Bucks Music Group signs Little Barrie to exclusive worldwide deal

15 July 2024 - Press release

Band’s catalogue stretches back 24 years. Guitarist Barrie Cadogan and bassist Lewis Wharton have an extensive TV and film music portfolio including the Better Call Saul main theme.

 

Bucks Music Group have signed the band Little Barrie to an exclusive worldwide deal encompassing administration and sync services.

The deal includes a range of works in the Little Barrie catalogue comprising six studio albums to date – the most recent being Quatermass 7 featuring Malcolm Catto - as well as future works already written, recorded and yet to be released.

While frontman Barrie Cadogan and bassist Lewis Wharton have been a consistent presence, the band’s line-up and sound has evolved over the years, with writing credits spread across all members.

With an extensive TV and film portfolio, including the Better Call Saul main title theme (which won three ASCAP Awards); Cadogan composing the soundtrack to the documentary Year Of The Dog; Little Barrie providing the theme tune to Sirens (Surf Hell); placements in films such as Term Life and Fathers And Daughters, plus US TV hits Outer Banks, Reservation Dogs, Shameless and Brooklyn 99; video game features for Rocksmith and Baller Beats; and a range of advertising placements for Nissan, Ralph Lauren, Nokia, Rimmel and Marks & Spencer.

Cadogan himself has also contributed to music for Hollywood releases Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, The Black Phone (with Anton Newcombe) and the critically acclaimed BBC drama Peaky Blinders.

A recent co-write with Matt Johnson for the lead single Cognitive Dissident from Ensoulment (the first The The studio album since 2000) showcases the depth of writing collaborations with notable artists such as Steve Mason, Shawn Lee, Project Gemini, French singer and actress Mareva Galanter, and Champyun Clouds, as well as perhaps one of the most prolific sync tracks Tchiki, Tchiki, Tchiki by Make The Girl Dance, which has already grossed in excess of a million dollars in sync fees.

With six albums to date, plus various collaborations and side projects, the original Little Barrie trio released their debut album, We Are Little Barrie in 2005 following sessions in London with producer Edwyn Collins.

After extensive tours across the UK, Europe, North America, Japan and Australia, the band’s second album, Stand Your Ground, was released in 2007 featuring Why Don’t You Do It (which also appeared in the second season of Better Call Saul).

With the arrival of Virgil Howe, son of Yes guitar hero Steve Howe, in 2008 and the enduring mentorship/friendship of Edwyn Collins, whose West Heath studio in London became Little Barrie HQ, the band entered a period of being consistently creative in their writing and recording, pushing themselves forward and experimenting as much as possible. The following two albums diversified the Little Barrie blueprint, moving into ’60s surf-pop (2011’s King Of The Waves) and the darker soundtrack-style Krautrock of 2014’s Shadow, “an effortlessly exciting album, taking rock back to its thrilling basics” as lauded by the NME. Album number five, 2017’s Death Express, lead to Louder Than War praising it’s “classic sixties r’n’b garage rock with a 21st century thrust”.

Following the untimely passing of Virgil Howe in 2017, Little Barrie underwent a healing process returning to the studio and reconnecting through music. Aligning with Malcolm Catto, sticksman and producer for The Heliocentrics in 2020, the album Quatermass Seven emerged from this emotional exile. Still rooted in the Death Express sessions but seeking electrical energy coupled with the primaeval feel of playing, Quatermass Seven developed common ground and mutual respects exploring psych, late ’60s US funk 45s, British beat bands such as The Eyes, The Birds and The Creation, and the heavy heyday of early ’70s Detroit. Recorded on Catto’s treasure trove of analogue gear, the record landed at the feet of maverick hip-hop producer Madlib, with his Madlib Invazion label ultimately releasing album number six.

Cadogan himself has established himself as the go-to session musician for some of the world’s most respected artists including The The, Liam Gallagher, Primal Scream, Morrissey, Paul Weller, The Heavy, Spiritualized, Edwyn Collins, Charles Bradley, The Chemical Brothers, Steve Mason, Paolo Nutini, Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre and most recently Liam Gallagher & John Squire.

He was part of Gallagher’s band for a series of stadium shows and festivals across Europe, Japan and Australia during the summer of 2022, culminating in the sold out shows at the iconic Knebworth estate.

Barrie Cadogan said: “So happy to be with Flash and Bucks Music Group, representing our works past, present and future. I've always liked spending time with Flash: a good soul who loves his music. Really looking forward to working together.”

Bucks Music Group Senior A&R Flash Taylor said: “There are times in a publisher’s life when an opportunity comes around to work with a band that you have admired for years, and Little Barrie is one of those bands for me. Rich [Chamberlain - manager] first played me tracks off We Are Little Barrie when it was released back in 2005 and, although we didn't get to work together then, I've been listening to the band and all the other aspects of Barrie and Lewis' work ever since. I've met Barrie at numerous shows over the years. To now work with both his and Lewis' incredible catalogue, alongside the contributions of previous members - most notably Virgil Howe -  is a great day indeed.”

Bucks’ catalogue includes works written by David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Procol Harum, DJ Fresh, James Blunt, Professor Green, Rudimental, Beyonce, CAN, Pete Doherty, Roni Size & Reprazent, David Arnold, Sacha Skarbek, Troy Miller, Seton Daunt, Ash Howes, James Dring, Watch The Ride, Ivory Layne, Erland Cooper, Emma Blackery, The Heavytrackerz, LIFE, Brooke Bentham, Gold Spectacles, Johnny Madden, and more.

Label publishing partners include: Heavenly, Nude, Full Time Hobby, Brownswood, Rekids and Arts & Crafts.