Turning The Page

Bands evolve. Sometimes slowly, sometimes all at once.

Recently we said goodbye (for now, at least) to Warren as a full time member of Darwin's Rejects. There's no fallout, no dramatic subplot, no smashed mandolins backstage - just life doing what life does. Warren's got some really exciting projects going on, and the rest of us are really excited for him. Priorities shift, paths bend, and occasionally you find yourself at a crossroads you might have foreseen, but still didn't quite expect!

Warren's fingerprints are all over Broken Nation and Unnatural Selection - the melodies, the lyrics, everything - and we remain genuinely proud of what we built together, and grateful for the graft he put in. It matters. We've been kidnapping him during the transition, and even got a bit more studio time out of him too, more on that in due course!

But here's the thing about a six-piece band; when one piece moves, everything else has to recalibrate.

The five-piece reset

Operating as a five-piece ensemble changes the physics. Perversely, it might be less of a subliminal barrier when securing bookings and support slots - there's something about saying there's six of you (even though you can set up and be ready inside about 20 minutes max and clear down in the same time) that makes promoter's sphincters tighten, haha!

Songs feel different, though. Spaces open up. Parts need rethinking, you might see Jamie taking on more guitar duties, or Ellie switching over to acoustic for some songs - it remains to be seen how we tackle Warren's mid-range backing vocals. But early indications are that we can make it work - of course a talent like Warren leaves a big gap, but we're nothing if not adaptable.

There's something oddly energising about it.

It forces you to ask uncomfortable questions:

• Does this song still stand up a little more stripped back?

• Are we hiding behind arrangement?

• Where's the real pulse?

Some tracks have grown teeth. Others have grown space. And in rehearsals, there's that familiar feeling again - the one you get at the start of something, when it's not entirely settled and that's exactly why it's exciting.

We've also started to bring some new material to the fore - which of course, will have been composed without our enigmatic guitarist in mind. We're excited to start to bring some new songs to you.

The booking battlefield

If you're in a grassroots band in 2026, you'll know this already: getting gigs isn't just about being 'good' or having followers.

It's inboxes.

It's polite follow-ups.

It's silence.

It's 'we've gone with someone else'

It's algorithms It's promoters hedging bets.

We're not unique in this. Plenty of brilliant artists are grafting just as hard, if not harder.

But we're still here. Still pushing. Still sending emails. Still turning up. And when the bookings do land, they matter - then there's the small matter of trying to secure enough sales to make the event work when promoters do give us the opportunity. Times are really tough out there for everyone.

What's next?

We've got some cracking dates ahead:

Murphyfest - our very own celebration of grassroots music, community and organised chaos, raising money for two fantastic charities, with an amazing array of music from ourselves, Shanks' Pony, Just Fran and Ding n John.

Wroot Rocks - we'll be sharing the bill with our ex, ha! Warren's new project Musical Fruit will be strutting their stuff along with us.

If you've been meaning to come and see us, now's a really good time. You'll be able to bear witness to the next part of our journey - hearing us in a slightly different form, but we're confident it will be just as engaging!

Same songs (and some new ones!)

Same spirit

New chapter.

See you at the front!