Blueboy were among the finest bands to emerge from the Sarah Records roster. Formed in Reading in the early ’90s by Keith Girdler and Paul Stewart after their time in Feverfew, the group was later joined by Mark Cousens (bass), Gemma Townley (cello, vocals), Harvey Williams (guitar), Lloyd Haggar -and, later, Martin Rose- (drums). Their debut, If Wishes Were Horses (1992, Sarah Records), distilled childhood nostalgia into just twenty-six minutes- what childhood might sound like, if it were an album, a dreamlike whisper amid jangly guitars, cello, and hushed voices. They followed with Unisex (1994), a quietly daring exploration of identity and emotion, still shimmering with fragile honesty. Their final record of the period, The Bank of England (1998, Shinkansen), felt like a farewell—gentle, bittersweet, and true. In all, they released eight 7-inches and three LPs on Sarah and Shinkansen. Keith Girdler’s passing in May 2007 seemed to close the story. Yet in 2024 Paul, Gemma, Mark and Martin reunited to play live and record new material. That year brought two singles (One and Deux), followed by a return to the stage—culminating in November, when they headlined Jakarta’s Joyland Festival before 10,000 fans alongside Air, St. Vincent and Bombay Bicycle Club. On September 5th they released A Life In Numbers, their first album in twenty-seven years.

What They Say: “Seven Wonders is a song about that blissful and agonising anticipation of seeing someone again in the very early days when you don’t know if it’s all in your head…”

“Cloud Nine is really about getting through the mean reds: ‘it isn’t real, it’s how I feel…’ But it feels very real at the time. We loved the section at the end so much we decided to repeat it:)“

Their Mixtape:

The Wake – Pale Spectre

From the opening bars of this song, it is the ultimate burst of pop. The upbeat drums and vocals were a big influence on our early days of songwriting.

Cocteau Twins – Pandora

Treasure is one of those albums that you can play from start to finish where there isn’t a single weak moment. This period of the Cocteau Twins and beyond influenced some of our more effects driven music and still does to this day. Robin Guthrie creates a unique atmosphere taking the guitars to new places and couple with Elizabeth Fraser’s inimitable vocals, you have a potent combination.

Slowdive – Catch The Breeze

From the same town as us, Reading, and having recorded at the same studio, Blueboy has always marvelled at Slowdive’s music since this song slapped us in the face. Effortlessly it pulls you into its spell which is hard to break free from. They have also returned in spectacular form with new music that makes us realise how we missed them.

Heals – False Alarm

Our loyal and sizable fan base in Indonesia resulted in us playing the main stage at the Joyland Festival in Jakarta in 2024 and while there, we were lucky enough to be exposed to many South East Asian bands who are producing some incredible music. Heals are a group of young musicians that have the sonic energy of My Vitriol and wouldn’t be out of place on the Creation label at its height.

The Chesterfields – Lunchtime For The Wild Youth

When it was announced that Davey from The Chesterfields had died in a tragic accident, the world lost a great wit and lyricist. Their first album Kettle epitomises growing up as a teenage indie kid but Crocodile Tears shows a mature shift in song writing, beautiful pop arrangements and more killer lyrics. This can be summed up no better than the end refrain of this song when Davey sings, “Instead of peace and revolution, we’ve got AIDS and Whitney Houston” – almost like a post-new wave apology to those free loving parents of the ‘60s who wished for so much more.

The Motorcycle Boy – The World Falls Into Place

Another sad loss is Alex Taylor (formerly of the Shop Assistants) who, with her bandmates in The Motorcycle Boy produced the kind of music which begs the question, ‘Why weren’t they massive?!’. Just one album, a couple of singles and thankfully now, their Peel session from 1987 is available on vinyl.

The Album

“An album full of confidence, grit, guitar, melancholy, americana, more guitar, soaring vocals and lyrics that take Unisex’s beautiful naivety, and add three decades of experience.”

‘I wake up angry; I don’t know what to say. Times are a changing… I think I’ve had my day’
‘4am again, you’re out with your new friend. You don’t give love, you lend.’
‘If I jumped, would you jump with me? If I danced, would you dance too?’
‘Broke long ago, healing is slow. How did you know?’
‘When lightning strikes it cuts me off at source. When the gales come they destroy all my resource.’

A Life in Numbers is thirteen stories which feature all of life: loss, regret, excitement, failure, the beginning of love, the end of love, and everything in between, all with earworm tunes, played by a band that sounds like it has never stopped.
Influences are many and varied, but each song is made Blueboy’s own with Paul Stewart’s melodic guitar and Gemma Malley’s haunting vocals. “

Tracklist:
One
Deux
My three
4am
Five minutes
I’ve got your six
Seven wonders
Figure of eight
Cloud nine
Perfect ten
Friends don’t lie
Twelve men good
Unlucky

A Life in Numbers is out now via Popkiss Records. Look HERE for more information on Blueboy