Leeds indie heavyweights English Teacher announce signing to Island Records and share intoxicating new cut ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’, out today (5pm on DSPs following its BBC 6 Music premiere) and accompanied by news of their biggest UK headline tour to date taking place this autumn.
Arriving as the follow-up to BBC 6 Music-playlisted ‘Song Above Love’, recorded in collaboration with enigmatic producer Dan Carey and released on cult label Speedy Wunderground earlier this year, English Teacher’s phenomenal ascent continues to gather pace with news of their Island signing, as well as the band’s debut album campaign which is set to kick off imminently.
Speaking ahead of its release, formidable bandleader Lily Fontaine revealed: “I wrote and recorded the demo in my bedroom in one day, during my final year of university in 2018. Moving to a city for university forced me to reflect on how my experience of growing up in and around Pendle, how witnessing the social, economic and political issues that exist around there in juxtaposition with the beauty of the landscape and the characters that live within in it, has shaped me into the artist and person that I am.
These semi-rural stories leak into most of my writing; in particular, this song tackles delusions of grandeur and inferiority from the perspective of a small town’s local celebrities. It’s split into two halves.”
With acclaimed debut EP ‘Polyawkward’ heralding their extraordinary rise in 2022, English Teacher’s biting social commentary and unique musical soundscapes have certainly positioned the quartet as influential figures within the emerging indie elite. Critical praise throughout the broadsheets (The Guardian, The Times, The Independent) and key indie titans (NME, DIY, Dork, So Young, The FADER, Loud & Quiet, The Line Of Best Fit, Clash, Gigwise), as well as on the BBC Radio 1 (Jack Saunders, Gemma Bradley) and BBC 6 Music (Steve Lamacq, Lauren Laverne, Craig Charles) airwaves has enhanced their profile significantly; whilst on the live front the group have already supported acts including Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Paolo Nutini, Parquet Courts and Yard Act, in addition to notable debut slots at SXSW and Glastonbury.
Concluding their summer festival run with appearances at Reading & Leeds later this month, English Teacher will be hitting the road again this autumn for their biggest UK run to date, including an eagerly anticipated hometown show at Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club, and London headliner at the iconic Scala.
Produced by Marta Salgoni (Bjork, Black Midi, Animal Collective), English Teacher’s ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’ is out now via Island Records and available on all digital platforms.
English Teacher is Lily Fontaine (vocals, rhythm guitar, synth), Douglas Frost (drums, vocals), Nicholas Eden (bass), Lewis Whiting (lead guitar)
Live Dates
20th Aug – MS Dockville Festival, Hamburg, Germany
25th Aug – Leeds Festival
27th Aug – Reading Festival
20th Oct – District, Liverpool
21st Oct – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
22nd Oct – King Tuts, Glasgow
23rd Oct – Cluny 2, Newcastle
24th Oct – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
26th Oct – Scala, London
27th Oct – The Louisiana, Bristol
28th Oct – Heartbreakers, Southampton
29th Oct – The Hope & Ruin, Brighton
31st Oct – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
1st Nov – Night & Day Cafe, Manchester
