WORTH A LOOK? ****

Southampton 5-piece Welly approach their difficult 2nd album – or is it technically their 3rd? – without fear on this 145-second tale of being rebuffed romantically that feels more New Order than their previous Britpop-inspired efforts.

• Read on for reasons including where to see Welly on a UK and European tour this autumn

Lead singer and songwriter Elliot Hall, nicknamed Welly, is quite probably the song’s protagonist and 1 of the titular skinny boys observing: ‘Another broken heart, another Skinny Boy … Move to the city boy.’

Hall produced debut album proper Big In The Suburbs, shortlisted for a Best Album of 2025 monsta, as well as the similarly acclaimed Live In A Village Hall in 2023.

We hope it’s not too early to talk about the next album as Skinny Boy appears to be the 1st single from it and wonder whether it will mark Hall’s lyrical debut in the city after dwelling in a village and suburbs.

It’s interesting that former Suede producer Ed Buller is behind the desks for Skinny Boy and we’ve high hopes for new material after catching some early songs in YouTube footage of the band.

It’s live where the band make most sense and they won our monsta for Best Gig of 2024 at The MOTH Club in London as well as being shortlisted for Best Song for Cul-De-Sac that year.

Tickets are already onsale for a brief UK and European tour this autumn including a London gig where we hope to join them once more.

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