Hailing from Manchester, Bethlehem Casuals are a veritable bag of psych-jazz rock oddballs.
Proof that seven heads are always better than one, the group have been magnetising audiences across the North of England and beyond with their infectiously idiosyncratic compositions, strung-out live shows and, of course, their notably laid-back nature. It’s in the name.
With a whirlwind sound that infuses a world of influences, heady grooves and tribal drum circles all with a distinctly urban twist of folk rock, the music Bethlehem Casuals create could perhaps be dubbed “urban rock styled DIY world music”. Or would that be too simple?
Offering a new track for you to make your own mind up, the Casuals are pleased to release: ‘Change’.
Your standard love ballad, this ain’t. Instead, ’Change’ is one of many songs the band have been inspired to write that apparently follows the narrative: “of a pet dog who is escaping a boring life to find out why there is no music left in Manchester”.
From its soupy mutant jazz origins to its dancefloor splitting cosmic disco tempo-shifts, ‘Change’ sounds like Steely Dan sweating with an unexpected bout of Saturday Night Fever. In the best kind of way.
Gaining momentum with every one of their wonderfully weird releases, the Casuals recently caught the ear of BBC 6Music tastemaker Marc Riley who invited them in for a riotous live session and praised them as: “All over the place in the best kind of way.”
With word getting out fast, this summer the septet embarked on a Summer that was perhaps a little less relaxed than their namesake would usually allow. Invited to a slew of major festivals, the band hit up the stages of Bluedot to Kendal Calling, Moovin’ to Manchester Jazz, and were even invited to make their Glastonbury debut. They even found the time to host their own biannual shindig! ’Keep It Casual Fest’ to a sell-out capacity.
Leaving jaws hanging at every set and crowds hungry for more of their magnanimous madness, audiences will now have another opportunity to grab a piece of the action at their ‘Flaccid Passion’ Tour this Autumn. Kicking-off at Manchester’s Harfest on 22nd September, the band will be stopping-off at Leeds, Huddersfield, Stockport, Newcastle, Bath, and beyond over the weeks following. Full dates and details below.
