Photo by Harvey Williams Fairley

George Ward
George Ward

Freelance journalist based in Bristol. Can be found at the Grain Barge, Rough Trade or in his tiny basement bedroom writing for CLUNK.

Cornish band The Velvet Hands return with a new single ‘I Wanna Be There’, a bittersweet indie rock anthem

Cornish band The Velvet Hands return with a new single, a bittersweet anthem to not knowing quite where you are yet. 

The Velvet Hands have had a busy summer. After playing Boardmasters and the Pilton Party, their new single makes a lot of sense. I Wanna Be There’ is a summery anthem that sounds like it’s been picked straight out of a festival tent. 

The main thing to know is that this track is uncomplicated. It knows it’s there to be blasted at the end of summer and its no-nonsense nostalgic lyrics and simple yet driving guitar riffs come together to create this atmosphere. The guitars instantly remind you of The Strokes, whilst the vocals take me back a few years to Spector’s soaring choruses. Lyrically, it focuses on the feeling of everyone knowing what they are doing and you being left not knowing exactly what is going on. While simple, the chorus of a repeated “I wanna be there” perfectly sums up this feeling; we’re not sure exactly where we want to be, only that we need to be somewhere else. 

I Wanna Be There’ is out now on Jam X Recordings, along with a video shot at their Boardmasters set this summer. The Velvet Handsnew album will be out soon. 

Listen/watch ‘I Wanna Be There’ here: