An amalgam of 80s punk-pop die-hards, XGenerationX are a new supergroup comprising Generation X drummer Mark Laff, Spandau Ballet’s Steve Norman and Elizabeth Westwood from Westworld on vocals. They head out on a national tour later this year and, along for the ride, is Lounge Society guitarist Herbie May, who will be playing support slots on a number of dates.
“I’ve spent the last 18 months with my mind elsewhere, stone cold sober, not going out very much,” says Herbie. “Just filling notebooks, mostly with unintelligible neurotic ramblings, occasionally striking on a word that feels true. I’ve been trying to make some sense of the way we exist now. These songs are the first results of that doomed experiment. And then I got this chance to play them live, in the flesh, armed with only my guitar. And that’s a terrifying idea but it’s absolutely necessary.”
Herbie’s solo sound reflects his passion for artists renowned for their emotional vulnerability and storytelling, such as Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett, as well as his love of eclectic rock acts PJ Harvey, Matt Johnson of The The and Townes Van Zandt.
It is something of a departure from The Lounge Society’s bass-funked prog-indie, although not a dramatic one, and Herbie is keen to stress that his solo outing is in no way any kind of permanent drift from the band.
“The Lounge Society is better than ever. I’m perpetually inspired by – and in awe of – the other boys. We’ve been writing and recording for a second album and have a couple of songs coming out more or less imminently. We’ve been recording with Jolyon Thomas at The Libertines studio, The Albion Rooms.”
The last two years have seen The Lounge Society go through something of a reinvention process. After some soul-searching, they’ve come out the other side rejuvenated and full of optimism.
“I think that as a band we’re tighter than ever and, when we get back out there, we’re going to blow a few minds. The boys have been completely behind me doing my own stuff. I wouldn’t do it otherwise.”
The Lounge Society came to prominence during the pandemic with the single Generation Game, which was followed by the EP Silk for the Starving and a poll-topping debut album Tired of Liberty, all produced by the legendary Dan Carey and released on Carey’s label Speedy Wunderground.
“Obviously, I’ve been very lucky to work with great producers like Dan, Jolyon Thomas and now Gordon Raphael [The Strokes] and they’re all very different. But what they share is a desire to work quickly, to get to the beating heart of a song, be that a pure heart or a blackened one. They get things done.”
The XGENERATIONX tour dates – *featuring Herbie as support:
Sunday 9th November – The Brunswick, Hove.
*Tuesday 11th November – The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge.
*Wednesday 12th November – Oran Mor, Glasgow.
*Thursday 13th November – The Cluny, Newcastle.
Friday 14th November – The Tunnels, Aberdeen.
Saturday 15th November – Beat Generator, Dundee.
Sunday 16th November – The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh.
*Tuesday 18th November – Social, Hull.
*Wednesday 19th November – Future Yard, Birkenhead.
*Thursday 20th November – The 100 Club, London.
Friday 21st November – Holy Diver, Stockport.
*Sunday 23rd – Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester.
Follow Herbie May and The Lounge Society on Instagram.
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