News

LITTLE MAMMOTHS unveil ‘Hungover In New York’

• 28th Jun 2017

Little Mammoths are a London-based Rock’n’Roll Bar Band formed in 2014, that
continue charging down the vein of The Hold Steady, Drive-by Truckers and
Wilco.

Comprised of Matt Owens (ex-Noah & The Whale) and some of his oldest
friends, Olly Cox on bass and James Besley on drums, now neatly rounded off
by renowned pedal steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte, this band have the sort of
chemistry most can only dream of.

Their debut album ‘Phantom Dreams’ was recently released on vinyl in the
Spring of 2017, featuring a set of raucous songs about nightly lock-ins the
band were privy to over three years of touring the West Coast of Ireland and
The Scottish Highlands. Their raw energy prompted Texan legend, Ray Wylie
Hubbard to declare: “If your ears dig gnawing on the gritty sounds from a
young, dirty, cool rock band, I just found Little Mammoths who satisfy the
craving.”

The quartet’s constant gigging and tireless work ethic often result in
straight sets in excess of four hours, and has seen their road-hardened
material performed to ecstatic crowds alongside Mumford & Sons, Fat White
Family and Bahamas and at international festivals including Wilderness,
Loopallu and The Clonakilty Guitar Festival.

Little Mammoths will release their eagerly anticipated second album ‘Cargo
for The Road’ this summer, with pedal steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte now
firmly in the fold and backed by a 3-piece horn section. The band are set
promote the record through 2017 with extensive touring around Europe and a
full UK festival run, including Glastonbury.

Singer/guitarist Matt explains the long sets becoming the norm, “As we
started to tour in a lot of far out places across Ireland and Scotland,
you’d get paid, fed and put up if you could play for three hours, as you
were the only band the venue needed to book that night. Initially, it was
born out of necessity, but we found it to be a great driving force to write
more music and it’s when we started really improving as a band, learning all
our favourite songs we couldn’t yet play. We’d be driving from gig to gig
listening to music, a track would come on we all loved and we’d say to each
other, “we should get this one on up for tonight,” so we did. We still do it
now. We’ve now got a set list that’s well over 100 songs, and it’s always
great to look down at the setlist and see if it’s not yours, the next song
is instead one of your favourite songs of all time.”

He further recounts about these groundbreaking mammoth sets which have given
them the reputation as being dubbed ‘The Hardest Working Band in
Rock’n’Roll’ out on the West Coast of Ireland, “What’s great is you when see
all the regulars come in the afternoon, unsuspecting at the start of the
set, have to eventually leave cos they said they’d be home for dinner, and
then you see them sneak back in later out that evening to watch you encore
for a few more hours. Then there are those that just stay for the duration
and you’re literally watching them have an eight-hour session right in front
of you. I just can’t wait ’til we’ve got 8 hours of all ‘Mammoths originals,
but we’re working on that..”