Though they’re big enough to sell out a venue like New York’s beloved Music Hall of Williamsburg, the Manchester, U.K., band Westside Cowboy like to keep things pretty simple, and very real — backstage, onstage, and off. “People want to hear someone sing
with a beautiful voice and amazing lyrics, and then fuck up a line,” vocalist-bassist Aoife Anson O’Connell told Rolling Stone back in August. “They’re searching for something more tangible.” At last night’s show, O’Connell, alongside vocalist-guitarist Jimmy Bradbury, drummer Paddy Murphy, and singer-guitarist Reuben Haycocks, delivered a set that stayed true to their mission of no-frills rock & roll that forces us to be connected and present in a world that feels anything but.
In jeans, T-shirts, and a simple backdrop, they barreled through songs from their debut LP, It Goes On — and invited Rolling Stone backstage for a glimpse into their down-to-earth pre-show rituals (which include some questionable hummus).
Click through for our best photos from the night, which began with an opening set from another Rolling Stone Artist You Need to Know, Philadelphia’s Star Moles.
Photos by Griffin Lotz
Words by Marissa R. Moss
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