A popular electronic band are getting ready to play a special homecoming gig at The Brickyard – which means the world to their Cumbrian drummer.
Josh Thomas, 31, who is originally from Carlisle, has been touring the world with the Dub Pistols for the last four years and still has his roots firmly planted in the city.
The band was formed 27 years ago by frontman Barry Ashworth and has released seven studio albums and contributed to numerous film and video game soundtracks including Blade II, Piranha 3D, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 and Dance Dance Revolution X.
Regulars of the festival circuit in the UK, Europe and southern hemisphere, the Dub Pistols have had stand-out appearances at Glastonbury, Electric Castle and Boomtown and are returning to the road in March to promote their new album, Frontlines.
The drummer said the Carlisle gig was a particularly important slot for him, as the venue was previously owned by his grandad, legendary local musician Mick Potts, leader of The Gateway Jazz Band.
He said: “I played my first ever gig at The Brickyard when I was 12 and before it was The Brickyard it was a jazz club owned by my grandad, so it means a lot because of that family connection. It’s just a really great venue and to bring the Dub Pistols to it is a great feeling.”
Josh first discovered the Dub Pistols when he was just 11 years old while playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 on Nintendo.
He said: “I’ve been a fan of them since I was 11, their song Cyclone was part of the soundtrack for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater on Nintendo which I played when I was little. So playing with them now is quite surreal.”
The 31-year-old then went on to drum for other bands including Crows, and Brothers Water and has also toured Europe with Jakarta Club, who he helped form at 14 years old.
At 18, Josh moved to London where he met the Dub Pistols and acted as an emergency stand in for their former drummer, Jack Cowens. After five years, he was then called up to be their main drummer following Jack’s retirement, and the rest is history.
He added: “Some highlights for me include playing Electric Castle in Romania with Gorillaz. We played after they did to 35,000 people and I was on a big high drum riser and seeing all those people and lights and cameras – that was a special moment and meeting the band was great.
“Glastonbury was also very special, I’ve never played it before and I always promised myself I’d never go until I was playing and that happened for me last year, which was really cool. I’ve also been able to meet and play alongside my heroes like Fatboy Slim, Craig Charles and Happy Mondays.”
The Dub Pistols will stop in Carlisle on Saturday March 4 and tickets are now available to buy.
