Lovejoy

“	A lot of musicians have to start out writing good songs, and then they get the audience,”… “We’ve done it the other way around. We’ve been given this incredible audience and now I feel like I’m constantly trying to prove to them, I’m trying to give back the love that they’ve given to us.	”
― - Will Gold, Lovejoy, “Preaching to the Converted”; Rolling Stone UK , May 18, 2023

Lovejoy is a British indie rock band based in Brighton, England. They debuted on May 10, 2021 with their EP Are You Alright? along with a music video for their song "One Day". The band consists of Will Gold (Wilbur Soot) (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Joe Goldsmith (lead guitar, backing vocals), Ash Kabosu (bass) and Mark Boardman (drums).

History

Origin

Joe Goldsmith and Will Gold formed Lovejoy in 2021, during the early days of the UK’s COVID-19 lockdown. They played together in a punk-folk band, but bonded over their first love - rock music. Will laments - "… when we were in that folk band, we used to implore the lead singer if we could write some indie music please, and he would always be like, nah, not really into Arctic Monkeys actually."^[1]

Prior to this, Will had already earned modest musical success - as a content creator, he’d released a handful of quirky, clever solo tunes, some of which cracked the Top 75 on the UK BBC Official Chart^[2]. After leaving the punk-folk band, Joe and Will got together, wrote an EP, and decided they needed a bassist and drummer to create the rock sound they envisioned when writing the songs^[3]. The band's original name was Hang the DJ, inspired by a line in the Smiths song "Panic". They later changed their name to Lovejoy, after their friend Benedict Lovejoy who would hang out with them during early songwriting^[4].

As the band tells it, Will and Ash Kabosu, who happened to share a few mutual friends, met in a Brighton Smashburger^[5]. Noticing Ash had a bass guitar on his back, Will asked if he was in a band. As fate would have it, Ash was not. Will then offered him a place in the band and gave him his address^[6]. For the band's first rehearsal, Will booked drummer Mark Boardman on Fiverr, an online platform that connects freelancers with people in need of their services. After playing a few songs, Will asked if Mark wanted to properly join the band, to which he agreed^[7].

Lovejoy combines many different tastes in music. "We're all pooling different batches of influences. None of us like exactly the same music", Ash explains. As written by Isabella Ambrosio in this Alternative Press article, each member plays a pivotal role in the band, outside of playing their respective instruments. The hardcore influence comes from Kabosu and drummer Mark Boardman and their desire for “more moshing” at their shows, whereas the love of funk-pop stems from Gold and lead guitarist Joe Goldsmith, mixed with Gold’s mutual adoration for Arctic Monkeys from an early age.

Early Success & First EPs

With the fledgling band finally whole, Lovejoy began work on their first EP. Lovejoy’s debut extended play (EP), Are You Alright? was released on May 10, 2021. Although the EP didn’t appear on either the UK or US charts, it reached Number One on US iTunes, and three of the four songs charted in both the UK and US. Following the success of Are You Alright?, Lovejoy debuted at Number Ten on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart in May 2021, ^[8] This review by Caitlin McGonigal exclaims, “Are You Alright?” blew any expectations I had for Lovejoy right out of the water… I’m impressed, simply put. Shocked, excited, fulfilled — the list of emotions could go on…Lovejoy delivered, and then some.”

On October 14, 2021, the band released their second EP, Pebble Brain^[9]. Pebble Brain entered the UK BBC Official Chart at Number Twelve, spending four weeks on the charts at numbers 12, 39, 58, and 79, respectively^[10]. It also charted at number 128 on the US Rolling Stone Popular Albums 200, and was Number One on US iTunes. Every track from Pebble Brain debuted above position 40 in the UK Independent Singles Chart^[11]. In “New Lovejoy Album Pebble Brain Delivers Solid Indie Love Songs”, Piper Ruth writes, “ What truly sets Lovejoy’s album apart from any other is their ability to not only blend the harmonious guitars, fast-paced drums, blaring trumpets, and a thrumming bassline present in light-hearted rock with these same themes, but balance them out in an upbeat, beautifully composed, and downright fun album.”

The Welsh indie rock septet Los Campesinos! is one of Will’s favourite bands and, consequently, an influence on the Lovejoy sound. In November 2021, Lovejoy recorded a cover of Los Campesino’s 2008 song "Knee Deep at ATP". Lovejoy released the single in late December 2021.

Crywank is an anti-folk punk band and another of Will’s major influences. On February 25, 2022, they released “Here You Go, You Do It”, an album featuring other bands covering their songs. Lovejoy was included, and performed a cover of Crywank’s 2013 introspective tune, "Privately Owned Spiral Galaxy".

First Live Shows & Tours

From May-August 2022, the band performed using pseudonyms in order to practice and prepare for touring. Ash recalls "The fan base had cottoned onto the fact that we were playing under the pseudonyms, and were actively seeking line-ups with bands on that they couldn’t find any information about and just turning up to the shows. By the third show, it was sold out. It was wall-to-wall, everyone’s going crazy. We did zero advertising whatsoever, and they found us."^[12]

In August 2022, they performed their first gig under the band's name^[13] and were also announced as a performing artist at the 2022 Neighbourhood Festival in Manchester, England, an all-day, multi-venue festival featuring around one hundred artists each year. Dork's October 4, 2022 review of the event declares "Lovejoy are phenomenon the world needs to catch onto fast...from the moment they kick off a frenzied set – it’s nothing short of emphatic. Drowned-out singalongs, pogoing masses and arena-sized screams welcome a group who already stand out from the pack.^[14][15] Lovejoy also announced that, in October 2022, they'd be playing a similar festival in Leeds, Live at Leeds In The City^[16] In September 2022, the band revealed that these shows were part of their upcoming first tour, titled the Northern Autumn Tour^[17].

In September 2022, the band announced that they would be doing two Halloween Shows accompanied by James Marriott and beetlebug^[18][19] and later announced their first London shows^[20].

In October 2022, following the success of the Northern Autumn Tour, they announced their first European tour, the Inselaffe Tour^[21]. They also announced dates for their first US shows^[22][23] and started recording Wake Up & It's Over^[24].

Expanding The Fanbase & Breaking Through

Wake Up & It's Over (also known in short as WU&IO), the third original Lovejoy EP, was released on May 12, 2023. Wake Up & It’s Over debuted at Number 5 on the UK Albums charts^[25], and later peaked at Number 8 on the Billboard US Top Alternative Albums chart. It also reached #1 in both the UK and US on the iTunes Rock Album charts. The first single, "Call Me What You Like", dropped on February 10, 2023, significantly earlier than the EP. It was Lovejoy’s first breakthrough hit in both the US and the UK.

In spring of 2023, Spotify launched the wildly popular "Our Generation" playlist, featuring some of the UK's brightest up-and-coming musical talent. Lovejoy was one of the included artists, contributing a cover of bebadoobee's "The Perfect Pair" and an unplugged version of their current single, "Call Me What You Like". In addition, the band performed at "Our Generation - A Spotify Playlist Pop Up", on April 28, 2023,

The success of "Wake Up And It's Over" and the accompanying single "Call Me What You Like" captured the attention of cornerstones in the music and entertainment industry. On May 13, 2023, Rolling Stone UK featured an interview titled "Preaching to the converted: Lovejoy on winning over their viral fan base IRL". People Magazine included Lovejoy in their August 7, 2023 "Lollapalooza 2023: All the Best Portraits and Performances from Chicago's Annual Festival" article.

After a whirlwind of successful tours, including a run of summer festivals through the UK, US, Canada, and Europe (one highlight: playing to a crowd of roughly 10,000 at Lollapalooza Chicago ), Lovejoy returned home in October - but they weren’t idle for long. On October 6, 2023, "Normal People Things" was released. This is a frenetic, explosive tune about, as Will says, "finding someone who is actually the complete opposite of normal - the most abnormal person you can. So me being quirky, I decided to call it "Normal People Things"^[26]. The song debuted at #27 on the UK Official Singles Charts^[27].

A November 1, 2023 Variety magazine article on the current state of UK rock music includes a detailed section about Lovejoy. Matt Riley, managing director of AWAL UK, Sony Music UK's independent artist distributing division, says this: “If Wilbur can get what’s in his head onto a record, there’s no limit to where they can go,” he says. “A lot of people still love rock bands. I don’t see why the biggest act in the world can’t be a rock band again at some point soon.”

Lovejoy visited London's legendary Maida Vale Studios on November 21, 2023 for an interview and live performance on BBC Radio One. The truncated setlist included "Normal People Things", "Portrait of a Blank Slate", and a mashup of "Call Me What You Like" and The Strokes' classic "Reptilia" (listen to the mashup here.)

Rolling Stone UK announced in November 2023 that Lovejoy was a nominee for their first-ever Rising Star Award^[28]. While the band didn't walk away with the award, it was a huge accomplishment just to be named as a nominee for perhaps the most prestigious music industry publication in the world.

Will Gold surprised fans on November 30, 2023, by releasing his second solo album, titled "Mammalian Sighing Reflex"^[29]. Will uploaded the raw master files to YouTube on February 11, 2024, with a comment noting "I will be donating every penny this video earns x10 to a selection of mental health charities. I will update this comment with how much it was and which charities by 2025"^[30]. Shortly after this, online controversy began as a result of accusations related to the Lovejoy frontman's personal life. In response, the band took a short hiatus away from the public eye to focus on mental health and their upcoming debut album.

On June 8, 2024, Will posted a video to his Instagram page, announcing a fall Australian tour and a new single dropping within the next few months. He also revealed that the band was hard at work on their forthcoming debut album. The single, "I'll Look Good When I'm Sober", had been teased back in February via a short promotional video featuring the first 49 seconds of the track^[31]. The song later released on August 9, 2024, alongside a music video the same day^[32].

A few weeks after the "I'll Look Good When I'm Sober" drop, Lovejoy traveled to Japan for two shows at Summer Sonic, a two-day music festival featuring stages in both Tokyo and Osaka. The band played a set on the Sonic Stage in Osaka on August 17, and another on the Sonic Stage in Tokyo on August 18.^[33] After a few days of hard-earned down time to explore the country, Lovejoy traveled to Bangkok and took to the Mega Stage on August 24, 2024, at Thailand's very first Summer Sonic festival.^[34] The as-yet-unreleased song Wasted Summer was debuted at the August 18 Tokyo show.

The Right Way Up Tour immediately followed the string of Summer Sonic performances. This tour would take Lovejoy to four Australian cities from August 27 - September 3, 2024. Mark Boardman chronicled each show in a TikTok vlog: Melbourne and Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth. Lovejoy unveiled another unreleased song, Fox Holes, at the August 27 Melbourne show.

On August 13, 2024, Lovejoy announced their Resources for Teaching Tour, a small-venue jaunt that would take them to a handful of places in the UK and the US. To appease popular demand, the band added some additional nights and upgraded venues. After a few more small adjustments, the final schedule was in place. The first leg included Manchester and a pair of shows in London London Night One and London Night Two, followed by four shows in the US (a pair in Los Angeles and another pair in New York).

What's Next?

Lovejoy is currently working on their debut full-length LP album, discussing it at length in this October 2023 NME interview. Ash Kabosu (via Joe Goldsmith) says "The desire to create something more full in terms of the body of work - it's always something we've wanted to do." Will Gold adds "An album where I can itemize my thoughts and put that into words whilst having the boys doing their magic over the top is very exciting to me." Will also mentions in this interview from the 102.1FM Milwaukee Big Snow Show 2023 "I like the EPs, they're really good for finding our way, but I think we've figured it out now. We're ready to make something truly impactful as a debut...we figured out our sound one hundred percent and we're excited to show you."

Band Members

Current members

Will Gold (Wilbur Soot)	Lead vocals, guitar
Joe Goldsmith	Guitar, backing vocals
Ash Kabosu	Bass guitar
Mark Boardman	Drums

Trivia

• • The band's twitter account had the username @LVJYonline until October 4, 2022, when the account became verified and the username was changed to @Lovejoy. The show announcement account also changed from @LampwithSock to @Livejoy on the same day.
  • Lovejoy played Scum and Consequences at their very first show, which was billed under the pseudonym Lampwith Sock.
  • Their loudest show (as of 1-Aug-2023) was the Granada Theater in Dallas, Texas, which hit 120 decibels. This is louder than a sonic boom.^[35]

References