In Focus: Working Men’s Club
With a tour set to go ahead next month, the Yorkshire quartet aren’t slowing down anytime soon
Photo: Press
Named after the local pubs and members’ clubs they spent their youth trying to sneak into, Working Men’s Club first made waves in the music world in 2019 with the release of their debut single, the effortlessly danceable, post-punk inspired Bad Blood. Since then, a few line-up changes and a rather significant evolution of sound have seen the group develop into what has become one of the most hotly-tipped British bands of recent years.
The founding members who still remain part of the outfit are frontman and main mouthpiece Sydney Minsky-Sargeant and bassist Liam Ogburn. The original drummer, Jake Bogacki, and guitarist Giulia Bonometti (also known as alternative-pop singer/songwriter Julia Bardo) moved onto other projects and were replaced by Drenge bassist Rob Graham on guitar, and latest addition Mairead O’Connor, who completes the current line-up, playing keys, guitar and backing vocals.
With their origins routed in their initial formation in 2018 as students at the BIMM Institute in Manchester, the city has almost embraced them as their own, with the band having had a residency at YES; the venue even decorated its exterior specially for the release of the band’s debut album, which was released on indie label Heavenly Records. During lockdown in 2020, they filmed a special performance in the YES Basement, which was live-streamed online.
However, Working Men’s Club are not a Mancunian band, with Minsky-Sargeant having stated a few times that he sees the current Manchester music scene as something along the lines of “boring as fuck”; the quartet seems to have more of an affinity to their native Yorkshire. Debut album opener Valleys talks of the isolation that can be felt when growing up in a small town, inspired by the 19-year-old frontman’s experience of growing up in the quiet, countryside village of Todmorden. Their self-titled debut was recorded in Sheffield and produced by Ross Orton, who has produced for fellow Yorkshire band Arctic Monkeys, among others. It was at Orton’s studio where Minsky-Sargeant and Ogburn actually met Graham and O’Connor; the rest, as they say, is history.
It’s clear to see that Working Men’s Club’s sound has greatly evolved and changed since their early releases. While their first single was tinged with indie-dancefloor post-punk, their second single, Teeth, is more representative of the band’s current sound. The tune, along with much of the debut album, is more electronic and synth-based, sounding more like something you might have heard in the Haçienda than in 42s. Speaking to The Quietus in 2020, Syd stated that he “never wanted to be in a post-punk band”; this change of musical direction was partially what led to some of the line-up changes. Their newer music still retains some of that early sound, however; tunes such as John Cooper Clarke (one of my personal favourites), White Rooms and People, and most recent single X are infused with jangly guitar riffs, as well as being driven by synths and strong basslines. Their sound has been compared to the likes of The Fall and New Order, with the band having supported the latter at Heaton Park in September 2021.
The four-piece are cautious for their music not to become wholly political, but there are definite hints throughout their songs and live performances of their views and opinions. Minsky-Sargeant has been known to sport a t-shirt printed with the word “socialism” on stage, and their album track Cook a Coffee is a dig at journalist Andrew Neil, who the band described as a “a rightwing piece of shit” in an interview with The Guardian.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the band have been unable to properly tour their album, which was released in October last year. A special release show had been planned at Manchester venue Night and Day but this, unfortunately, had to be cancelled. However, since the easing of restrictions in England, the group have been able to get back at playing live, entertaining crowds at summer festivals such as Neighbourhood Weekender and All Points East, with a UK tour looking to go ahead in November. Their live shows have a lot of chaotic energy, but in the best way possible; I’d highly recommend seeing them if you ever get the chance.
If you’ve never listened to Working Men’s Club before, this is your cue to do so. Go and stick on their album now; you won’t be disappointed, trust me.
