Ska-punk legends RANDOM HAND herald their forthcoming new album with a brand new video.
'The Cycle' is taken from the Yorkshire quartet's self-titled fifth album which arrives just as they celebrate their 20th Anniversary.
“Lyrically, ‘The Cycle’ is inspired by the instability of the world we live in,” explains singer Robin Leitch. “There seems to be something of an epidemic in recent years in regard to how secure we feel our environment is. One minute everyone seems to be getting on, and the idea of empathy is at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and then at the drop of the hat we revert to dog eat dog, just like that.
“Embracing the true DIY punk ethos,” he says of the making of the new video, “and struggling to find a suitable video location, we decided to get the tools out and modify a section of our own rehearsal space. You may enjoy the thrash of a double-speed guitar, but there is no music like that of a hammer on a nail. We stayed up late the night before, drilling, sawing, and listening to disco. I even nicked a couple of lights from the theatre I work in. We pooled our resources to create a blank canvas to perform against, and hoped the music would speak for itself.”
Set for release on 29 September through Bomber Music, Random Hand is available to pre-order here.
The band have lined up a bunch of dates to coincide, including the London edition of their HandFest mini-festivals, at Tufnell Park Dome on 30 September where they'll be joined by Popes Of Chilitown, The JB Conspiracy, Crazy Arm, Call Me Malcolm, Darko, Tree House Fire, Hell’s Ditch, Mr Shiraz, Roshambo, Traits and Till I’m Bones.
“Bringing our 20th anniversary celebration to an end, we descend upon London with another incredible two stage line-up,” says bassist Joe Tilston. “Welcoming some incredible friends we've made along the way, and some bands we are desperate to see. The huge variety of bands is testament to the diverse and inspiring scene Random Hand has been a big part of, over the last two decades.”
Full dates are...
27 Sept - Bradford, The Underground
28 Sept - Nottingham, The Cold Store
29 Sept - Norwich, Arts Centre
30 Sept- London, The Dome HANDFEST
1 Oct - Bristol, The Fleece
5 Oct - Manchester, Rebellion
6 Oct - York, The Crescent
7 Oct - Glasgow, Garage Attic
8 Oct - Newcastle, Think Tank
Pic by Danny Payne