The Zutons

The Zutons blend classic rock, indie, R&B, and Brit-pop through equal measures of polished style and durable songwriting. That mix surfaced clearly with the 2004 single “Pressure Point,” their initial U.K. chart entry, then grew sharper across “Don’t Ever Think (Too Much),” “Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love?,” and “Valerie,” the last two reaching number nine in 2006. Although Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson reworked “Valerie” into a Motown-flavored international success the next year, the band failed to build on the moment and disbanded in 2009. Nearly ten years later they reconvened, culminating in the full return album The Big Decider in 2024.

Liverpool served as the birthplace for the group in late 2001, when vocalist/guitarist Dave McCabe, drummer Sean Payne, bassist Russell Pritchard, and lead guitarist Boyan Chowdhury first assembled; saxophonist/vocalist Abi Harding came aboard shortly afterward. Deltasonic—the same imprint that housed the Coral, whose frontman James Skelly had previously collaborated with McCabe—signed them and issued the debut single “Devil’s Deal” in September 2002. Two further 2003 releases, “Creepin’ an’ a Crawlin” and “Haunts Me,” preceded sessions for Who Killed…The Zutons?, recorded with producer Ian Broudie of the Lightning Seeds.

Issued in April 2004, Who Killed…The Zutons? achieved modest chart traction via “Pressure Point” and “You Will You Won’t,” yet gained lasting momentum once the non-album track “Don’t Ever Think (Too Much)” was incorporated into later editions. The record earned a 2004 Mercury Music Prize nomination, while the band received a British Breakthrough Act nod at the 2005 BRIT Awards; the resulting profile lifted the album into the U.K. Top Ten by early 2005.

April 2006 brought the second album, Tired of Hanging Around. Its opening singles “Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love?” and “Valerie” both peaked at number nine, sustaining an extensive U.K. touring schedule that year. Additional singles followed: “Oh Stacey (Look What You’ve Done!),” which reached number 24, and “It’s the Little Things We Do,” which climbed to number 47.

Boyan Chowdhury departed in July 2007; Paul Molloy, formerly of the Stands and the Skylarks, took his place. That October Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson delivered an upbeat, contagious cover of “Valerie” that became a worldwide hit. Months afterward the Zutons released You Can Do Anything, their first album featuring Molloy. Although the lead single “Always Right Behind You” reached number 26, the record quickly faded. By the close of 2008 Sony/BMG had dropped the band, prompting their 2009 split.

Russell Pritchard soon joined Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Sean Payne collaborated with Miles Kane, and Abi Harding became a member of the Lightning Seeds. Dave McCabe issued the solo album Church of Miami in 2015.

The original lineup reconvened in 2016 for a benefit concert supporting the family of the late Tramp Attack leader Kristian Ealey. Within two years McCabe, Payne, Harding, and Chowdhury launched a tour marking the fifteenth anniversary of Who Killed…The Zutons?, with Jay Lewis substituting for Pritchard, who remained with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. The group supported Nile Rodgers on tour in 2021; Rodgers reciprocated by producing The Big Decider, their 2024 comeback album. Preceded by the single “Creeping on the Dancefloor,” the record also contained tracks overseen by longtime producer Ian Broudie and Sean Payne. Boyan Chowdhury had exited in 2022, at which point Jay Lewis again joined for live dates, this time on lead guitar.