs sat around at the time of choosing what was going to be on the EP - but these songs just felt like they all came together well and all suited each other."

On the album's underlying theme of mental health, Tom says: "A lot of songs relate to different situations, ones that Jake and I have lived through ourselves, with relationships and things like that, and other songs are to do with family members or friends that are close to us that we're seeing go through mental health problems.

"It's also to raise awareness about the serious amount of mental health issues that there are in the world at the moment."

Tom Lumley & the Brave Liaison - the cover of the EP
Tom Lumley & the Brave Liaison - the cover of the EP

Tom continues: "I'd probably say that Shrink is definitely the strongest one [song directly about mental health] - it's quite clear that it's about someone who is really struggling, and someone that's trying to help them.

"But sometimes trying to help someone isn't the best thing... Always be there obviously for someone to be able to speak to and listen to, but sometimes trying to do too much can go the other way."

Casual was the lead single from the EP. "Casual was released at the end of November last year," recalls Tom.

"We released that track and it felt like a big turning point for us, where we really found our sound and how we wanted to create our music going forward. It also felt like the right time to be putting a few songs out, instead of just a single. So we based the EP around Casual, in a sense."

The band originally had a run of tour dates planned to coincide with the release, but they have understandably had to postpone them.

"We're just in the middle of rescheduling all the dates," says Tom, "so unfortunately they won't link in with the release but they'll hopefully be towards the end of summer, providing venues are back open by then."

The new single, Shrink, will be out on Friday, April 3.

The new EP, Sign of the Times, will be out on Friday, April 24.



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