Photo by Jamie MacMillan.
O. – the London-based duo of baritone saxophonist Joseph Henwood and drummer Tash Keary – have announced details of their debut EP, “SLICE” which will be released on 24th November. They’ll be backing this up with a tour, hitting the road in October and coming to Heartbreakers, Southampton, in February.
The band’s debut single “OGO” won enthusiastic support from Stereogum, Loud & Quiet, DJ, NME and Rough Trade. Meanwhile, “SLICE” is a four-track snapshot of the duo’s first two years of existence.
Speaking on the new EP, Tash says, “We played loads of gigs before we ever got in the studio, so we had lots of tracks to choose from. We picked these four because they’re all quite different from one another, while showing off all the styles we like to play.”
O. formed in London during lockdown, when Joe and Tash – both veterans of a string of London ensembles – found themselves in a bubble together. When they started jamming, it was with no preconceptions. Before long, though, they were augmenting live instruments with effects – Joe routing his saxophone through a pedal board, Tash treating her drums with reverb and delay. As their sound grew and grew, it gradually became clear there wouldn’t be space for anyone else.
O. played their first show at Brixton Windmill, and the venue’s booker Tim Perry invited them back to support Black Midi. Immediately after their set, Black Midi’s Morgan Simpson invited them out on tour around the UK and Europe – a true trial by fire. “I think our fifth gig was at Alexandra Palace – it was terrifying,” remembers Tash. “But the main thing we learned was that we can be as weird as we want to be. Black Midi’s whole approach is that it’s OK to be playful. We both really liked that because there’s a playfulness to our music, too.”
It was this experimental urge that saw Joe and Tash run their own nights, O Zone, at Brixton Windmill – collaborative live sessions that saw O. improvise onstage with luminaries including Nerija’s Rosie Turton, Edna from Goat Girl, Melt Yourself Down’s Pete Wareham and Steam Down’s Wonky Logic. Following a tour with Dublin’s Gilla Band, though, O.’s music has just been getting heavier, louder, more intense. “People have come to see us and said they’ve enjoyed the fact it feels about two centimetres from falling apart,” says Tash. “With two instruments, you have to push yourself, physically, right to the edge to keep it interesting. But we enjoy that challenge.”
For tickets and more information about the tour, click HERE.
Oct 2023
20th – Swn Festival – Cardiff
21st – Margate Sounds – Margate
Nov 2023
4th – The Great Western – Glasgow
Feb 2024
15th – Birmingham – Hare and Hounds
16th – Newcastle – The Cluny
17th – Glasgow – Hug and Pint
19th – Dublin – Workmans Club
21st – Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club
22nd – Manchester – Yes Basement
26th – Southampton – Heartbreakers
27th – Brighton – Dust
March 2024
2nd – London – Omeara
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