The Exile Club to launch debut album Chained To Ruins & Rust at Bishop’s Stortford Acoustic Club at South Mill Arts
A band which has played all over the UK and Europe had only one place in mind when they wanted to hold a launch party for their debut album – Bishop’s Stortford.
The Exile Club will be playing at South Mill Arts on Thursday September 12, in conjunction with Bishop’s Stortford Acoustic Club, and guitarist Joe Hazell told the Indie there could be no better place for the gig.
“We started out playing the acoustic club when it was based at The Half Moon and the town has played a big part in our formative years in music,” he said.
Four members of the five-piece band grew up and went to school in Stortford, so playing their home town at such a crucial stage of their development is special.
The Exile Club are also vocalist Addie Middleton, Tommy Lednor on keys (who replaced Callum Drinkwater), bassist Daisy Pepper and drummer Neil Findlay.
Joe and Neil played together in bands Curse of Lono, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes and with Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Neil has also played with Sia, Lemar and Paul Jones.
After forming in 2023, the band have been gigging non-stop throughout the UK and Europe, and their first five singles – Some of That Sweet Tea, Ticket Home, Bad Times at the End of the Line, Kids and, the latest release, Closing Bell – have totalled 15,000 streams/downloads.
Now they are releasing their debut album, Chained To Ruins & Rust, on Friday September 13 via aRTy Records.
Billed as a roots band fusing rock, soul, blues and country, they have created a distinctly British take on classic Americana.
The members, who range in age from 22 to 49, were bound together “by a chance meeting at the crossroads of their own respective musical journeys”.
Joe explained the cocktail of styles which have created the sound. “We’re all from different musical sensibilities and that has ended up as a melting pot of styles,” he said.
Following on from the album launch, they have an autumn tour with US band Uncle Lucius lined up.
The Exile Club will perform two 40-minute sets at South Mill Arts on Thursday (Sept 12). Admission costs £7. Doors open at 7.30pm and the music starts at 8pm with support act Tom Ryder and Greg Camburn.
