The Lathums

The Lathums, a teenage foursome from Wigan in Greater Manchester, assembled at the start of 2019 and quickly established a jangly, lyrical indie sound that recalled both Arctic Monkeys and the Smiths. Island Records signed them within twelve months and put out their first album, How Beautiful Life Can Be, which reached number one on the U.K. chart in October 2021. A period of intensive live work and a personnel change set the stage for the March 2023 arrival of their second album, From Nothing to a Little Bit More.

Alex Moore, Scott Concepcion, Johnny Cunliffe, and Ryan Durrans first crossed paths at The Music College in the Pemberton area after being assigned to the same student project by their tutor. Lewis Halliwell had briefly handled bass duties before Cunliffe replaced him. Moore’s straightforward singing paired naturally with Concepcion’s warm Rickenbacker lines, and the band soon recognized they had momentum beyond their coursework. Their earliest performance took place at a bachelorette party in nearby Ormskirk, after which John Kettle recorded their self-released debut single, “Crying Out,” at the college for an April 2019 release.

In May the follow-up single “The Great Escape” drew notice from the Charlatans’ Tim Burgess, who booked the group for Kendal Calling that summer; the song also earned Record of the Week honors on XS Manchester. Modern Sky UK, whose roster already included Jamie Webster and the Lottery Winners, stepped in to help capitalize on the growing online interest, resulting in an autumn self-titled EP and November support slots for Gerry Cinnamon at Newcastle Arena and Brixton Academy.

The French Resistance-inspired “Fight On” opened 2020, followed by a U.K. headline tour that sold out inside half an hour. The Fight On EP appeared in March alongside the announcement of a multi-album deal with Island Records. Pandemic restrictions halted planned shows with Paul Weller and Blossoms, yet the band issued the eight-track compilation The Memories We Make in June; it peaked at number 14 on the U.K. album chart after endorsements that included Manchester mayor Andy Burnham. On the same July day the compilation charted, Island released the band’s debut single for the label, “All My Life,” a song Moore had written at sixteen and tracked with the Coral’s James Skelly at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool. Two live albums, Live at Blackpool Tower and Live from Sefton Park, arrived via Island in June 2021. In September the group auctioned a one-off 7-inch of their cover of the Northern Soul staple “The Snake” to benefit Wigan Athletic Football Club, then watched How Beautiful Life Can Be top the U.K. chart the next month. Before year’s end they issued the seasonal, Smiths-inflected standalone single “Krampus” while supporting Paul Weller on a string of U.K. dates.

A headline U.K. tour began in February 2022 before the band crossed the Atlantic for their first American shows. On returning they released “Sad Face Baby,” the final single to feature Cunliffe’s distinctive bass line; he left midway through 2022 amid a busy run of European festival appearances. The remaining members continued with a temporary bassist, issuing “Say My Name” in October and “Turmoil” in December. Matty Murphy joined as permanent bassist just before the January 2023 single “Struggle,” after which the group mounted another U.K. headline tour to promote their March 2023 album From Nothing to a Little Bit More.