Little Grandad debut with ‘Sleepwalking’ and ‘Unmasked’ as London residency marks next step

Little Grandad have released their first official tracks, ‘Sleepwalking’ and ‘Unmasked’, while confirming a three-night London residency for July.

Built around brothers Jack and Harry Lower, with Ned Ashcroft on guitar and trumpet and Jimmy Brennan on drums, the band have spent the past year developing in public rather than online, logging more than 70 shows before putting out recorded material. That pace has given them the kind of live chemistry many young guitar bands are still searching for when they release a debut single.

Produced by Kev Jones at The Church and The Communion Studios, both songs arrive just after the group’s sold-out headline date at the 100 Club, a useful marker of where they sit right now: still early, but no longer unknown.

‘Sleepwalking’ leans into a soft-focus mix of Americana and indie restraint, carried by acoustic guitar and a vocal that sounds worn-in rather than theatrical. Harry Lower sings, “I’ve been sleepwalking, through my life / Yes I’ve been sleepwalking, drifting through time / And I’ve been wasting away, I’m burning through the years,” framing the song around emotional stasis rather than breakthrough.

‘Unmasked’ moves even further inward. The arrangement gradually thins out, leaving space for voice and a muted trumpet line that gives the track its emotional center. “Oh babe please don’t ever change / Don’t let them ruin your tomorrow days,” Harry sings, before landing on regret in the second half: “I now watch from the sidelines / And I’m barely that familiar face.”

In career terms, these releases feel less like a pivot than a document of what Little Grandad have already been testing onstage: a blend of Brooklyn slacker-rock looseness, British indie melancholy and occasional jazz-adjacent color. The songs are understated, but they suggest a band more interested in tone and patience than in forcing a breakout chorus.

The newly announced London run will take place across three consecutive nights: Shacklewell Arms (July 8), The George Tavern (July 9) and The Windmill (July 10). Tickets go on sale May 13 at 10am BST via Dice, with pre-sale beginning May 12.

Beyond the residency, Little Grandad’s 2026 schedule continues to scale quickly, including dates at The Great Escape, Dot to Dot, Green Man and End of the Road, where they share a wider festival landscape with acts including Super Furry Animals, Kurt Vile and Fat Dog. It is a heavy run for a band at debut-single stage, but it also underscores the strategy: build audience city by city, then let the recordings catch up.

Little Grandad 2026 live dates:

MAY
9 – The Road to The Great Escape, Glasgow
11 – The Road to The Great Escape, Dublin
14 – The Great Escape, Brighton (CHALK, 7:15pm)
15 – London Calling, Amsterdam
16 – Supersonic’s Block Party, Paris
23 – Bearded Theory, South Derbyshire
23 – Dot to Dot, Bristol
24 – Dot to Dot, Nottingham
30 – SLUSH 2, Carmarthen
31 – The Great Estate, Scorrier Estate Cornwall

JUNE
6 – Ceremony 6, Bedford

JULY
8 – Shacklewell Arms, London
9 – The George Tavern, London
10 – The Windmill, London
24 – Deer Shed Festival, Thirsk
25 – Latitude Festival, Southwold
26 – Midi Festival, Hyères
31 – All Together Now, Waterford

AUGUST
2 – Wilderness, Oxfordshire
8 – Absolutely Free, Genk
21 – Green Man, Brecon Beacons
28 – Into The Great Wide Open, Vlieland
29 – Victorious, Portsmouth

SEPTEMBER
4 – Brighton Psych Fest, Brighton
5 – Moseley Folk Festival, Birmingham
6 – End of the Road, Dorset