In the black country, the only constant in the new road is change.

In a modern music landscape obsessed with classification—down to the algorithmic level—few bands are as unclassifiable as Black Country and New Road. Commonly known as BC,NR, the British rock band quickly gained critical acclaim and a cult following since their emergence in 2018, beloved for their genre-defying sound, lyrical prowess, and complex songwriting.

Following their Mercury Prize-nominated debut album first (2021) and sophomore record Ants from the sky (2022) However, the band was at a creative crossroads; lead singer Isaac Wood left the band, albeit amicably.

Choosing not to replace Wood, BC, NR assigned vocal duties to bassist Tyler Hyde, saxophonist Lewis Evans and keyboardist May Kershaw, completing the lineup with guitarist Luke Mark, fiddle and mandolinist Georgia Ellery and drummer Charlie Wayne. The results were first recorded on a live album Bush Hall Live Performance (2023) is a lush, cinematic fusion of chamber pop, avant-garde folk, and post-rock, aided only by newly dispersed vocals.

Following their Fuji Rock debut in 2022 and their first solo tour in 2023, BC,NR will make their much-anticipated return to Japan this December with a tour centered around their first studio album as a six-piece ensemble: Forever dragon.

Top row, left to right: May Kershaw, Tyler Hyde and Lewis Evans; bottom row: Charlie Wayne, Luke Mack and Georgia Ellery. Photo by Eddie Whelan

From Cambridge to Fuji Rock

For half-Japanese keyboardist and vocalist May Kershaw, touring Japan is always a special experience. “I was born in the city of Yawatahama in Shikoku,” she told Tokyo Weekend via video call. “That’s where my grandfather still lives, near Ozu.” When Kershaw was a child, she and her immediate family moved to Cambridge, England, where she grew up, but she always returned to Japan every other year to visit relatives.

“I haven’t been back for the past few years because of the band…but I’ll be spending some time there in the New Year and a month after the tour with my grandpa,” she said. “Whenever I land, the first thing I do is get a Natto Maki“. As a vegetarian, Kershaw also enjoys trying different wagashi. “I’m crazy about them,” she gushed.

A classically trained musician, Kershaw began playing the piano at the age of five, eventually studying piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Art. “But I actually knew the band before that,” she said. Members of BC,NR met around 2014 in Cambridge, where many of them attended high school.

“The music scene in Cambridge is sparse and not necessarily colourful, but that’s good because it means you meet everyone who’s interested in music very quickly,” says drummer Charlie Wayne, from Cambridge, who “grew up in bands” and started playing guitar and drums at the age of 10.

Wayne said performing at the Fuji Rock Festival in 2022 was one of BC,NR’s most memorable moments in the past seven years. “It was one of my favorite shows we ever did,” he recalls. “It was just a great performance that I don’t think any of us will forget anytime soon.”

When asked about their impressions of Japanese concert culture, Wayne and Kershaw fondly recalled how the fans here were shockingly quiet, but also very sincere. “Fuji Rock probably had one of the biggest crowds we ever played to, maybe the biggest crowd. When we played some of the songs, there was actually a frog that was louder than the crowd,” Wayne recalled.

“It’s really a spiritual thing… we develop a pretty quiet audience [in general]but in Japan, it was the first time we encountered people on both ends of the spectrum – they were very attentive, but also passionate, very committed,” he continued.

An ever-evolving creative process

Japanese musicians have been an inspiration to Wayne and Kershaw for years. Wayne credits Japanese bands such as Boris, The Pillows, and the Fishmans as major influences on his high school drumming, and points to Yellow Magic Orchestra and Ryuichi Sakamoto as having a huge influence on the alternative music scene as a whole. Kershaw, who “went through an Angela Ackie phase” as a teenager, said she was looking forward to meeting jazz legend Akiko Yano, whose songs she grew up listening to, at the Barbican Center this November. “She’s an incredible writer and very creative.”

Each BC,NR member’s musical library contributes to the band’s ever-evolving yet unique sonic signature. This is also the case Forever dragonbrighter, more whimsical and dramatic than their past work, leaning towards shimmering baroque instrumentation and dreamy lyrical themes.

According to Wayne, the album was primarily inspired by alternative and contemporary folk music as well as 1970s pop music, including Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman and Warren Zevon. The Beach Boys’ carefully layered studio arrangements also had an impact on the band’s creative process.

“We didn’t start out with a plan of ‘this is what the album will be,'” Kershaw explains. “More importantly, ‘Let’s get a sense of what this album is about through the songs that come before us.’

road not taken

Although BC,NR amassed a significant global fan base and billions of streams during their career, the band maintained a relatively offline presence, deviating from the industry’s increasing reliance on social media engagement. “I think we’ve been hesitant to give too much of ourselves. The more you get, the more you have to give,” Wayne asserted. “The more you expose yourself, the more you stray away from what’s at its core – the music.”

It’s clear from speaking with Kershaw and Wayne that the band has also remained humble and never taken their success for granted. “The fact that it’s our job is really cool. We can change as much as we want, not necessarily a conscious decision, but just being able to do things fairly naturally. We can create in a pretty uninhibited way – which is a very special thing for us to do full-time,” reflects Wayne.

Kershaw echoed his sentiments. “Now that the music has been made, hopefully people like it, and it’s great that people like it – because it’s not something that can be taken for granted,” she said. “It was a nice surprise because we only make music we love.”

More information

In this year’s Japan tour, BC,NR will welcome two special guests: Tokyo Station singer-songwriter Kazuko Aoba and art rock band betcover! Performances in Osaka and Nagoya.

Learn more about this trip hereand check the band’s Instagram for updates.

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