Cardiff Times

Bilk share slick new video for 'Tommy' - to perform at Cardiff on the 6th of Feb
2025-02-06 | The Globe, 125 Albany Rd, CF24 3NS
Bilk have been building a cult-like grassroots following for a while now, but 2025 will be the year they break into far bigger things with the January 24th release of their second album ‘Essex, Drugs and Rock and Roll’. Their recent singles – ‘Summer Days’ and ‘On It’ – have shown that their ambition, accomplishment and versatility has hit the next level, without losing the chaotic streak and larger-than-life personality that sets them apart from the pack. With recent support including Radio X, Clash and Dork, that statement is reiterated as they now share the album’s latest single ‘Tommy’.
‘Tommy’ is the sound of a band playing for maximal impact, with bouncy hip-hop-meets-indie-rock verses setting the tone before unleashing the raw punk rush of the hook – with a killer elastic bassline and a searing hard rock solo thrown in for good measure. Vocalist/guitarist Sol Abrahams delivers every line with venom, with the song’s story – a young woman whose life is wanted by falling in love with a waster – inspired by their local Essex heartlands, but instantly recognisable everywhere across the UK.
Sol says, “‘Tommy’ is the story of an aspiring actress who gets involved with this guy who’s a bit of a wrong ‘un and he takes her down the wrong path. I wrote it quickly and the solo is enough to melt your face clean off.”
‘Tommy’ was written by Sol, and recorded with his bandmates Luke Hare (bass) and Harry Gray (drums) at sessions split between Edge Studios and Silkmill Studios, with production from Andy Gannon (AIKO, The HARA).
From debuting in 2018 to releasing their self-titled debut album in 2023, Bilk’s ethos has always been about delivering gritty, authentic rock ‘n’ roll that lives in the moment and provides an escape from the mundanity of daily life. It’s a stance that instigates unrestrained energy and drama at lives, with memorable London headline gigs at Omeara, The 100 Club and The Garage as well as an infamous Rough Trade in-store which resulted in them being banned from the shop, plus big festival moments at Reading, Leeds, SXSW, Truck, The Great Escape and Louis Tomlinson’s Away From Home.
Bilk end 2024 by headlining a special fundraising show at Guildford’s Boileroom to benefit the mental health charity CALM. 2025 then gets underway with their most expansive headline tour to date, which includes their biggest London show at the Electric Ballroom and then continues across Europe. The band’s dates are below, remaining tickets are available HERE.

FEBRUARY
5th – Bristol, Thekla
6th – Cardiff, The Globe
7th – London, Electric Ballroom
13th – Manchester, Academy 2
14th – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
15th – Newcastle, Northumbria Students Union
16th – Glasgow, SWG3 Warehouse
19th – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
20th – Norwich, Arts Centre
21st – Birmingham, O2 Academy 2
22nd – Southampton, Engine Shed

MARCH
3rd – Paris, La Boule Noire
4th – Antwerp, Kavka Oudaan
5th – Rotterdam, Rotown
7th – Copenhagen, Ideal Bar @ Vega
8th – Hamburg, Hebebuhne
9th – Berlin, Privatclub
11th – Warsaw, Klub Hydrozagadka
12th – Krakow, Klub Gwarek
13th – Prague, Café V lese
14th – Vienna, Chelsea
15th – Munich, Milla
16th – Milan, Circolo Magnolia
26th – Cork, Winthrop Avenue
27th – Galway, Roisin Dubh
28th – Belfast, Oh Yeah Music Centre
29th – Dublin, The Workman’s Club
