Think you know The Lilacs’ sound? Think again.
New single ‘What’s The Worst That Can Happen?’ emphasizes a new string to the Wigan quartet’s bow, with a head-bobbing anthem.
Designed for sun-soaked festival stages and mass singalongs, The Lilacs dial back the speed, but turn up the groove.
‘What’s The Worst That Can Happen’ uses a rhythmic ‘nod along’ backing to disguise youth anxiety and the stagnation of being in your mid-twenties, with a cheerful musical canvas.
Cutting through the traditional indie bass and drum setup, the piano melodies featured at the start of the track act as the heartbeat throughout. Their signature jangly guitars cut and weave seamlessly around the keys.
In a live setting, this ballad feels destined to deliver that singalong moment all bands strive for. The danceable, bouncing rhythm guarantees just that.
Lyrically, frontman Ollie Anglesea dives into the British indie trope of realism and kitchen-sink conversations, exploring themes of discourse and advice from the old man on the bus.
The tongue-in-cheek response of “If you wait too long, your clothes will go out of fashion”, masquerades as humour in the face of youth anxieties.
As track 7 on the Wigan outfits debut album, coming later this year, this serves as the perfect tonal shift towards the second half.
Keeping Up With The Joneses’ will be released on October 2nd. Both the album and the single are out via Manchester’s renowned independent label ‘Scruff Of The Neck’.
The album is produced by Joe Cross (Courteneers, Hurts) and recorded at sessions split between Manchester and Paris. The single is one of eight new songs to feature on ‘Keeping Up With The Joneses‘, which is completed by fresh recordings of fan favourites and live staples ‘Grace’ and ‘Vicarage Road’.
The album is available to pre-order via the bands website, offering a CD, cream vinyl, signed lilac galaxy vinyl with alternate black artwork and the sh*t shirt Dave edition vinyl. There’s also a new bucket hat on offer. The first 500 orders of any physical album format will be rewarded with a signed art print. Meanwhile, select indie stores have an exclusive red cornetto vinyl with a signed obi strip, packaged in alternate red artwork.
Formed in Wigan by Ollie Anglesea and Sam Birchall (guitar), The Lilacs are completed by Matt Johnson (bass) and Dave Gomersall (drums). They debuted early in 2019 with ‘Vicarage Road’ and have been building a grassroots following ever since, winning further fans with ‘Grace’ in 2023 and scoring a Top 10 on the Independent Albums Chart with ‘The 395 (To Forever)’ EP in 2025.
They’ve played shows with Lottery Winners and The Lathums and hit countless festivals from Isle of Wight to Truck. And that has been rewarded with ever-bigger headline shows, so far peaking with a sold-out 2700-capacity headline show in Manchester.
Their ascension so far hasn’t been without challenges however. Sam Birchall recently received the all clear from cancer following a year of treatment – his story documented by both ITV and BBC. But now with ‘Keeping Up With The Joneses’, it’s only a matter of time until the challenge is keeping up with The Lilacs.
The Lilacs can be seen live in 2026 at the following dates:
JULY
23rd – Cheshire, In It Together Festival
23rd-26th – Oxfordshire, Truck Festival
25th – Suffolk, Latitude
30th-Aug 2nd – Derbyshire, Y NOT? Festival
AUGUST
16th – Isle of Wight, Robin Hood Adventure Park (with Scouting For Girls)
21st – Blackpool, Winter Gardens (with The Fratellis)
30th – Leeds Festival
29th – Wakefield, Tileyard North (with Ocean Colour Scene)
Written by Brad Halcrow for The Songbird HQ