Despite their quick rise up the music ladder, The Lathums have kept their feet firmly planted, taking one step at a time. Frontman Alex Moore talks us through how they turned a dream into reality.
They might be just four working-class lads from Wigan, but deep down inside the bellies of Alex Moore, Scott Concepcion, Jonny Cunliffe and Ryan Durrans was a fire burning like no other.
Sitting down with Alex over Zoom, five days after their performance at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse for the album UK tour, he is very humble about the band’s progression. “It’s mental. Just living the dream,” says Alex as the band’s debut album ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’ reached Number 1 in the UK charts. Ever since their formation in 2019, there’s been a little spark around The Lathums. From pubs to sell-out music venues they have hit the ground running and show no sign of slowing down any time soon.
“It’s just hard to put into words, it’s a magical feeling,” says Alex as fans flocked in their thousands to pack venues across the UK. “Seeing so many people having fun and letting loose for an hour and a half enjoying themselves. Seeing all of their smiling faces and singing back the songs. It’s just a rush [of adrenaline] you can’t achieve it any other way. It’s a very unique feeling.”
From Glasgow to Bristol, the band have impressed onlookers with their off-kilter brand of indie rock and acoustics. The catchy and funky 70s melodies sets them apart from the rest.
“Everybody’s really good to us and supportive getting behind us with everything. The crowds are full of genuinely nice people and that always makes things better in my opinion,” adds the frontman as their record puts them up there with the likes of Sports Team, Sam Fender, Inhaler and The Snuts – who all achieved UK Number 1 albums this year.
“I feel like The Lathums are on the rise. That’s what matters to me,” smirks Alex as he confidently puts the focus back on what they’re doing. Quoting influences as wide-ranging as The Housemartins and The Ramones, the band has rapidly recruited a dedicated and attentive following, spanning generations. Not only has The Lathums carefully built a live reputation through support slots with Blossoms, DMA’s and Paul Weller (to name a few), they have put Wigan on the map.
First becoming local heroes, a deal was then quickly signed with Island Records and the journey began towards a debut album. What followed was helping save Wigan Athletic FC from administration, perform on Later With…Jools Holland and a run-in with Greater Manchester Police – but we’ll come back to that later.
Going back to the very beginnings, growing up in the working-class town of Wigan was an opportunity to lay the groundwork. Taking any gig they could in local pubs, the four lads could map out how they wanted to take The Lathums.
“It was character building, that’s one way to put it,” comments Alex. “It brought us out of our…
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