hooton-tennis-club

Hooton Tennis Club share "O, Man Won't You Melt Me" video, tell us their Top 10 of 2016

Liverpool band Hooton Tennis Club have just shared the video for “O, Man Won’t You Melt Me” which is off this year’s Big Box of Chocolates. As directed by Dominic Foster, you can watch the band, as they put it, “roll around and frolic in clusters of vivid autumnal coloured rotting leaves for near 4 minutes.” Watch that below.

If you haven’t checked out Big Box of Chocolates, which was produced by Edwyn Collins, the band’s sound sits somewhere between Pavement and Blur, with the good kind of “whoah oh” choruses and big hooks a’plenty. You can stream it below as well.

Meanwhile, Hooton Tennis Club have given us their Top 10 of 2016, which is a mix of places, food, drink, film and music. There’s commentary from the band, too, including an Elijah Wood spotting — it’s a fun read and you can check it out below.

Hooton Tennis Club’s Top 10 of 2016

1. Helmsdale
We made our 2nd record in the Gorse filled landscape of Helmsdale, Scotland. It is an ideal place to make a record. The isolation worked wonders and allowed us to lock into making music. And making it with a true music legend sure was the cherry on top.

2. SXSW
Two weeks in Texas, bands, BBQ, and tacos. We also spotted Elijah Wood whilst sifting the Spacemen 3 section in End Of An Ear records.

3. Vietnamese Pho
Introduced to us by our manager and now a staple on tour if we can find a Vietnamese restaurant. Between the band, we’re yet to eat a whole bowl full.

4. Iguana VS Snakes
On the new Planet Earth 2, possibly the greatest getaway ever. A must see, easily searchable on YouTube. Go, Iguana, Go! Go! Go!

5. Whisky
From Edwyn Collins’ cabinet in front of the fire to entering an unexpectedly expensive whisky bar in Amsterdam and now future plans of visiting whiskey distilleries in West Scotland for Cal’s stag do. We’re truly hooked. Just open it up a tad.

6. IJJ Brewery, Amsterdam
The band’s 2nd visit and James’ 3rd visit to this place. It’s perched beneath a windmill where the beers are brewed and available for tasting along with fine cheeses like ‘Shrepskand’ and salty sausages.

7. Beniscassim festival.
Kendrick from the side of the stage baby. We had our dream come true. Sometimes it happens.

8. Ben Fogle Legs
His crispy pins were sighted at Goodlife festival in Wales. Got a photo with them and everything.

9. Pre-emptively the end of 2016 (can’t get much worse *list)
Death of: David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Prince, Caroline Aherne, Rik Mayall.
Then Brexit, Trump and other political shocks. Lastly, the change of Toblerone spacing. 2017 can’t come soon enough!

10. I, Daniel Blake film
A dark yet insightful portrait of poverty in Northern Britain and the difficulty in claiming welfare. The film paints a clear picture of the divide between past generations and the new digital age. A real tearjerker.