When Manchester-based indie-pop group Westside Cowboy performed on Later… With Jools Holland earlier this year, they received some unsolicited advice from fellow guests Duran Duran. Simon Le Bon attempted to calm the band, who were “cacking their pants” before the show, by telling them, “Nerves are just your mind telling you that you’re about to do something extraordinary.” For vocalist and guitarist Reuben Haycocks, the advice was less than practical. Laughing, he admits he was hoping for something more concrete, such as “where do I look?”
The band has experienced a whirlwind trajectory since forming in 2023. By 2025, they had secured a major label deal, won Glastonbury’s emerging talent competition, and joined the lineup for one of the year’s most significant indie tours alongside Geese. While vocalist and guitarist Jimmy Bradbury acknowledges that the rapid success brings a certain level of pressure, the band remains focused on their own creative rhythm.
Their debut album, It Goes On, reflects this grounded approach. Drawing inspiration from the Velvet Underground, the Feelies, Parquet Courts, and Courtney Barnett, the record blends midwestern emo influences with a muscular indie-pop sound. Drummer Paddy Murphy notes that the band avoided the trap of trying to create a “career-defining” project, preferring the raw energy of a band that feels hungry but unsettled. They believe there is too much pressure on new artists to perfect every detail on their first release.
This philosophy extends to their personal lives, where the members—aged 23 to 26—actively resist the digital grind. Most of the group uses brick phones, MP3 players, and analog equipment like cassette decks and radios. Bradbury clarifies that they are not “hermits” and still use laptops for necessary tasks, but they find that removing addictive, single-use devices helps clear their headspace. Bassist and vocalist Aoife Anson-O’Connell describes the constant screen time as “stifling” and “personally isolating,” while Haycocks notes that his previous projects suffered from the “option paralysis” caused by excessive technology.
Despite their growing profile, the band remains self-deprecating. During a set at the Tramlines festival in Sheffield, they delivered an explosive performance, yet backstage they insist they are neither cool nor doing anything revolutionary. Their songwriting process is highly collaborative, often involving a form of role-play. Haycocks channels figures like Lou Reed or Stephin Merritt to overcome his own inhibitions, while Murphy once instructed Bradbury to play a guitar part by imagining early rock’n’roller Link Wray “trying to scare kids.”
The band previously coined the term “Britanicana” to describe their hybrid sound—a mix of folk, skiffle, and Americana—though they now dismiss the label as a joke that went too far. Beyond their music, they are socially active, organizing a concert series called No Band Is an Island alongside acts like Holly Head and Martial Arts to raise funds for Medical Aid for Palestine. While the members identify as political people—Haycocks notably wore a shirt advocating for animal liberation—they feel that shouting about politics on stage does not suit their personal identity.
Ultimately, the band finds beauty in the imperfect. Haycocks points to Tom Waits’ album Mule Variations as a masterclass in balancing goofy tracks with profound songwriting. Bradbury agrees, noting that “duds are what make music human.” This perspective confirms why the polished advice of industry veterans like Le Bon may never have resonated with a group so committed to the raw, unrefined nature of their craft. The report also notes that by 2025, only two years after forming, they had won Glastonbury’s emerging talent competition, supported Geese on the year’s buzziest indie tour and signed to a major label. The report also notes that but – as their taste in music and resistance to the grind may indicate – share an old-school mindset, westside Cowboy are all aged 23 to 26. The report also notes that they play an explosive 4pm set to a rammed tent, contrasting sharp, noisy blasts of guitar with layered vocal harmonies, on stage later on. The report also notes that the Manchester band have had to learn the ropes quickly. The report also notes that there’s unnecessary pressure on new bands to bottle everything on the first attempt. The report also notes that they’re even considering setting up a PO box address for fans to send letters to. The report also notes that and it’s trying to find a way to control it, because you don’t have to buy into that.”, these things are designed to be addictive.
