Picking up band members and awards along the way, Teesside’s Cape Cub have come pretty far since their launch back in 2014.
Starting off as the bedroom solo project of singer/songwriter and producer Chad Male, Cape Cub have grown and developed into one of the most successful bands in the North East at the moment.
At the very start of their career, Cape Cub quickly gained thousands of online streams for now-classic tracks such as ‘Lantern’ and ‘Swim’, the second being one of Cape Cub’s biggest songs, with the RAMI remix clocking up over 18 million plays on Spotify.
Fast forward a few years and 2017 saw Chad Male win the Alan Hull award at the Community Foundation – an award that remembers Newcastle-born songwriter and founder of Lindisfarne, Alan Hull, and recognises and celebrates the songwriters still living and working in the region.
Reigning from the shores of the North East coast, Chad Male is nothing short of the ideal candidate for the away, and I think it’s pretty obvious through his hard work just how much he deserves it.
Just this year, the band have had not one but two single releases in ‘Come Around’ and ‘Moonglow’, both of which have thrived – ‘Moonglow’ even became BBC Music Introducing’s track of the week back in July and featured in several Spotify playlists.
From local festivals such as Stockton Calling and Darlington’s Music Box to their own headline tour that they embarked on back in June, Cape Cub have definitely played their fair share of gigs.
A band that are constantly performing up and down the country, this month sees the band take centre stage at Newcastle’s The Cluny for their biggest headline show to date.
Speaking to Chad Male about the occasion, he said: “We’re super excited. Our live show is sounding sweet. As I write this we’re at rehearsals and fine-tuning the live show. It’s going to be a special one for sure. We’ve been working super hard to refine the set, re-work some material and add in new tunes. It’s our biggest headline show yet so we’ve got to try and step it up a notch, haven’t we?”
But their headline gig isn’t the only exciting thing coming up for the band this month. Cape Cub are set to play Middlesbrough’s Twisterella Festival for the third year in a row, this time playing alongside the likes of Dylan Cartlidge, Boy Azooga and Vistas.
Speaking to Chad about playing the festival, he added: “We can’t wait. It’s always an amazing festival to play and it’s lovely to play near home to all our first supporters and our friends and families”.
When asked about who he’s looking forward to seeing live he noted: “Avalanche Party, the best damn band in the world. And Bryde, Dylan Cartlidge, Llovers…the list goes on to be fair. It’s a line-up filled with a bunch of our mates doing supreme things”.
Just last year I was lucky enough to witness their Christmas show at The Georgian Theatre in Stockton, as well as catching them at several different venues in the North East and beyond this year. It’s safe to say that if their past gigs are anything to go by, gig-goers heading to The Cluny and Twisterella are well and truly in for a treat. Always managing to put on a simply euphoric show every time, Cape Cub are a band that you 100% need to see if you haven’t already.
As we start reaching the end of an incredibly successful year for the band, it’s exciting to think about what 2019 might have in store for them – and I’m certain it has potential to be something very special.
Tickets for the band’s headline show at The Cluny on Monday 29th October are available at thecluny.com, with tickets for Twisterella Festival now sold out.
