Little Barrie’s sixth studio album Gravity Freeze is out now and arrives to rave reviews via Uncut (8/10 stars), Mojo (4/5 stars), Guitarist, Shindig! (4/5 stars), and more. Frontman Barrie Cadogan, meanwhile, is also the latest legendary guitarist featured in Premier Guitar’s Rig Rundown series.
The band of Cadogan, bassist Lewis Wharton, and drummer Tony Coote will embark on a headlining European tour later this year; a full schedule is listed below. Before then, Cadogan will rejoin The Black Keys’ band as additional guitarist for their U.S. dates beginning May 27, their full tour schedule is available here.
Gravity Freeze is the first released solely under the band’s own name since the death of drummer Virgil Howe in September 2017. The LP follows more than two decades of activity that have established the band as a key force in UK psychedelic rock and soul. Following Howe’s passing, Cadogan and Wharton placed the future of the band on hold. After initial plans to resume playing were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the pair began collaborating with long-time friend Malcolm Catto (The Heliocentrics); this partnership resulted in two albums, Quatermass Seven (2020) and Electric War.
Now on Gravity Freeze, the hooks are sharper, the grooves are deeper, and the atmospherics thicker, building on the band’s previous, highly-acclaimed work. The album was recorded at Rat Salad Studios in Hornsey, North London, with Rupert Lyddon serving as recording engineer and co-producer. Continuing the band’s established DIY approach, early demos were captured in a friend’s studio in Dalston surrounded by amplifiers, drums, art and photography equipment before formal recording sessions began. Coote joined the band for the album, contributing performances informed by classic jazz, soul and blues rhythms. Recording took place alongside Cadogan’s commitments as a touring and session guitarist, including work with Liam Gallagher and John Squire, The Black Keys, and THE THE, as well as sessions at Easy Eye Sound for Robert Finley, Jeremie Albino, and Miles Kane. Other notable contributions from Cadogan include working with Morrissey and Edwyn Collins, as well as the iconic Better Cal Saul theme song.
