Indie Americana group, The Autumn Saints, have been signed by seminal music industry veteran, Nick Stewart, the man who signed The Long Ryders, U2 and Killing Joke. He also presented The Long Ryders with their AMA UK International Trailblazer award in 2022. The Autumn Saints’ new album (Wind Burn & Broken Oak) has been described as “The Band meets War on Drugs”. 

Lead singer Britt Strickland brings the soulful, weighty music history of his home state of North Carolina to the UK. The southern storytelling tradition made famous by the likes of Dylan and Johnny Cash is very much alive in the Saints’ music, with tales of hurricanes sweeping through the Appalachian Mountains and rural encounters at the lonely crossroads.

The British influence in the band, though, is also unmistakeable. The melodic, ethereal guitar lines that float and weave through the songs create the sort of atmospheric depth that British indie groups have always done so well. Both David Ireland (guitar) and Martin Gallagher (drums) bring their own musical influences to the sound, from the shuffling rhythms and counter-rhythms of groups like the Stone Roses to the twisting, choppy guitar licks of Wilko Johnson. Nick Bennett (Hammond Organ, rhythm guitar, harmonica, lapsteel and vocal harmonies) brings vivid roots flavour to the mix.