The DEADLETTER frontman reflects on a big year for the band and the birth of his own solo project.

The electric lead singer for DEADLETTER reflects on a huge year for the band in which he somehow also found time to put together a solo record, The Hate. A daily ‘hello’ from Billy Bragg at Glastonbury, partying at Amsterdam’s Paradiso and the discovery of the band who will be supporting DEADLETTER at Scala this month all figure as just a few highlights.

2023 as Zac Lawrence:

2023 has been a rather fruitful one, to say the least. In February, between a busy live and recording schedule with DEADLETTER, I took it upon myself to begin working on my debut solo record; The Hate. Why I chose such a busy year to do so, I’m not sure, however after a considerable amount of hours spent mixing it in my bedroom (and Alfie’s living room for the drums) I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the sound I managed to achieve in the end, and am so grateful to Misty Miller (for supplying truly beautiful harmonies), Poppy Richler (for making saxophone seem like a mere walk in the park), and Alfie Husband (for givin’ those tunes rhythm).

June saw DEADLETTER’S Glastonbury debut, certainly one for the bucket list. Up to now, there have been few events in my life as bizarre as early morning greetings from Billy Bragg before my first sip of coffee and day-determining cigarette. Oddities aside, it was a special day for us, and the whole festival season in general seemed to let us know that something is working.

Come September, we embarked on our 60-date tour of Hell. That’s how it looked, however it turned out to be a wholesome time for all. Amidst this tour, my first single came out “The Great Rodeo Star’s Return” and was met by a warm reception from those who took the time to have a listen.

That brings us to now. My album came out last week [1^st December] and at the same time as this, I’ve been very busy with DEADLETTER working towards something rather exciting for next year. 2023, a good one overall, let’s see what ‘24 might have in store…

Album of the Year.

My album of the year has to be “Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” by good ol’ Lana. We need not reflect too hard on her Glastonbury punctuality problems, but the show she put on was fucking exceptional. I was a fan of hers when I was younger but, admittedly hadn’t listened to this record until the days following my return from the festival. It’s a very special record. It seems to be a true sign of an artist’s output reflecting change within themself.  There are many highlights on this album (there is the odd dud too), but for me 1st place goes to ‘A&W’ very closely followed by Father John Misty collaboration ‘Let The Light In.’ Little else to say here, I’m far from a journo…

Song of the Year.
In November 2021, we played at a day festival in Edinburgh’s Summerhall called The Great Eastern. We had an early slot, and after we had played we were instructed by one of the promoters to go and see a new group called The Joy Hotel. Myself and Dan (our manager) decided to listen to this advice, and were blown away by what we saw.

Fast forward about a year and a half later, and we’re at the Great Escape in Brighton. Dan and I see that The Joy Hotel are playing, and convince the rest of the band to come with us, assuring them in the process that “These are one of the greatest bands you’ll get to see play live at the moment”. Owing to a few intoxicants that were present when we’d seen them play in Edinburgh, we were both slightly worried that they might not be as impactful as we supposed them to be. Suffice to say, within the first thirty seconds of music we witnessed, Dan and I felt safely reassured of our assumptions and were satisfied that we’d made the right decision in convincing everybody to come along with us.

We ended up taking the Joy Hotel on a few dates on our UK tour in November, and they’ll be supporting us at Scala. They are not only a spectacle to behold, but also one of the loveliest groups of people you could hope to be acquainted with. Here’s to Emme, Jenny, Luke, Juan, Scott, Jack and Jack; The Joy Hotel, and to their song “Jeremiah”.

What would a musical career highlight of the year be for you?
A musical career highlight… This is a difficult one. Although I’ve been playing in bands for about ten years now (alongside George and Alfie) it doesn’t yet feel as though I can make a sound judgement on what one might deem to be a “career highlight”. I suppose an omnipresent highlight is to be allowed the privilege of taking your music from country to country, and city to city, and play to as many people as your potential at that time can provide you with. When you set out on the odd quest that is the pursuit of a “career” in music, it’s no secret that there is often a burning desire to have an audience in front of you. To achieve something of this sort when you’re in a place that’s in a country you’ve never been to before is almost beyond imaginable when this desire is birthed. It doesn’t matter whether some of the shows are more on the “low” side of the attendance scale, or if a logistical error means you’re staying in a hotel room without any windows. What really matters is that you’ve been allowed the opportunity to go and show another human being what it is you have to be proud of numerous times over, so I suppose that is a general highlight for me. I’d also add that having my first LP coming out is a satisfying conclusion to this year.

Favourite Live Show that you’ve played?
Back in April, we played the Paradiso in Amsterdam for the London Calling festival. As both a setting, and a show, it was one of my favourites to have been a part of thus far in that aforementioned “odd quest”. Having grown up watching videos of other bands playing that festival in that venue it meant when it was time to do so ourselves, it was to be a significant event. Also, the Dutch, for us, are always a great crowd. It seems they’re very fond of a lot of what’s going on over here, meaning the reception they give is not just warm, but oftentimes boiling.

Favourite thing someone’s said about your music:
It always means a lot to hear somebody say that your music has in some way helped them out of or through one of those dark tunnels that life likes to shove you down. I must admit, there are parts of me that wonder how and why it was our music they turned to, but it is touching to hear nevertheless.


… and the strangest response?

I saw someone trying to compliment my debut solo single by saying “it makes me want to drown myself.” That’s really not what I’m going for. Backhanded is definitely the word…

What are you looking forward to in 2024? In 2024, I suppose I’m looking forward to seeing the reception to my debut album. Furthermore, it’ll be interesting to see what opportunities may arise for DEADLETTER, and we have some great plans on the horizon that ought to throw some hateful joy into the world.