Band treats music as catalyst for hope and change

DECLAN Welsh And The Decadent West return to the Highlands with a date at Mad Hatters, Inverness, just announced for November 17 as part of a series of Scottish dates.

Growing up in suburban East Kilbride and now based in Glasgow, Declan Welsh is a poet and songwriter who has stood out from the start thanks to his ability to talk about contemporary life and the forces that have shaped it. Declan likes to use his music as a catalyst for hope and for change.

The band members are known for their strong socialist views and they performed in Palestine in 2016 as well as at Billy Bragg’s curated Leftfield Stage at Glastonbury.

Releasing the All My Dreams Are Dull EP back in 2018, they built a strong following in the Scottish indie scene thanks to their anthems about toxic masculinity, rent increases, the rise of right-wing fascists and battling the intolerance that surrounds us.

Now, debut album Cheaply Bought, Expensively Sold sees the four-piece build upon those themes and the idea that in today’s environment, we’re unable to ignore the atrocities forging our “existential dread”.

Alongside Declan, the band are – Duncan McBride (guitar), Ben Corlett (bass) and Murray Noble (drums).

Tickets go on general sale 10am Friday, August 9 from www.beyondpresents.co.uk Also www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.seetickets.co.uk.