Beans on Toast returns with an outstanding new single, ‘The Golden Lion’. It’s a song that tells of Beans’ love for a particular place and its people, for a glorious British pub in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, and for the myths and timeless magic to be found there. It feels authentic because it is, as Beans explains: “The characters in the ‘The Golden Lion’ are real people, as is the bizarre history of the town that the song alludes to. I played a show at the pub last year and was so inspired by the town, the pub and its people that I couldn’t help but write a folk song about it. As with the town, the song is quintessentially English, mysterious and boozy.” With his guitar and easygoing vocal, he finds a gently captivating tune that leaves you humming along. The accompanying video is designed to look like old archive film footage of the pub and town and it helps to reinforce the reality of the locations and people there, even as the local myths unfold.
This is the first single from the forthcoming album, ‘The Toothpaste and the Tube’, which will be released on 1st December 2023 – a date on which we traditionally hear a new album from Beans on Toast each year. Beans will return to The Golden Lion in Todmorden for a special album-launch show as part of his huge UK tour in 2023 and 2024. He says of the new record: “The title of this album refers to the line “You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube” which is a fancy pants way of saying – it is what it is, which feels right for this collection of songs. Some of them deal with problems we face as humanity, and some of them celebrate family life or the legacy of a good boozer. There are also songs about losing a loved one or the joy of swimming in the sea. It feels to me like this record covers a lot of ground and a lot of varied subject matter which is nice, kinda like an old skool Beans on Toast record.” The new material was recorded with highly-regarded blues duo Ferris & Sylvester, who invited Beans into their family home for a week to put the album together. The end result is a varied, warm and accessible collection of engrossing contemporary folk. Check it out.
