The Heavy North: Liverpool band reflect on UK tour and tease prospect of new music in 2023

Liverpool blues rock band The Heavy North are fresh off a huge UK tour which has seen them play in all corners of the country.

Taking their debut album ‘Electric Soul Machine’ on tour for the first time, The Heavy North told LiverpoolWorld all about life on the road, their favourite gig, their biggest hometown show to date and their first ever European show.

Here is what the band had to say, and what fans can expect from them looking ahead to 2023.

Now that you have wrapped up your tour, can you sum up how it’s been?

“Our UK tour was amazing. One of the best things was meeting so many of our friends, fans and followers across the country – most of which we hadn’t met in person but they’d been following and supporting The Heavy North throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were grateful to play some legendary venues too, like The Dublin Castle in Camden, where we were blown away by the crowds, especially during such a challenging time when everyone’s feeling the pinch!”

Could you pick a favourite gig on tour?

“Each of us enjoyed kicking off our UK tour at Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh (September 15). It was the excitement of knowing we were on the road for 10 days. We were joined by two great support bands too, Jupiter Strange and Dovv, and it really set the bar for the rest of the UK tour.

“Ultimately, it’s difficult to beat our hometown headline show at the Arts Club which was the last night of the tour.

“We were joined by our ‘Electric Soul Machine Band’ (featuring a fantastic string quartet, brass section and backing singers) to perform our debut album from start to finish to a 500-capacity sold out crowd. We feel that show in particular was definitely a landmark moment for The Heavy North.”

How has it been to get your music to fans across the country?

“It was great to play to new crowds and fans each night, and whether we were playing to people who had been following our music for years or whether we were playing to people who had never heard of us before, our shows seemed to have been really well received.

“We’ve actually been invited back to most of the venues from our UK tour – so that’s got to be a good sign?”

You’ve played your first overseas gig this month- how was it? Were there any distinct differences to a UK gig?

“Yes, we had a boss time over in Gibraltar recently for The Heavy North’s first overseas date – which is technically still a UK show!

“We were invited over by a Gibraltar-based promoter called Futuresoundz, and it was a great way to end the tour and play to a completely new fanbase.”

The Liverpool gig seemed highly anticipated- how was it to finally play?

“The Liverpool show was certainly The Heavy North’s biggest and best show to date – not only because we played our album from start to finish as a 15-piece band, but it was amazing to meet so many fans who had travelled from far and wide to see us.

“We met fans from Aberdeen, Dover, France and even Austria – and we were so grateful to share that special show with everyone.”

Are there any plans for new music on the horizon?

“Although we loved taking our debut album Electric Soul Machine on tour across the UK, we’re really looking forward to some off-stage time in the studio to record our second album which we hope will be released in 2023.

“We wrote and recorded Electric Soul Machine in 2021 as a five-piece, and we’re looking forward to working on new material over the coming weeks and months as a six-piece following the addition of Jack (guitarist) in January this year.

“Keep your eyes on The Heavy North’s website and social media channels over the coming weeks for news about new material and our first live shows of 2023.”