Can we do that again sometime please

Preferably sooner than another 15 years

Mar 06, 2026

Fortunes tend to ebb and flow as an indie musician. Some days you check your email, remember that thing you were going to list on Facebook Marketplace, figure it should only take a minute, try to get a picture of it but realise you need that other part of it which is around here somewhere but you’re not quite sure where and THIS IS THE WRONG TIME FOR THAT MORLEY better pivot to that apparently necessary admin task but now somehow it’s lunchtime, so you write most of an email newsletter, do the washing up, and go to bed.

And some days you get to perform 2 hours of your music with 10 other incredible musicians to a packed out room of people from all over the world who know every word to every song and you feel like an absolute hero. Wisdom is finding your peace with both of these. Life is a journey, enjoy each moment, etc etc.

But that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed preferences. Without wishing to offend washing up fans everywhere, option 2 is, for me at least, a very clear winner. The Saturday night we shared at Bush Hall for example, was so so SO deeply wonderful, I felt I might be in a perfect lucid dream.

The song Many Fish To Fry celebrates all the paths available between birth and death, the ones we choose and the ones we let go of. Whilst I never really expect to die in a freak whirlpool, a lot of the song is not actually an exaggeration. I really did imagine moving to Iceland or opening a sandwich shop. Learning to fly a plane does admittedly involve a lot of safety checks and memorising manuals, but sure I could have been into that, one day, maybe. The world is more full of possibility than we can comprehend, and this is our chance to experience it.

So 15 years later to the day and we’re back on that same stage. 27 chord stabs at the end had become 42. Compared to all those alternatives, what I’ve actually done - continuing to write songs, getting married, having kids, moving to Bristol - seems a little mundane in comparison. Have I betrayed all that potential?

There are two points I want to make about this. Firstly, it’s ok that parenthood completely rewired my brain and upended my previous frameworks for life. This is natural and temporary. Sure there are some people who move to Peru at a time like that, and build a profitable charter canoe business, but it’s ok that I’m not one of them. It’s ok that I just wrote more songs, offered love and attention to my family, and helped keep my household the right side of raw chaos more often than not.

Secondly, I don’t want to use that good grace to close myself off to the wild ambition of that song. The world is actually still at our feet, and our grasping of that doesn’t have to be expressed as a dramatic stunt half-way around the world. Sure I do actually have a friend who moved to Peru (hi Antonio!). But I also have friends that are patiently refurbishing an abandoned local pub, friends taking their first steps into songwriting, friends that are moving to a house boat, friends organising a music festival, friends quietly refocusing their lives. I waiting until I was ready to join them.

For me it was expressed in having the guts to book a venue much bigger than I’ve filled in years, trusting I could promote and organise it by myself, selling loads of tickets, bringing together all the people that mattered to me on stage, and playing my absolute heart out. Somehow I had gotten back where I love to be - standing on top of that piano stool in the audience thinking bloody hell we actually did it. And that will resonate for some time to come as a reminder to me of the kinds of things that can still come our way, and are possible today.

With Harry now based in Norway, we weren’t actually able to play a note together until the week of the show. That may have been a cause for mild panic except this lot haven’t exactly lost their chops since we last played together. John spends about 3 or 4 days a year at home in between touring with just about everyone. Kev is an outrageously successful composer and sound designer. Harry co-manages and tours with actual popstar Dagny. We were joined by Many Fish To Fry co-producer and god-tier guitarist Calum MacColl who, with the greatest respect to everyone else, is kind of on a higher plane of skill to the rest of us though he’d hate me saying that. Multi-instrumentalist and music’s most lovely man Iain Ross was a truly invaluable addition, as was accordion-player-to-the-stars-at-least-to-the-extent-that-folk-music-actually-has-stars Archie Moss.

Over three days at Grand Chapel Studios we rehearsed with incredible intensity, as if possessed by a higher purpose. I think as special as it was to reconnect and eat soup together, and it really was, the desire we all felt to do right by the songs and the show was extraordinary. Playing together again felt effortless, at least until the end of each day when we realised we were exhausted deep into our bones. It felt like we’d never left but also like we’d gained 15 more years of skill playing music. I was reminded how much I love these guys. It was healing, like reaching back into the past to give yourself a hug.

Granted, we are not exactly the most diverse-looking bunch. That is as it is. But as my wife commented afterwards, we are at least good examples of the genre. Strong, kind, passionate, creative, dedicated, good at listening, curious, sensitive… not one you wouldn’t have a laugh being stuck in a lift with, which is not always the case in these kind of things. Give a band 15 years and quite often at least someone will turn into an obnoxious twat, or at least be slightly problematic. None of that. I picked well all those years ago.

We left with everything we needed to have an extremely fun time on stage, which it turns out, we did.

Joining us were what someone later described as The Avengers. Sarah Howells, Roxanne de Bastion and Alex Genn-Bash sung backing vocals, frequently with pre-prepared dance moves. Alex reminded all of us (and himself) that he is also a very talented harmonica player. Daisy Coole, now a successful film composer and industry champion, brilliantly reprised her role from 15 years ago on saxophone.

Here was our setlist.

Set 1 - Other Songs and Things
Modest Goals
Keep Me Around
No Drama
Some Things Are Like Other Things
The Everything Goes Back To Normal Button
So I Had This Dream
Falter
Lionchild
Ghostess
Allegorical House
The Last Time I Checked

Set 2 - Many Fish To Fry Live
The Light
Feet Don’t Fail Me Now
I Saw Something
Reeling
This City
Freddie Laid The Smackdown
Pondering On A Scenario In Which I Am The Hero
Sideline
Be With Me Once More
Many Fish To Fry
Inside My Mind

We actually kicked off the Many Fish To Fry set with a specially-composed track that blended together sounds from across the record, put together by Kev. Take a listen… but turn the volume down a little first.

0:00

-1:14

We also recorded the gig, so maybe one day I’ll share that.

Credits
Sometimes being a musician feels like a secret hack to meet the absolute best of humanity. Thank you to all these people:

Harry Mead - drums
John Parker - double bass
Kevin Pollard - keys
Calum MacColl - guitars
Iain Ross - mandolin, percussion, BVs
Archie Moss - accordion
Daisy Coole - saxophone
Alex Genn-Bash - harmonica, BVs
Sarah Howells - BVs
Roxanne de Bastion - BVs
Iain Watkins - sound
Barry and Ella Treasure - merch, tickets, all sorts
Kerry Harvey-Piper - merch
Lisa Smith - merch? Not sure, but I’m over the moon she made it
Con - tickets
Sarah, Tanisha and all at Bush Hall
and.. my incredible wife Jade and our baby

Lastly, and most importantly, huge thanks to all of you who joined us. For travelling in many cases such a long way. For giving part of yourself to this music. For bringing an absolutely unreal amount of energy, focus, love, silence and singing to the room. It was a truly incredible atmosphere. To everyone who was there… wow. You absolutely smashed it.

Send me your videos

My hope is to collate your concert clips with other footage we shot to turn into a concert film, or at least parts of one.

If you’ve got videos of the gig and would be happy to share them for this purpose, you can upload them here:

Upload Your Videos

The audience raised £450 for Young Minds

A raffle for the last remaining Everything Goes Back To Normal Button raised £450 for the charity Young Minds, who do amazing work with mental health in young people. Incredible effort everyone.

@jakemorley