Sheffield band Little Man Tate release their first album in 15 years

In their heyday, Little Man Tate were regarded as one of the best bands to come out of Sheffield during the booming noughties indie scene. The band enjoyed four short, but memorable years before splitting in 2009.

Fans, including myself, were thrilled to hear the band had reformed in 2020 but the Covid-19 pandemic halted their plans somewhat. Now with a string of extremely well-received tours and festival appearances under their belt, the band will be releasing their third studio album on Friday 23 February.

“It was tricky to get into the groove to begin with. Once we started writing, it began to flow pretty well and started to develop lots of options. It’s like the Little Man Tate that everyone knows, but just a little more grown up,” chuckles frontman Jon Windle.

The album follows About What You Know (2007) and Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy (2008) and the band will be hoping that Welcome To The Rest of Your Life will be just as successful with fans new and old clamouring for a nostalgic indie fix. The album features ten tracks, including the previously released, Undercover Lovers.

During their last tour, the band drafted in Martin Smith (who also produced the album) to play guitar, becoming the band’s fifth member.

“Because there’s so much going on in the songs, it can be difficult for me to play lead guitar and sing. It helps to fill the sound out and he’s an amazing musician,’” Windle admits.

I’ve been fortunate enough to listen to the album for the last couple of months and it’s certainly worth the 15-year wait. The classic Little Man Tate evergreen sound with bouncing choruses and sublime riffs, but with a sprinkle of maturity thrown in.

The band will have the opportunity to play some of the new songs live when they take to the stage supporting fellow South Yorkshire rockers, The Reytons, at Clifton Park in July.

The album is available on vinyl, CD and cassette with various bundle options available. There is also a version available with two bonus tracks entitled You Know You’re Turning Me On and Beautiful, Deadly & Mine.

For more information and to pre-order head on over to www.littlemantateofficial.co.uk