Too Cold To Hold, featuring Irvine Welsh, Lianne La Havas, Janet Planet, Jeshi and CouCou Chloe. Comprised of Clams Baker Jr., Benjamin Romans Hopcraft, Adam J. Harmer, Marley Mackey, Quinn Whalley, and Bleu Ottis Wright, Too Cold To Hold is undoubtedly their best and most ambitious album to date. Taking on board the repetitive and polyrhythmic grooves of gqom (an alluring South African take on house music), adding in a dash of hip-hop flavours and even jazz, and then harnessing that to their punk-funk, disco pogo, it’s a spellbinding mix. The album is produced by the band’s Ben Romans Hopcraft alongside Jamie Neville. Talking about the first track to be taken from the album, ‘Fashion Week’, which is a joyous account of fashion’s die-hard fans rather than the more visible arrivistes or dilettantes, Clams said: “Those that will do anything to become that thing. That creation. And live it. It’s real artistry when you don’t have the means and you’re doing it. You’re hustling to get on the guest list, you get in, you’re done up by means that you can’t really afford, whatever you do… It’s a celebration of people who will do whatever to look good and feel good and step above wherever they are in their own minds.” U.K. live dates: 29th Oct Phoenix Exeter, 30th Cheese & Grain Frome, 31st Papillon Southampton, 1st Nov Cambridge Junction, 2nd Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton, 5th O2 Academy Oxford, 6th Project House Leeds, 7th The Ritz Manchester, 10th Patti Pavillion Swansea, 12th The Leadmill Sheffield, 13th Rock City Nottingham, 14th Newcastle University, 15th Qmu Glasgow, 16th Opium Live Dublin, 29th The Troxy London. Warmduscher were born in 2014 out of a creative collision between members of various prominent bands and this spontaneous formation resulted in a band that was not just a side project, but a musical force that would soon carve its own unique niche. Over their four previous albums, Khaki Tears (2015), Whale City (2018), Tainted Lunch (2019) and At the Hotspot (2022) the band have worked with some of the most respected producers including Dan Carey and Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard & Al Doyle and gathered praise and fans alike for their DIY spirit and effortless ability to blend genres fearlessly. A legendary live act, driven and led by the charismatic Clams Baker Jr, they are one of the most exciting bands to come out of London in recent years with their music a staple of the 6Music playlist over the years. Too Cold To Hold sees the band stretch out, open up and produce their most dazzlingly eclectic and honest album to date. “We wanted it to be brutally honest in our depiction of ourselves,” said Ben. “We’re known for acting in a certain way, playing in a certain way and deploying a certain method. I think the formula for Warmduscher is chaos. In every aspect. There’s a lot of method to the chaos that we adopt, making sure that we are in control of that and the development of that chaos is really important. Otherwise, we’d be in the same loop of giving people what they think they want from us.” One of the many aces in Too Cold To Hold is that not only does it give people what they want, it also provides what they need. Having come off tour enthused about what the future held for the band, Clams and Ben in particular, “wanted to use the energy of the live shows and put it into something creative rather than turn it into one big hangover.” Warmduscher then; don’t define them, just enjoy them. Available on indies-only translucent yellow vinyl
