THE FRONT ROW

Westside Cowboy have emerged from Manchester’s ever-churning guitar scene with the kind of track that immediately grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go. ‘Alright Alright Alright’, the latest slice of slacker-rock from the quartet, is a high-octane, fuzz-drenched ride through the wild terrain of modern indie, equal parts chaos and craft.

From the very first bars, it’s clear this isn’t just another indie floor-filler. There’s a North-West rawness to their sound, the fast-paced, overdriven energy that recalls early Strokes or Parquet Courts, but with an extra shot of adrenaline and an unmistakably British bite. It’s rock’n’roll, sure, but filtered through a lens of DIY grit, wry humour, and post-Britpop ennui.

‘Alright Alright Alright’ is also a track of personal significance for the band, it was the first thing they ever played together, in a practice room, with no thought of an audience. That sense of instinctive chemistry and zero-expectations joy carries through here. It’s a track that feels immediate and alive, like it could fall apart at any moment – but doesn’t. Fuzz pedals squeal, drums thrash, and the vocals tumble out in a torrent of gleeful recklessness. There’s a cowboy at the centre of it all, apparently – though they say if you take more than that from the song, “consider us impressed.”

What makes Westside Cowboy more than just another scrappy four-piece is the magic in the margins. All four members sing, and their harmonies don’t just bolster the sound – they redefine it. On ‘Alright Alright Alright’, lead lines compete and then resolve, vocal layers crashing into each other like waves before flowing together with uncanny cohesion. The effect is a kind of glorious mess – think early Supergrass via a lo-fi garage filter.

Behind the scenes is producer Lewis Whiting of English Teacher (2024 Mercury Prize winners), whose touch manages to keep the fire lit without taming it. It’s scruffy and loud but never incoherent – a testament to the group’s balance of instinct and discipline.

They’ve already made serious noise on the live circuit – four packed-out shows at The Great Escape, a Glastonbury Emerging Talent win, and upcoming support slots with Black Country, New Road and Blondshell. There’s a buzz around them that doesn’t feel manufactured. You get the sense that Westside Cowboy are accidentally becoming stars, and that only makes them more magnetic.

There’s also this genre-fluid streak running through everything they do. Yes, it’s slacker rock, but there’s trad, country, and even a whiff of Merseybeat under the distortion – a sound they’ve cheekily dubbed “Britainicana”. It shouldn’t work, but somehow it does.

‘Alright Alright Alright’ is their third single and it already sounds like a set-closer. It’s a shot of pure energy from a band just starting to realise their power. If the EP lands as hard as this, the small stages they’re tearing up this summer might be the last ones they ever play.