Sweet Baboo is back! Stephen Black, the most unique of songwriters, with his playful sense of fatalism and humour, brings out a new album in the New Year.
‘The Wreckage’ is his first long player in five years, after working on his Group Listening project, touring with Gruff Rhys, and Cate Le Bon, and playing on the work of many other Welsh artists.
We’ve already enjoyed new song ‘Hopeless‘, and a fresh single ‘Good Luck‘ is released today.
Interestingly, ‘Good Luck‘ is written by fellow Welsh singer-songwriter H Hawkline, Black inviting him to write some lyrics but coming back with what he fancies to be one of the strongest tracks on the album.
“I asked my friend H Hawkline to write me a song for the album as I thought it would be interesting to have another lyrical voice to contrast with mine. Little did I know he was going to write the most radio-friendly song on the album. You’ll have to ask him what it’s about but to me it’s like the opposite idea to ‘Hopeless’. Always optimistic, never giving up. There’s an air of sadness.”
‘Good Luck‘ is optimistic yet realistic, the wonky lo-fi nature is peppered with the clarinet and xylophone and features Boy Azooga’s Davey Newington, plus Group Listening band mate and Sweet Baboo stalwart Paul Jones, and Hawkline himself on bass and electric guitar.
The Wreckage is released on Amazing Tapes From Canton on 23 January 2023.
Tour dates:
October 2022
23 Oct – Cardiff, Swn Festival
February 2023
15 Feb – Birkenhead, Future Yard
16 Feb – Glasgow, Hug & Pint
17 Feb – Sunderland, Pop Records
21 Feb – Hastings, Marine Fountain
22 Feb – London, The Victoria
23 Feb – Ramsgate, Ramsgate Music Hall
24 Feb – Brighton, Komedia Studio
25 Feb – Oxford, Florence Park Community Centre
March
1 Mar – Manchester, Deaf Institute
2 Mar – Halifax, The Grayston Unity
3 Mar – Leeds, Hyde Park Book Club
4 Mar – Aldershot, West End Centre
10 Mar – Totnes, New Lion Brewery
11 Mar – Falmouth, Cornish Bank
12 Mar – Stroud, Prince Albert
17 Mar – Rhayader, The Lost Arc
22 Mar – Leicester, The Firebug
24 Mar – Birmingham, Sunflower Lounge
25 Mar – Nottingham, JT Soars, Nottingham
Sweet Baboo Wreckage 2022 photo credit (c) Emma Daman Thomas
