The Zutons, 2024. From left: Dave McCabe, Abi Harding and Sean Payne. Inset: The Liverpool band’s noughties incarnation.
© Jonathan Frederick Turton
The
Zutons didn’t so much break up as drift apart. Having gained a reputation during the mid-noughties for their psychedelic indie pop songs, including Valerie – famously covered by Amy Winehouse – they ran out of steam come the end of the decade. Their final LP, 2008’s You Can Do Anything, didn’t live up to their Ian Broudieproduced, Mercury-nominated, double platinum debut Who Killed... The Zutons?, with chief songwriter Dave McCabe’s alcohol and drug issues beginning to overshadow the music. The group tentatively reunited for a one-off performance for their friend Kristian Ealey’s wake in 2016. Then after a 15th anniversary tour celebrating the band’s debut, and a stint in rehab for McCabe, he, saxophonist Abi Harding and drummer Sean Payne officially reformed. Now, finally, they return with a lean fourth, The Big Decider, with two legendary names on board for the ride.
Firstly, where have you been for the last 16 years?