WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2

‘Don’t spend a lifetime looking for heaven when you can find it on the A27.’ Five-piece band Welly should know because they’re from Southampton and Brighton which are linked by that major road.

• Read on for reasons including where to see Welly on tour in 2024 and 2025

Big In The Suburbs is the title track and opening salvo from their debut album released 21 March 2025 and they play extensively across the UK to support its release in the run-up to it.

We 1st heard the song last summer at an outdoor gig at The Scoop near Tower Bridge and said of it: ‘It truly feels as though, despite all the willingness to crowdplease, Welly is finally nailing his/their political colours to the mast about ‘nationalising hate’.’

Other lyrics we love include: ‘It’s monarchy and poverty that makes Britain great. It’s property and proper tea and trains running late … A beautiful new estate named after farmland it’s replaced.’

It sounds like actual Harry Enfield sampled on the introduction of the track which reminds of Pulp and Blur but reinforced by the very British before Britpop storytelling of bands like The Jam and The Kinks, a description we have A Humdrum Mum (Or Be Your Own Bee) to thank for who saw Welly live last in September on their National Service Part 1 Tour in Southampton.

We’ve written previously how we’ve not fallen so in love with a band since Pulp and My Life Story in 90s Britpop and can’t wait to catch up with them at their biggest London show to date, ticket link below, next month at a venue where we saw our 1st gig since Covid.

We’re not quite so convinced by The X Factor-style video above but think it fits thematically with the song although we worry whether it’s just a little bit too sneery as the worst elements of that show were.

Love the ‘You have been watching’ credit in recent videos though which bring to mind British classic comedies like It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Are You Being Served? and Hi-De-Hi! from the 70s and 80s.

In August 2023 in a fever dream after that almighty The Scoop show and before seeing them the next day at Southsea’s glorious Victorious Festival we wrote: ‘We can see them being as big as 90s Blur in 18 months or so. Should that be their wish.’

Clock is ticking. Crucially, time and the songs we’ve already heard are very much on their side and promise so much for an explosive 2025.

• Main pictures via Facebook courtesy Welly Tickets
• Have you seen a Welly show before and what did you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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