Roddy Woomble is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s finest songwriters. For the past two decades Roddy has also been the frontman of much-loved Scottish alternative rock band Idlewild, releasing eight studio albums, and touring worldwide as a headline act, but also in support to R.E.M., Pearl Jam and U2 among others.
Lo Soul is the new single from Roddy Woomble, the first from his latest solo album Lo! Soul released in May 2021.
Produced and mixed by recent collaborator Andrew Mitchell (aka Andrew Wasylyk), the new LP was recorded remotely between Roddy’s home in the Hebrides and Andrew’s studio in Dundee throughout 2020 while Scotland was locked down.
Roddy says: “I’m a collaborative songwriter, used to working in a room with one or more people, or a band, and I think my songs benefit from that human connection and response. With lockdown last year my initial reaction was not to work on songs. It offered a pause for us all, and like many others I found myself alone and reflecting. Concentrating on reading and writing. Considering maybe working on a book of poems instead…
“Gradually though, I started developing songs on my acoustic guitar which I would record on my phone and send on to Andrew in Dundee. Around then, my friend and musician Danny Grant, based in Glasgow, began sharing his wonderful electronic grooves and rhythms with me. I started improvising over these with my poems.
“It didn’t feel like an album we were creating at this stage though, more a scrapbook of this particular moment. As restrictions eased in the summer I spent three days in Andrew’s studio recording vocals and developing these ideas. Other than this, the album was all recorded remotely – Dundee, Glasgow and the Hebrides.”
Both musically and lyrically, the single is a mix of optimism and pessimism – attitudes that we have all been trying to keep in balance this past year. Roddy explains:”I have always been an admirer of the word ‘Lo’, Walt Whitman uses it quite a bit – (..’Lo, the unbounded sea…) It is a call to attention, in its dictionary definition. I’m using it like a wake-up call – a wake-up call through the ages!”
The album Lo! Soul was released digitally in May 2021, followed by a vinyl and CD release in July 2021, including a limited edition indie record store exclusive coloured vinyl.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR TICKET HOLDERS: We appreciate that with live music events there will be people who wish to dance. We are an all-seated venue and we ask that you be respectful of those around you, particularly if by standing up to dance you then block the view of someone behind. For safety reasons we request that you refrain from dancing in any part of the Circle. We are sorry if this causes disappointment or frustration.