Lovejoy (band)


Lovejoy are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton in 2021. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist William Gold, lead guitarist Joe Goldsmith, drummer Mark Boardman and bassist Ash Kabosu. All four of the members share songwriting duties.
Their debut EP, Are You Alright?, was released on 8 May 2021. Their second EP, Pebble Brain, was released on 14 October 2021. Their third EP, Wake Up & It's Over, was released on 12 May 2023. Because of the Shovel Incident, the song I'll Look Good When I'm Sober was removed.
The band's debut album, One Simple Trick, was released on 3 October 2025. The band independently releases their music under their own label, Anvil Cat Records, distributing with AWAL.

History

2021–2022: Formation, ''Are You Alright?,'' and ''Pebble Brain''

Lovejoy was founded by William Gold and Joe Goldsmith in 2021. The two met from previously playing in the same folk group. Gold previously gained a following online for his Twitch streams and YouTube videos, as well as his solo music. The band was originally called "Hang the DJ". The current name is after Benedict Lovejoy, a friend of the band, who would sit with them during their early days of songwriting. Before joining Lovejoy, drummer Mark Boardman had been studying editing at university, bass guitarist Ash Kabosu was working in TV broadcasting, and lead guitarist Joe Goldsmith was a tree surgeon. Gold met Kabosu, a friend of a friend, in a Smashburger shop in Brighton, and asked him if he'd like to join the band. During studio recording, the band hired Boardman on Fiverr, and after watching him perform, Gold invited him to join as a permanent member.
The band recorded their debut EP, Are You Alright?, in two days at Brighton Electric in March 2021. It was released on 8 May 2021, which saw Lovejoy debut at number 10 on Billboards Emerging Artists chart on 20 May 2021. Their second EP, Pebble Brain, was recorded in August 2021 at Small Pond Recording Studios in Brighton, and released on 14 October 2021. The EP peaked at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart. The songs of this EP had the theme of failed romantic relationships, but also expand to political unrest. In October 2022, the band issued their first two EPs, as well as their cover of "Knee Deep at ATP", to vinyl for the first time. Prior to their large concert and festival performances, Lovejoy performed unadvertised gigs under pseudonyms. From November 2022, the band began to receive attention on mainstream radio, with airtime on BBC Radio 1, and on Dutch radio show "Welkom Bij De Club!". Their songs have also been featured on BBC Music Introducing.

2023–2024: ''Wake Up & It's Over'', and ''From Studio 4''

On 10 February 2023, Lovejoy released the single "Call Me What You Like" through AWAL. The single peaked at number 32 on the Official UK Top 40 chart. The song would later be featured on their third EP, Wake Up & It's Over, which was released on 12 May 2023 and debuted at number 5 on the UK Album Chart. In addition, "Portrait of a Blank Slate" from the EP was featured in the soundtrack for EA Sports FC 24. On 7 April 2023, under the Anvil Cat alias, the band surprise-released an EP titled From Studio 4. It contains acoustic versions of the songs from their debut EP, Are You Alright?, as well as a previously unreleased track, "Tomorrow".
In May 2023, the band performed in London for a Spotify event titled Our Generation. They released two songs from the session as part of Spotify Singles, including an acoustic version of "Call Me What You Like" and a cover of "The Perfect Pair" by Beabadoobee. Gold said the band had "been huge admirers of Beabadoobee for a while now and love the melody of this song, so it was great to give it our own Lovejoy twist".
In June 2023, the band appeared on the front cover of issue 77 of the music magazine Dork. On 25 June 2023, Lovejoy performed at Glastonbury Festival on the BBC Music Introducing stage. They have also performed at Rock Werchter, TRNSMT, the Montreux Jazz Festival, Osheaga, and Lollapalooza. They performed at Leeds Festival on 25 August 2023, and Reading Festival on 27 August 2023. They started their Wake Up & It's Over Tour across the United Kingdom in September 2023, notably with James Marriott as a support act for the Birmingham, London and Manchester shows. On 16 January 2024, it was announced that Lovejoy would be playing at Coachella. On 21 March, the band cancelled their Coachella, Boston Calling, Bonnaroo, and Fox Theater Pomona appearances, citing "concerns over Wilbur's mental health", before taking a short hiatus following allegations of abuse against Gold. In June 2024, the band announced their first Australian shows would be taking place from August.

2025–present: ''One Simple Trick''

On 22 May 2025, the band teased the release of their debut album on YouTube. Prior to this, two songs from the album were played live: "Wasted Summer" on 18 August 2025, and "Foxholes" on 27 August 2025, with the former not making it onto the album tracklist. On 20 June 2025, the band released "With Rob As My Witness", the first promotional single for their debut album. On 18 July 2025, Lovejoy posted on Instagram that their debut album, titled One Simple Trick, would be released on 3 October 2025, stating it "took four years of overthinking". The band also announced the "One Simple Tour" - a tour of the United States and Canada to pair with the albums release. On 15 August 2025, Lovejoy posted on Instagram that their second single of the upcoming album, "Pay & Display", would be released on 22 August 2025. A month later, on 15 September 2025, the band announced on social media that the third single, "Common Touch", would be released on 19 September 2025.
On 3 October 2025, Lovejoy released One Simple Trick worldwide on all platforms.

Musical style and influences

Lovejoy's music has been described as indie rock and pop punk. Some of the band's influences include Los Campesinos!, The Strokes, Crywank, Arctic Monkeys, Bo Burnham, The Killers, and The Front Bottoms. In a 2023 interview with MTV, the band described their music as "Aromantic British Noises".
In an impromptu Q&A on the Lovejoy Reddit page, Gold stated that he was influenced by Brandon Flowers and The Killers while writing One Simple Trick.

Members

Band members
  • William Gold – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriting
  • Joe Goldsmith – lead guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals, songwriting
  • Ash Kabosu – bass, songwriting
  • Mark Boardman – drums, backing vocals, songwriting
Touring members
Touring personnel differs between shows.
  • Leandra Badruzaman – trumpet, keyboards
  • Isaac Beer – trumpet
  • Zoe Webber – trumpet, keyboards
  • Alan Osmundson – trumpet, keyboards
  • Jackie Coleman – trumpet, keyboards

    Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Compilation albums

Streaming-exclusive releases

Singles

Other charted songs

Other appearances

Music videos

Touring history

  • Northern Autumn Tour
  • December Tour
  • Inselaffe Tour
  • Across the Pond Tour
  • Wake Up & It's Over Tour
  • Road to 100 Tour
  • Right Way Up Australia Tour
  • Resources for Teaching Tour
  • One Simple Tour