When we saw The Lottery Winners for the first time in November 2022 at ‘The Barras’ supporting indie rockers The Reytons, we knew we were watching a band that had something special: a vocalist in Thom Rylance that could be a comedian if not a musician; and a bass player in Katie Lloyd who brings an extra dimension to the band’s energy as well as providing backing vocals (and main vocals on a few of these new tracks).
It is quite unusual for a band to tour an album before it is released, but that is exactly what The Lottery Winners pulled off and it worked out perfectly with almost every night of the tour selling out. The Glasgow Saint Luke’s show had everything you could possibly want, but lets focus on the album now. KOKO (Keep On Keeping On) is a great name for an album following their last record ART (Anxiety Replacement Therapy), which reached the number one spot, proving that the band from Leigh are the real deal.
KOKO opens with Superpower, as Rylance tackles the subject of ADHD: “I don’t feel like myself/then again have I ever felt like myself?” he asks. Lloyd provides excellent backing vocals for a very simple to learn chorus. Next up is You Again, where Jon McClure from Reverend and the Makers sings co-vocals alongside Lloyd. McClure had joined the band for a couple of shows around new year to great success. This is one of the best tracks on the album, musically there is a thumping bassline and even some violin thrown in to good effect. Panic Attack is written about that very thing, as Rylance walks us through an experience of having panic attacks. This band don’t hold back on the subject matter of their songs and they are obviously getting noticed, as they have been personally selected by the one and only Robbie Williams to tour around the UK and Europe during the summer.
UFO sounded great live during the band’s recent tour, with the very catchy chorus “In my UFO the constellations are shining.” It’s a more laid back track, but works perfectly with Lloyd’s outstanding backing vocals once again. Next is Ragdoll featuring Chad Kroeger from Nickelback fame, yes they have toured with these guys as well! They wrote this one during the European tour, as Lloyd joins Kroeger on vocals and Rylance takes a back seat on this one. Another of the finer songs on KOKO, it begins at a slow pace but when Kroeger’s vocals come in it suddenly sounds more like a Nickelback track.
One of the highlights on the tour was the moment the band got the crowd involved with a dance during the track Turn Around. Watching hundreds of people (including myself) attempting the dance was a joy-filled three minutes, trying to follow Rylance’s routine of “left right, side to side, turn around, and clap your hands.” Great memories were made, and that’s the beauty and attraction of The Lottery Winners – their shows are so much fun and we can’t recommend seeing them highly enough.
There are two more collaborations on KOKO, firstly Frank Turner makes another appearance as he did on ART for Dirt and Gold, one of our favourite tracks on the record. As we near the end of the album, Shed Seven vocalist Rick Witter joins Rylance to sing a track that pokes fun at people who look down on others, and also looks at the inequalities of society. The title track Keep On Keeping On closes the album and deals with some serious subjects, but in a way that only a band like The Lottery Winners can do.
9/10
Standout Tracks: You Again, UFO, Dirt and Gold
For Fans Of: The Lathums, The Ks, Red Rum Club
Written by: Alan Brown
