Defiance, vulnerability, pride and the excuse to let loose are all profoundly expressed by The Lathums as they release their latest single, Stellar Cast. Just the second serving of new music from the band this year, the hooky, indie-ska skit emerges from summertime recording sessions and is likely to further fuel rumours of a third album to follow their previous, consecutive UK Official Album Chart No.1 successes.
Stellar Cast follows the bombastic, summer single and instant fan favourite No Direction, out into the wild as 2024 proved an even more confident year of growth for the wised-up four-piece. With an opening thunderclap preceding a rush through quickfire lines, wailing guitars and infectious, foot-to-foot beats and bass, the song centres on singer and lyricist, Alex Moore’s unexplained dreams.
He says: “I got the inspiration for this song after one of our early gigs at the Brudenell in Leeds. We were joined by a stellar lineup. It was one of the rare times I’d had a bit too much to drink before going on stage. That night on the bus back, I had a crazy dream, probably fuelled by all the Jamaican ale I refer to in the song. In the dream, there was a strange figure at the end of my bed that I couldn’t get out of my head for a long time after.
“When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time writing my own comics and stories, and that’s probably where my love for songwriting really started. This song is about someone who gets completely drawn in by this mysterious, almost otherworldly figure. They leave the person with more questions than answers, but it’s the kind of obsession they can’t shake, even if they tried.
“The figure feels like a mix of everything. Part-friend, part-foe, maybe even a lover. There’s something intoxicating about them, like the Jamaican ale, burning bright but disappearing just as quickly. Even with all the confusion, the character can’t help but hold on to the obsession, not wanting to let go.”
Having proved their knack of turning every show into a major event, not least with their year-on-year advances in outdoor headline appearances, this year bringing it home with a 11,500-capacity gig in the sunshine at Wigan’s Robin Park, The Lathums are now looking head to a busy 2025. They have already been confirmed as Main Stage visitors to the three-day Isle Of Wight Festival, which opens on Fri 19 June 2025.
Comprised of Moore, Scott Concepcion (guitars, piano and vocals) Ryan Durrans (drums) and Matty Murphy (bass and vocals), Stellar Cast and No Direction were written in their native Wigan before recording at Kempston Street Studios, Liverpool in the company of long-term creative guide, John Kettle and producer, Chris Taylor.
Concurrent to their musical adventures, The Lathums continue to raise funds and awareness of their own Chance To See Fund, a charitable venture to bring creative opportunity to young people in and around Wigan. Donations from fans, the band and through special projects arranged with participatory arts charity, Curious Minds, saw the total available to local individuals, groups and projects hit £25,000 earlier this year.
