Photo credit: Jake Haseldine
DEBUT ALBUM ‘ONCE UPON A WEEKEND’, OUT MAY 3RD THROUGH BELIEVE
UK TOUR ANNOUNCED FOR MAY 2024
“Corella set the tone and the bar very high” – BBC Radio 1
“Widescreen indie blessed with emphatic ambition, the results speak for themselves” – CLASH
After recently announcing the details behind their eagerly-awaited debut album ‘Once Upon A Weekend‘, which features the already released singles “Don’t Stop Me” and “Drifting”, the latter of which was premiered on Chris Hawkins’ 6Music show, and received regular airplay from BBC Radio 1, Radio X and BBC Introducing, Manchester’s Corella have now returned to deliver their anthemic new outing “Head Underwater”.
Bringing back another raw and driven dose of indie-rock power throughout, “Head Underwater” sees the four-piece unveil one of their most euphoric releases to date. Coupling rich and thunderous hooks with some hedonistic lyrical wordplay throughout, they continue their rise as one of the more impactful UK bands of 2024.
Adding about “Head Underwater”, they said, “‘Head Underwater’ captures that night where you totally let go of your inhibitions. The atmosphere takes control of you and you’re living out your more rebellious alter ego that’s laid dormant in your waking life, drinking and partying till late and perhaps getting up to certain things that you may well regret the next morning.”
Following three sold-out UK headline tours in September 2022, March, and October 2023, Corella recently announced a UK headline tour alongside a plethora of festival dates to support their upcoming album. Tickets for their UK tour on sale now. Full list of confirmed performances are below.
Corella Live Dates – *headline shows
30th Mar – Stockton Calling
2nd May – Dublin, The Grand Social*
3rd May – Belfast, Limelight 2*
5th May – Liverpool Sound City
6th May – London, Rough Trade East (instore event)
8th May – Edinburgh, The Caves
9th May – Nottingham, Rough Trade (instore event)
10th May – Birmingham, Mama Roux*
11th May – Leeds, Stylus*
12th May – Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms*
14th May – London, KOKO*
15th May – Bristol, Thekla*
16th May – Brighton, The Great Escape Festival
18th May – Utrecht NL, Ekko*
19th May – Cologne GER, Hellios37*
20th May – Hamburg GER, Hebebühne*
21st May – Berlin GER, Prachtwerk*
29th May – Norwich, Arts Centre*
31st May – Manchester, O2 Ritz*
26th July – Tramlines Festival
28th July – Truck Festival
3rd Aug – Kendal Calling
9th Aug – Boardmasters
17th Aug – Hardwick Calling
23rd Aug – Leeds Festival
25th Aug – Reading Festival
It’s a universally accepted truth that music brings people together. That was certainly the case with Manchester-formed band Corella, who are now intent on creating unity through their own inspiring, anthemic songs.
Comprising frontman Joel, bassist/vocalist Ben, guitarist Jack and drummer James, the pop-rock group formed while its members – all hailing from northern towns – were in their first year of university studying music. They met after being placed in the same university halls, bonding over their shared love of indie bands such as Foals and Two Door Cinema Club, along with classic pop and rock including The Beatles, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Dire Straits.
On the cusp of releasing their debut album, Corella have already established a devoted following thanks to their formidable live shows and singles including “Don’t Stop Me”, which recently received airplay on BBC Radio 1. The track is a blast of pure defiance, pushing back against social apathy and yearning for something greater: “Lately I’ve been giving my everything to make it,” the Grimsby-born Joel sings over thrashing guitars, and drums that propel the song higher and higher.
“We were determined not to make a middle-of-the-road indie record, but equally, we still wanted to make something that made people feel good, that they’d love listening to,” Ben says. He and Joel share songwriting responsibilities: “We’re really like-minded, and I guess formed a bond straight away – we clicked instantly,” says Joel.
Living together during lockdown and with little else to do, the four-piece began working on ideas for what would become their highly praised debut EP, 2022’s Today, Tomorrow, Whenever, as well as sharing live-streamed performances with fans who tuned in each weekend. “The only thing we could do was write music,” Ben says, “so we had all these ideas we were bouncing off one another, and the second studios opened again we were in there recording.”
“I think the EP speaks to what we were all going through at the time,” Joel adds. “Some points were chilled out, others we were crawling the walls – that’s why there are so many different moods.” Today, Tomorrow, Whenever also speaks to the band’s willingness to experiment until they landed on the sound that would shape their debut album. Early songs such as “Do You Want It” have an Oasis twang, laden with reverb and led by Joel’s natural, gravelly burr, while “Monday” has more of a contemporary rock sound.
The album itself delves into the band’s experiences growing up in northern towns, along with classic tales of love, lust and misadventure. Produced by Sugarhouse, the band’s trusted collaborators, it bursts with life: “Some of the tracks were ones we just wanted to have fun with,” Ben says, “while others are definitely more reflective of the last seven or eight years.”
Over time, the band have grown to realise that every single song on their debut reflects their experiences over the years. Themes of loss also strike a chord with Ben, who lost his dad just before lockdown: “We’ve never been shy about saying how we feel,” he says. “Everyone struggled during lockdown – Joel’s really vocal about mental health awareness – and we just say how it is. We’re not afraid to put that in a song.”
“We’ve known each other a long time,” Joel agrees. “We’ve all gone through loss, through breakups, a lot of things. That’s something that only makes our bond stronger.”
Once Upon a Weekend’s release will coincide with Corella’s biggest headline tour to date, meaning fans old and new will get to experience their chemistry in real time. Because whatever happens, the band are friends for life, tied together by the bond their music has created for them. “There’ve been moments for all of us where we had to pull each other out of the rubble,” says Ben. “We’ll always be there for each other, no matter what.”
‘Once Upon A Weekend’ Tracklist:
1. Don’t Stop Me
2. Let Me Go
3. Drifting
4. Head Underwater
5. Lady Messiah
6. Hometown
7. Didn’t Know Your Name
8. Tommy Loser
9. Say You Wanna
10. Laidback11. Rock The Boat
DISCOVER CORELLA:
