New music to listen to this week: Cattle & Cane

Now Hear This

Cattle & Cane (Sally T Photograph/Press image)

Now Mumford & Sons have gone all "rock" (sarcasm alert), there’s a folk-ish gap for a new band to fill.

Cattle & Cane are comprised of singer-songwriter Joseph Hammill and three other Hammills: his sister Helen (Vocals), brothers Fran (Guitar) and Vin (Bass), and "outsider" Tom Chapman (drums).

The band have been building their reputation via radio and live shows across the UK, including an appearance at Hyde Park. They’re even launching their own brand of tea with an award-winning tea house from their native Middlesbrough.

Fans of Mumford & Sons will likely compare the two, but C&C’s uplifting vocals are that touch more sincere; and they build to the climax of a track like “Come Home” with subtlety and real emotion.

Listen if you like: The Staves, War on Drugs, Pierces

Q&A with Joe Hammill

- Who are your main influences?

In terms of more contemporary writers, I’ve been a huge fan of Simon Aldred (Cherry Ghost) for years. More recently we’ve been listening to artists and bands like Andrew Gold, 10CC, and Steely Dan. The songwriting of these guys really is sublime and are great role models for any bands and writers out there.

- What contemporary artists are you listening to at the moment?

I’ve been listening to Lianne Le Havas since she broke through a few years ago and she is brilliant. The new album ‘Blood’ is a great record. Jason Isbell is another great artist who’s just a brilliant songwriter.

- How are you feeling about your debut album?

- We are really proud and excited for the release. We feel the album production lends itself to the songs. We wanted to let them shine through as much as possible – we definitely steered away from ‘over-production!’. We’re really looking forward to getting it out there and playing live.

- First gig, best gig?

Our first gig was at a pub across the road from us. I think we managed to persuade about 10 of our friends and family to come and watch us! I’m happy to say we’ve progressed since then and our local shows are always really special. One of our favourite shows was probably the last time we played King Tuts in Glasgow. It’s a venue with such great history but we had no idea how brilliant the crowd would be and the reception we got.

The band’s live tour dates are as follows:

October 2015

Saturday 10th Doncaster

Friday 16th Newcastle

Saturday 17th Ayton

Sunday 18th Glasgow

Monday 19th Leeds

Tuesday 20th Sheffield

Wednesday 21st Manchester

Thursday 22nd Birmingham

Friday 23rd Southampton

Monday 26th Exeter

Tuesday 27th London

Wednesday 28th Oxford

Thursday 29th Bristol

Friday 30th Cardiff

Saturday 31st Bedale

Cattle & Cane’s debut album Home, via Quiet Crown Recordings, is out now