Birmingham six piece rock band Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam are delighted to announce their return with a new album, Mortuary Pantomime, set for release on 4th August 2023, alongside a run of August/September 2023 UK headline tour dates (see below for listings).
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Tom Livemore at Backbeat Studios, the album is the first new material from the band in 5 years.
To celebrate the news, SFL have today revealed lead single ‘E.S.P.’ which will be released on 16th May 2023. The official video for the single was choreographed and performed by Padua Eaton, a local ballet dancer/dance performer, and filmed and edited by Daniel Kempson.
Continuing their penchant for dark-humour-packed lyrics and driving, layered college rock that skirts around the edges of genres and regularly subverts its own heady, swirling guitar lines and rhythmic drum trickery, ‘E.S.P.’ is a thrilling return that serves as a powerful reminder of the band’s songwriting chops.
Commenting on the new single, lead vocalist Pete Dixon says: “Everybody that you know knows how it feels when a relationship ends, but when you’re in it, it feels like you’re the only person in the world going through it so deeply. Your friends ask you ‘how you doing mate?’ (accompanied by a knowing look and soupćon of sympathy) but none of them really want the truth: it’s going awfully, I feel like I’ve lost my mind—if you really want to know, it’s gonna get dark, desperate and petty, there’s lots of details and you’re going to regret asking ‘how you doing mate?'”
Formed in 2013, everyone’s favourite weird-on-purpose rock band are finally back with a roaring follow up to 2018’s critically acclaimed Blackout Cowboy album. Forthcoming new record Mortuary Pantomime is an 8 track, sub-30-minute album, whittled down from around 20 songs to create the most concise set of material from the band yet, never outstaying their welcome, and leaving the listener always wanting more.
“Jeeeez has it actually been 5 years? Judging by the state of my eye bags I’d say yes…yes it has,” says vocalist/guitarist Andy Bullock on the band’s time away. “We’re still out here trying to steal your hearts, while actually stealing all your best drummers (we now have 3), playing all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order, and attempting to not take ourselves too seriously, while being serious about the end product. I promise. I hope you enjoy our new record as much as we enjoyed making it.”
In the past it may have been their style to bang out records “at an alarming rate”—to quote an old review, referring to their 100+ song discography on bandcamp—but being forced to slow down over the past few years gave the band time to finally anchor to a formula that works for them, dumping tracks that either don’t fit together or would be considered placeholders. The old adage ‘all killer, no filler’ definitely applies.
“It’s always tough attempting to explain the themes of one of our records,” continues Andy on the new album, “especially with the rate at which both the world and our lives are moving at present. What I can say is that our songwriting will always come from a deeply personal space and sometimes the interpretation from the listener can be more accurate than the original conception.”
As usual, says Bullock, he’s overthinking—that’s enough psychoanalysing for now. Anyway, why make such a pantomime of it, life? But then again, why not? “If you only live once it would be a shame not to have met every character and worn every mask,” he quips, referring to the album’s title.
Details of the album and further live dates will be revealed over the coming months.
SFL Live Dates:
JUN 09TH – BIRMINGHAM, CASTLE & FALCON (W/ ALGERNON CADWALLADER)
AUG 12TH – BIRMINGHAM, HARE & HOUNDS (ALBUM LAUNCH)
AUG 27TH – ARBROATH – MOOD & FOOD FESTIVAL
AUG 28TH- DUNDEE – RAD APPLES / CONROY’S
AUG 29TH – GLASGOW – HUG & PINT
AUG 30TH – NEWCASTLE – LITTLE BUILDINGS
SEP 02ND – LONDON – SHACKLEWELL ARMS
SEP 08TH – LEEDS – WHARF CHAMBERS
SEP 09TH – BRISTOL – CROFTERS RIGHTS
SEP 10TH – NOTTINGHAM – J.T SOAR
SEP 11TH – SHEFFIELD – SIDNEY & MATILDA
Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam are:
Pete Dixon – Vocals / Guitar
Andrew Bullock – Vocals / Guitar
Ralph Morton – Drums / Guitar / Keys
David Pendril Bentall – Vocals / Bass Guitar
Junior Elvis Washington Laidley – Vocals / Drums / Keys
Thomas Rees – Drums / Guitar / Vocals / Keys
Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam online:
https://www.facebook.com/sunshinefrisbeelaserbeam
https://instagram.com/sunshine_frisbee_lazerbeam
https://twitter.com/SUNSHINEFRISBEE
