With nearly three decades of DIY tenacity behind them, The Wave Pictures continue to refine their status as Britain’s most essential cult band. Ahead of their upcoming album, Gained / Lost—arriving 27th February via Bella Union—the trio has unveiled “The House Painted Blue,” a track that confirms David Tattersall’s reputation as a songwriter of rare, kaleidoscopic vision.
Accompanying the single is a video that sits well alongside the dreamlike Kafkaesque lyricism, featuring black and white sombre-tone movie clips from the likes of John Ford’s 1940 adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath and the 1953 film noir The Hitch-Hiker, directed by Ida Lupino. Blending the fluid guitar stylings of the Allman Brothers with a West African rhythmic lilt, a masterclass in sophisticated pop. On the track’s inspiration, the band notes:
“This song is like a painting, perhaps by Chagall or Matisse. It was inspired lyrically by Franz Kafka. The lyrics are imagistic, with an emphasis on colours… This song is a dream. It feels as though gravity is not rooted in anything, as though you could get to know a completely [different] perspective as your own. In film, a camera floating down from the sky to take in a scene is limited by the capabilities of the machine, but in painting you can be everywhere at once: in a dream, in a memory, in the past and the future. Musically the song has a very hopeful feeling. The guitar style splits the difference between West African bands such as The Bhundu Boys, and Dickey Betts guitar work in the Allman Brothers band. The song has a joyful feeling, but as Matisse shows, and contrary to most pop music, joy doesn’t necessarily suggest an absence of richness, depth and mystery.”
Following a sold-out London date, the band will embark on an extensive UK and European tour throughout February and April, bringing their unfiltered, virtuoso chemistry to stages from Leeds to Berlin.
Gained / Lost is available for preorder now via Bella Union: https://bfan.link/gained-lost
The Wave Pictures UK + EU Tour:
25th February – Leeds @ Brudenell Social Club – TICKETS
26th February – Newcastle @ Cluny 2 – TICKETS
27th February – Glasgow @ Stereo – TICKETS
28th February – Nottingham @ Old Cold Store – TICKETS
1st March – Oxford @ Jericho Tavern – TICKETS
3rd March – Bristol @ Strange Brew – TICKETS
4th March – Cardiff @ Clwb Ifor Bach – TICKETS
5th March – Manchester @ YES – TICKETS
6th March – Brighton @ DUST – TICKETS
12th March – Valladolid @ Desierto Rojo – TICKETS
13th March – Palma de Mallorca @ Sala Zero – TICKETS
14th March – Zaragoza @ La Lata De Bombillas – TICKETS
15th March – Valencia @ 16 Toneladas – TICKETS
16th March – Madrid @ Sala Villanos – TICKETS
17th March – Barcelona @ Razzmatazz 3 – TICKETS
18th March – Bilbao @ Cafe Antzokia – TICKETS
19th March – Santander @ Escenario Santander – TICKETS
20th March – Logrono @ Stereo Rock & Roll Bar – TICKETS
21st March – San Sebastian @ Dabadaba – TICKETS
10th April – Rotterdam @ Rotown – TICKETS
11th April – Bremen @ Schule 21 – TICKETS
12th April – Berlin @ Neue Zukunft – TICKETS
13th April – Dresden @ Ostpol – TICKETS
14th April – Frankfurt @ Zoom – TICKETS
15th April – Munich @ Substanz – TICKETS
17th April – Passau @ Cafe Museum
18th April – Schorndorf @ Club Manufaktur – TICKETS
19th April – Barenbach @ Shorty’s – TICKETS ON THE DOOR ONLY
20th April – Cologne @ 674FM Konzertraum