We’re privileged to premiere the latest video from Michael Weston King, one of the UK’s finest songwriters. The moving La Bamba In The Rain was one of last year’s standout tracks, full of emotion and thought-provoking observation around important events, news and social media reporting and political discourse in the UK. King and his wife, Lou Dalgleish, were in the process of recording a new album as duo My Darling Clementine when their family was struck by terrible tragedy. The tragic events in Southport last year are well-documented and had a profound impact. Continuing with the My Darling Clementine album was not the right path in the context of the loss of their granddaughter in the Southport attack and with the weight of such sadness upon them. Instead, their emotional and musical responses are individual and each is releasing a solo project, channeling their suffering through individual creativity.
Michael’s new album, Nothing Can Hurt Me Anymore, will be released via Continental Song City/CRS on 4th April 2026, Bebe’s birthday. Recorded by Colin Elliot at Yellow Arch Studios, Sheffield, La Bamba in the Rain was the first single from the album and is both deeply personal and a universally-understood commentary. Lyrically, the song addresses the current trend of flag-waving, a national symbol hijacked for political purposes, and calls from those on the right wing to make the ethnicity and immigration status of perpetrators made public. King’s words rail against this attitude: “There’s no hope for us this time, When every little thing is treated as a sin or crime, When the Union Jack’s unfurled, And placed around the waist of every teenage boy and girl… But all the king’s horses and all the king’s men, Can’t put us back together again.” For Michael, the song was an instinctive reaction to the loss of Bebe: “To be honest, it was almost impossible to write about anything else. I hope I am now creatively exhausted on the subject, but I think it affects my writing for ever, just as indeed, the loss of Bebe will.”
Musically, La Bamba in the Rain is lush and layered, with full-sounding instrumentation delivered by Colin Elliott on keys, piano and bass, as well as delivering backing vocals. Shez Sheridan’s guitars and Dean Beresford’s drums provide further depth. Michael’s voice is rich and resonant, ranging through a gorgeous, timeless melody.
The new video was filmed and edited by King’s son-in-law, Alex King, who was inspired by the photos of Martin Parr, in particular his classic pictures of holiday makers in New Brighton. It’s an artfully-shot work that transports us to Southport, and places like it, by celebrating the small details and highlighting its realities from expressive, inventive angles and perspectives, becoming a visual poetry of this seaside town and its people.
Nothing Can Hurt Me Anymore features the musical talents of many outstanding players, including Beresford (Richard Hawley, Imelda May) on drums, Matt Holland (Van Morrison) on trumpet, Sheridan (Hawley, Dexys, Nancy Sinatra) on guitar, Clovis Phillips (Bill Callahan, Jerry DeCicca, Jeb Loy Nichols) on bass, keys and guitars and Clive Mellor (Liam Gallagher) on harmonica. Together, they have contributed their considerable gifts to an album destined to be one of this year’s best. Certainly, Nothing Can Hurt Me Anymore promises to be an incredibly moving response to unimaginable, unexpected loss; dark yet compassionate and an honest reflection of our shared humanity, it’s a significant piece of work. Absorb yourself in this richly layered song, steeped in compassion, and a creative video-portrait of a seaside town.
