Mamas Gun

Mamas Gun operate as a London-based quintet led by the multifaceted Andy Platts, who handles vocals, composition, and production. The lineup behind him consists of bassist Cameron Dawson, keyboardist Dave "Eighties" Burnell Oliver, guitarist Terry "Spiller" Lewis, and drummer Chris Boot. Their sound pays tribute to blue-eyed soul from the 1970s and early 1980s, evoking the styles of Hall & Oates, Todd Rundgren, and the Doors. Critical praise greeted the group's first album, Route to Riches, throughout the United Kingdom and Japan.

Born inside a military hospital in Kowloon, Hong Kong, Platts spent his early years moving frequently until securing admission to Liverpool's LIPA. Industry attention arrived after he contributed to Corinne Bailey Rae's debut album in 2006, which secured him a publishing agreement with Zomba Music and opened doors to work with Rod "Thriller" Temperton, John Oates, Jed Leiber, and Brian Jackson, once a collaborator of Gil Scott-Heron.

In 2007 Platts assembled the group through an online search for players capable of realizing his melodic writing and charts. He located Horan in Western Australia, a bassist also versed in classical violin and piano. Lewis trained in Essex and later toured alongside Jools Holland within Christopher Holland's ensemble. Pollitt had already built a reputation in studios, including work on Beyoncé's B-Day track "Green Light" alongside Pharrell Williams. Oliver was located in Hertfordshire. The resulting Route to Riches, issued in 2009, drew heavily from the Motown aesthetic then experiencing renewed interest among British acts of the 2000s. Julian Simmons of Guillemots served as co-producer, Jack Joseph Puig handled mixing, and Bob Ludwig mastered the record. It reached number three on Japan's Billboard sales chart and number one on the corresponding airplay tally. A deluxe version appeared in 2010, spotlighting the singles "Wishing" and "Finger on It." The Life and Soul, the band's second album, emerged in 2011 and contained the Beverley Knight collaboration "Only One." Cheap Hotel, their third full-length, followed in 2014 as Dawson's first outing with the group, after which the Room Service EP surfaced in 2016.

Mamas Gun resurfaced in 2018 with Golden Days, their fourth studio album and the first produced entirely in-house. All tracks were captured live to analog tape. Horn contributions came from Andy Ross and Dominic Glover, while songwriting input arrived from Conner Reeves and Christopher Braide; Shawn Lee mixed the set. The record represents the clearest summation of the ensemble's decade-long trajectory.