Need a new indie band to obsess over? Want to expand your playlist with new artists? If so, we’ve got the band for you, or should I say cowboys.
What happens if you mix four talented kids from Manchester with American and British folk and rock? You get the beloved band called Westside Cowboy.
After experimenting with different bands and styles, Reuben Haycocks, James Bradbury, Aoife Anson O’Connell and Paddy Murphy found themselves in a band called Westside Cowboy and got to where they are today on “accident”. It began as just your usual band, just a way to blow off some steam and have fun. Although it was never the band’s plan to go anywhere after a video of the band started circulating on Instagram, they caught listeners attention right away. Since then, they have been growing nonstop. With their biggest accomplishment playing at the Glastonbury festival this summer, after winning the 2025 emerging talent competition. All this before their EP This Better Be Something Great even being released.
The band shares a unique sound that combines a mixture of folk and alt-rock. The best way to describe the band’s style is with a term they created themselves, “Britannica”, which blends American roots with English influence. Their music takes you back to a simpler time, honouring traditional styles of music with their own take.
Despite their non-stop growth this past year, they’re still the exact same band as they were from the beginning and don’t fold with the pressure that comes from being a growing band to fit into societies conventions. They haven’t changed what their band is about and watching them play just feels like watching a bunch of friends jamming out in their room, except now the room is bigger and there’s more people watching, not just stuffed animals. They even created the “Westside Cowboy manifesto” which are rules for them to avoid overthinking the process and just have fun on stage. They’re natural performers who keep it raw, authentic and original without chasing an ideal which can be harder to find nowadays.
I got to see them perform live on the 21st of November in Cardiff at Clwb Ifor Bach, and all I can say is, if you have the chance, go. They have such an impeccable energy on stage that just echoes onto the crowd creating a lively atmosphere. I just had so much fun throughout the whole gig and couldn’t stop jamming along. With their songs you get to experience a bit of both, one second, you’re getting emotional to a song like Slowly I’m Sure, the next you’re jumping up and down to a song like Alright Alright Alright and the next you’re doing both while rocking your head back and forth. Not only will you fall in love with the band’s music, but you’ll fall in love with the members and their radiating personality that they bring to the stage.
The band is only going to go up from here so now’s the perfect time to start to get to know them. With a bunch of future projects coming up like a UK and Ireland tour starting in the beginning of next year, then opening for the band Geese in Europe, with festivals in the middle of the year, and a whole new album releasing January 16th, with two songs already being released with a positive reaction from fans. So, if you have the chance to see them make sure not to miss out. I will be on the look out to see them again!
Words by Sofia Simaan Cantuaria
Image Courtesy of Sofia Simaan Cantuaria
