Louis Dunford - Be Lucky (RCA) 
Release Date: Out Now
This, my friends, is what I would describe as not just an important album but also a special album. I've enjoyed the evolution and rise of Louis Dunford through a series of singles but now we've reached the release of his debut album and all the stars have aligned, the lights have turned green and we've got three jackpots on the fruity. 'Be Lucky' opens with 'Superman' and the glorious strings that lift you up but also stir up nostalgia with a sound that straddles 'Bittersweet Symphony' and a trance anthem - and we all sing along "we're not coming down til the morning". Up next is '1999' which is more of a road-tripping, escapist tune that calls back to a whole load of 90s artefacts from Tupac and Princess Diana to MTV and BMX.
Dunford is not all about the anthems though as we take the tempo down a level on 'Madeline's Medicine' for an indie swooner before 'The Unlucky Ones' shows off our hero's storytelling skills as he tells the tale of a wannabe DJ succumbing to addiction and slipping into afterlife with lines like "he sold his whole record collection just to sniff it all away". It's the everyman approach to songwriting and social observation that makes this such an accessible and affecting record - if Frank Turner trades in Politics then Louis Dunford is Sociologist. Recent single 'Queer' still hits hard as the intimate and somber piano melody underpins a late-night vocal telling of the homophobic and violent parenting Dunford observed his friend receive - "your father thinks I'm queer cause I like writing songs" is a killer of an opening line.
'Under Waterloo Skies' brings us back to Dunford's native London with a lazily delivered sunset of a song but then things kick up a notch on the brilliant 'Rave Now Die Later' which could could be a late 90s indie anthem were it not for the lyrical focus on anxiety, mental health and mentions of joining the gym. We're back on storytelling again as 'Billy Flynn of Bethnal Green' tells of the duality of an Irish immigrant champion boxer who liked to cross dress in Soho but was forced to keep both worlds apart for fear of recriminations and bigotry. 'England Till I Die?' is perhaps the prescient track on the album with its simple but powerful take down of the small minded, island mentality that oozes out of pubs covered in red St George's crosses and racist tattoos.
'Lucy' takes us on a formative night out where Dunford's friends have chipped in to get him a night with a prostitute so that he can lose his V plates but conversation takes priority over anything more XXX rated. So much of British life is represented on this record but the cornerstone is the pub so it's no surprise that 'The Local' takes into Dunford's boozer to meet all his friends, family, neighbours and, let's face it, inspirations - it's a beautiful song and almost certainly the only one in existence to feature the line "I watch dodgy Dave sell stolen steak out of a Tesco bag". 'PTSD' is a dreamy, 80s inspired ode to the conflict between pills and proper therapy before penultimate and title track 'Be Lucky' gives us a song of two halves - one which drifts through the streets like a memory, one which stands on the street corner, screaming to anyone willing to listen.
The album finishes, appropriately, with 'Angel (North London Forever)' which is a tribute to Dunford's home turf but has also been adopted by Arsenal fans at home matches which has got to be a special moment for any football supporting musician. There is so much in this album - it is rich with ideas and observations, steeped in influences of great British songwriting and liberally sprinkled with the kind of lyrics that mean something and will end up as tattoos on many people because of that. I would implore you to spend some time with this album and I would be amazed if you didn't fall in love with at least one song and/or start welling up when you hear a line that really hits home. Go on, treat yourself.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/louisdunfordmusic
Live Dates:
Sun 23rd March 2025 - Newcastle @ NX
Mon 24th March 2025 - Hull @ Asylum Hall
Tue 25th March 2025 - Glasgow @ Barrowland
Thu 27th March 2025 - Manchester @ Albert Hall
Fri 28th March 2025 - Dublin @ Olympia
Sat 29th March 2025 - Liverpool @ 02 Academy - SOLD OUT
Mon 31st March 2025 - Sheffield @ Leadmill - SOLD OUT
Tue 1st April 2025 - Leeds @ 02 Academy
Wed 2nd April - Birmingham @ 02 Institute
Fri 4th April - Bristol @ 02 Academy - SOLD OUT
Sat 5th April - Brighton @ Chalk - SOLD OUT
Mon 7th April - Cardiff @ Tramshed
Tue 8th April - Southampton @ Engine Rooms - SOLD OUT
Thu 10th April - Norwich @ UEA
Fri 11th April 2025 - London @ Ally Pally - SOLD OUT