Having recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, the collective release the third and final offering before releasing their forthcoming LP. New single “Moving On” sits amongst multiple genres as frontman and legendary DJ Barry Ashworth wanted to write something in a different vein to anything the band have done before. He explains, “‘Moving On’ is kind of dark with a ‘Ghost Town’ feel. But it still has an uplifting message”. After going over ideas and melodies that he had written with Ashley Slater, Barry then worked with King Yoof to give the track its darker edge before bringing in Natty Campbell to voice the verses.
Natty adds, "It was a pleasure as always to collaborate with Barry and King Yoof on ‘Moving On’, it was one of those tunes that came very easily. The beat is a bit different and it was good fun to showcase different styles of vocals while lyrically sending a positive message. It's one of those tunes that goes off live and has everyone singing, so it's great to be involved in the dub pistols musical family and contributing more tracks.”
Not many acts stay together for a quarter of a century and still remain firing on all cylinders. However, Dub Pistols juggernaut rolls on, exploring fresh sonic pastures and accelerating into 2023. The multi-cultural collective has involved dozens of artists and musicians over the years — some remaining for years, a few for the duration, and others just popping in for a guest appearance. Their sound has accordingly morphed a variety of times since their inception: taking in dub, punk, jungle, ska, breakbeat, hip-hop and a whole lot more, it’s been a long road travelled.
The genesis of the Dub Pistols began when former club promoter and Deja Vu singer Barry Ashworth started DJing in the mid-90s. Unable to mix records properly at first, Barry got assorted pals to scratch and play horns over the top of his sets. Inspired by the anything-goes attitude of the late 90s genre that came to be called big beat in the UK — acts like The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim and Propellerheads, labels such as Wall Of Sound and Skint — Barry was drawn to start making tracks for his DJ sets, alongside long-term cohort Jason O’Bryan. Throughout their eight-album career and literally thousands of shows, the band has rolled with the punches — enduring setbacks before piecing themselves back together and morphing into one of the most loved and enduring festival bands on the circuit.
Ambitiously, Dub Pistols threw their first festival in 2019 — Mucky Weekender in the Sussex countryside. Featuring Leftfield, Stanton Warriors, Don Letts and many more, it caught the tail-end of the summer sun and was raved about by all attendees. The success of the first Mucky Weekender set it up nicely to become an annual event.
Barry has also been very open about his addictions and mental health issues over the years, and in 2019 he did his first Wing Walk — strapped to the top of a bi-plane — to raise money for Tonic Music For Mental Health. This has evolved into an annual Flying Circus fundraiser, involving friends from the music world such as Bez from the Happy Mondays, and Barry has now become a patron of the Tonic organisation.
Fast-forward to 2023 and the Dub Pistols have just celebrated 25 years of riotous mayhem and righteous marauding with a new album, a documentary, another festival, and a whole lot more to come.
Dub Pistols new single “Moving On” is out now - stream “Moving On” here. Watch the video for “Moving On” here. The upcoming album Frontline, due for release March 10, 2023- pre-save here.
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