Note September 13, 2023: I didn’t get a review ready for this week. Let’s say it was the combination of life happening and laziness! Look for a post next week, September 20. Until then, enjoy The Gulls for one more week. Cheers!

The Gulls are a vagabond band, troubadours, anarchists, like bands such as The Grateful Dead or Phish. Their idea of a good time is to create a pop-up concert in out-of-bounds areas and let their fans know where they are. They created The Robin Hood Tour, forming a convoy of vehicles and performing unauthorized concerts in the heart of the UK’s biggest cities. The money from this tour went to the food banks, proving the band’s altruistic hearts. While at times outlandish, these fun-loving musicians have proven to be a force to be reconned with. Enter the single Sanitation (heard here) released on September 1, 2023. 

Sanitation is a slap at the backwardness of today’s world. Sanitary conditions may exist on the surface, but beneath all of that is a kind of muddy, murky, reality. The Gulls intend to highlight the reality, rather than the whitewashed official shenanigans. Bandmates Will Fairhead, Kilian Aubertin, and Talo Knight create songs of freedom, change, and love, and aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. Musically, Sanitation reminds Vodka of rock, meets gypsy, meets spaghetti western. It is instantaneously recognizable as a party song for all who are willing to embrace it. Lyrically, the song takes on the usual suspects (from The Gulls point of view at least) and encourages the listener to “come follow us” without actually saying those words. 

You can find more information about The Gulls from their complete website. Social, streaming, and contact links are all there. There’s a nice (if short) biography on the band. If you live in the UK or anywhere in Europe, follow the band on their social media sites to find out where they are traveling to next. Perhaps you will happen on a pop-up concert in the middle of a major city or an off-limits landmark. Enjoy the ride! The Gulls certainly are!