Following the success of their single ‘Rhythm’, which made BBC Radio 2’s playlist, along with live sessions on the station and BBC 6 Music, and an incredible couple of years on the live scene - with sold-out headline shows across the UK and Europe, festival appearances including a headline set on Latitude Festival’s BBC Introducing Stage, and opening for the likes of Old Crow Medicine Show, Bruce Springsteen and Ward Thomas, among others - CC Smugglers have released their brand new single ‘Dirty Money’ to stream and download worldwide. The band have also announced a UK tour in October/November 2017.

• 18/10  Sticky Mikes Frog Bar, Brighton
• 19/10  Junction 1, Cambridge
• 20/10  Club 85, Hitchin
• 21/10  Esquires, Bedford
• 25/10  The Crescent, York
• 26/10  Zephyr Lounge, Lemington Spa
• 28/10  Union Chapel (w/Keston Cobblers Club), London
• 29/10  Waterfront Studio, Norwich
• 2/11    Gullivers, Manchester
• 3/11    Old Market Assembly, Bristol
• 4/11    The Cookie, Leicester
• 6/11    The Bullingdon, Oxford
• 8/11    Bodega, Nottingham
• 9/11    Hug & Pint, Glasgow          
• 10/11  Sneaky Petes, Edinburgh
• 11/11 Bogbain, Inverness

Tickets onsale Wednesday 21st June at 9am. Support from All Our Exes Live In Texas (Aus) on all dates except London & Scotland.

In the words of lead vocalist & songwriter Richie Prynne: “[Dirty Money] is about remembering that even though in today’s consumer-driven world, it’s easy to think that having enough money will make you happy. Happiness is a state of mind, not a collection of possessions or a certain number in your bank account.

As touring musicians trying to make a name for ourselves this is very competitive and demanding industry, it is important to remember. Someone recently said to me “Richie, why the hell are you writing songs like this, we badly need some more money.” My response is, yes a business needs capital, but if I really needed money, I would probably go and get a job that paid lots.

Happiness goes way deeper than business capital and I think it’s good to remind ourselves. This song is us reminding ourselves.”

Download/stream via Spotify, Apple Music & other services here.

ABOUT CC SMUGGLERS:
Bedfordshire-based band CC Smugglers started out as “guerrilla buskers”, hijacking queues waiting to see other artists, or commandeering underground trains and escalators. They got their big break by playing outside every UK tour date of the two-time Grammy Award-winning Old Crow Medicine Show. Not even a severed artery on his finger could stop frontman Richie Prynne – he delayed surgery to lead the six-piece on the audacious escapade. So impressed were the Old Crow Medicine Show with a “hugely engaging performance” (Sunday Times), they invited them to share their platform on the remaining dates.

It was Richie who formed the band after busking alone for some years as a teenager. He enlisted the help of Dan Edwards (double bass) Ryan Thomas (lead guitar) and Sam Barrett (rhythm guitar and fiddle) who formed the Bedfordshire contingent of the band for several years. They were joined last year by Tom Seals (keys) and Iain Mcfarlane (drums) both accomplished young players: “Their influences have really allowed us to explore more contemporary challenging arrangements” said Richie, as is evident on recent single ‘Money’.

Last summer saw the band selling out venues in their own right, and stealing the headlines at the Cornbury, Glastonbury and Camden Rocks Festivals, among others. They went on to play further afield at some of Europe’s biggest festivals including sharing the bill with Bruce Springsteen at the prestigious Werchter Festival in Belgium along with dates in The Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic and more. 2017 started off with an appearance at the O2’s huge Country to Country (C2C) festival in London and a set at Eurosonic in The Netherlands, and they are confirmed for a run of festivals this summer including Cambridge Folk, Cropredy Festival, Montreaux Jazz and more.

A rapid rise that has elicited critical plaudits from the Sunday Times culture Section, bluesman Seasick Steve, roots guru Bob Harris (“just brilliant”) and BBC 6 Music’s Cerys Matthews, who describes them as “the best live band on the scene at the moment”. Even Jon Snow is a fan, as indeed is Princess Beatrice. Prynne reckons the reason for their success is simple: “Showmanship and really good music invariably speaks way beyond any genre. We play good, original music with inspiration plucked from the rhythms and instrumentation that inspired most of today’s modern music. We like to think most people connect in some way.”

www.ccsmugglers.co.uk