The Great Leslie – Wait Around

The Great Leslie is not just a band. The Great Leslie is an idea. An idea that creates ideas discussing ideas. So, it’s an ideal idea. And what a glorious idea it is. A group of misfits who fit together creating something unmissable. A band of brothers banding together to make the ultimate ensemble. Consisting of Ollie Trevers on Vocals and Rhythm Guitar, Ryan Lavender on Drums, Alfie Pawsey on Bass, and Freddie Miles on Lead Guitar, this gifted group, this collection of clowns, this assembly of artists, the idea of this idea, is ready to take over the world at guitar point

In 2022 they saw huge success across all of their singles, moving in a slightly different direction with their last three, ‘Feel Alive’, ‘Liquid Spells’, and ‘All Good Things’. With this new direction, all three tracks managed to land on the Apple Editorial playlist ‘New in Rock’, being added to the playlist across multiple locations around the globe. What’s more the single ‘Feel Alive’ was the band’s first to land a Spotify Editorial a few months after release, getting them on the playlist Hot New Bands’ featuring only the best in UK Indie Rock. Their last single of the year ‘All Good Things’ went further, gaining a spot on a number of Tidal playlists, and performing so well that at the end of the year, Tidal placed it on its ‘UK Indie: Best of 2022’. On top of this, the band saw continued support from Jim Gellatly on Amazing Radio, getting played in both the States and the UK. ‘Feel Alive’ was crowned ‘Track of the Day’ by Gigslutz and This Feeling and received airplay on both Radio X and Kerrang! Radio from John Kennedy and Johnny Doom respectively. ‘Liquid Spells’ was played on BBC Introducing and XS Manchester, with them both lauding the track’s energy and rhythm. 2022 also saw other successes, with the band landing incredible support shows with old and new guard acts, playing sold-out gigs with up-and-coming bands like MOSES, Two Day Coma, and Late Night Honeymoon, and securing a career-best with a support slot for Franz Ferdinand on their European tour, playing in front of thousands of people in Manchester at the O2 Victoria Warehouse

While 2022 was a big year for The Great Leslie, the band has been on an upward trajectory since their very first release in 2020, launching their career when their first-ever single was selected as BBC Introducing’s Track of the Week. From there, the band followed up in 2021 with a series of songs that all landed BBC Introducing support and a number of other ‘Tracks of the Week’. Eventually, this resulted in the band being picked up by industry heavyweight the late Janice Long (formerly of Top of the Pops) on BBC Wales, who quickly became a constant supporter of the band, praising their energy and innovative songwriting. That year they also secured their first plays from John Kennedy on Radio X, with him calling their single ‘Everything From Last Night’ an ‘instant hit’, and were able to get their track ‘Out Of My Hands’, featured on Channel 4’s show Sunday Brunch. By the end of 2021, they had racked up an impressive list of supporters from Kerrang! Radio, Planet Rock, Amazing Radio, BBC Introducing, BBC Wales, Islington Radio, and XS Manchester, to name but a few.

With the successes of their singles and the band’s ever-growing fanbase, 2022 saw them decide to embark in late November, on a new venture, laying down their debut five-track EP, titled ‘The End and The Beginning’. The lead single from the EP, Can’t Touch, secured the band’s first major Spotify Editorial Playlist on release day, getting on to ‘All New Rock.’ Not only that but the single was able to secure repeated airplay on AmazingRadio and BBC Introducing, marking ’The Great Leslie’ out as one of the few bands that could be called regulars on the shows. Their second single from the EP, Get In, was also well received gaining more BBC support, Apple playlists, and peaking at Number 2, in the iTunes Alternative Charts. Finally, they are releasing the whole EP, with the lead single ‘Wait Around’ being their focus.

“It is the story of the start of a relationship which presents itself in the form of a chance meeting at a bar where your eyes meet with a stranger from across the room and your heart begins to race. It forebodes the fate of a romance that has barely begun and tells the tale of someone waiting for love in spite of a past marred with heartbreak. – Frontman Ollie Trevers on the second single ‘Wait Around’

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