I caught Westside Cowboy at Neighbourhood Weekender in Warrington back in May, and they were one of my absolute highlights of the festival. So I’m very excited (understatement!) to hear that the Manchester four-piece are heading to Australia for the first time next March, with headline shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, as well as an appearance at Golden Plains.
It’s been quite a year for the band. Their debut album It Goes On arrived in August, eleven tracks recorded with producer Loren Humphrey, who has also worked with Geese, Cameron Winter and Wunderhorse.
Formed in Manchester in 2023, the band comprises Jimmy Bradbury (vocals, guitar), Reuben Haycocks (vocals, guitar), Aoife Anson O’Connell (vocals, bass) and Paddy Murphy (drums). Their approach from the outset was to keep things simple, something Haycocks explains rather neatly when talking about their early songwriting sessions:
“Any time we’d disagree on something – which was very rare – we’d just consult the original mission statement: if you’ve got too many chords in it, you’re wrong.”
They’ve earned plenty of accolades in the three years since forming. Winning Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition helped put them on the map, and they’ve since appeared on Later… with Jools Holland and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, toured with Geese and Black Country, New Road, and sold out headline shows in both the UK and US. A North American tour with Fontaines D.C. is also on the horizon.
The band also has a community-minded side. They helped establish No Band Is An Island, a Manchester collective that stages fundraising events and brings local musicians together with charities and campaign groups.
If you haven’t come across Westside Cowboy yet, It Goes On is a good place to start. But having seen them live earlier this year, I reckon these Australian shows will be well worth getting along to. I’ll certainly be there.
Westside Cowboy Australian Tour Dates 2027
Presented by Frontier Touring and Penny Drop.
Monday 8 March – The Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne, VIC
Wednesday 10 March – Metro Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Thursday 11 March – Princess Theatre, Brisbane, QLD
Also appearing at Golden Plains, Meredith, Victoria.
All headline shows are 18+.
Frontier Member Presale: Thursday 22 October, 9am local time, running for 99 hours or until the presale allocation is exhausted.
General Tickets On Sale: Monday 26 October, 1pm local time.
For tickets and further information, visit Frontier Touring.
Header image credit: Clementine Schneidermann
