Wandering Oak presents « Little Barrie »

Little Barrie return to The Cluny in Newcastle upon Tyne on 22 September 2026 with the blend that has defined them since the late 90s: British rock roots wired to American blues, funk and soul. Led by singer-guitarist Barrie Cadogan alongside bassist Lewis Wharton, the band has moved from garage grit to a psyched-out groove language built on tight rhythms, sparse vocals and sharply drawn guitar lines.

After the passing of drummer Virgil Howe in 2017, Cadogan and Wharton paused the project, then re-emerged with long-time ally Malcolm Catto for Quatermass Seven (2020) and Electric War (2025). With Gravity Freeze, they reclaim the Little Barrie name and write with vinyl in mind, letting hooks, low-end pressure and drifting atmospheres frame stories shaped by recent years. The title track circles the eerie half-dream of sleep paralysis, a mood that threads through the record. Tracked in North London with a DIY edge and slotted between Cadogan’s stints with Liam Gallagher and John Squire, The Black Keys and THE THE, these new songs look forward without cutting ties to their early Stark Reality days. On stage, it’s about interplay and feel, where the groove leads and the guitar draws the map.