TBC introduces… Burning Rope
Following the sad death of frontman Matt Long in October 2024, two of the remaining members of the multiple-award-winning Catfish wanted to continue writing and performing together.
They’ve joined forces with the excellent Mitch Weaving on drums and superb blues guitarist Alex Voysey to form Burning Rope.
There’s no way of getting over such a huge and sad thing as losing Matt. Can you tell us a bit about how you all are, and what, if anything, has helped you all to cope this past year?
I guess we are all keeping on keeping on. It’s the subject of one of my new songs, really - that you have no choice but to go forward, you can’t live life in reverse.
After a long period when I couldn't listen to Matt, I slowly got engrossed in deciding to finish off and release the last music we had of his. We felt that it should be heard and not forgotten. Finding a treasure trove of his demos and unfinished songs gave the project real impetus, and it became the album Time To Fly. This process slowly showed me that I should carry on performing.
Can you tell us a bit about Burning Rope? What’s the idea behind the band, and how much is it a departure from the legacy of Catfish versus building upon those mighty foundations?
The name comes from a Genesis song. It’s about loss and coping, and how the only permanent things in life are nature and the seasons. It also comes from their album And Then There Were Three, so it seemed apt. We do a lot of new songs, and a few of the songs I wrote for Catfish. We are very much a live band, as was Catfish.
Can you tell us a bit about the lineup and your sound?
Well, there are connections in that Adam Pyke is on bass. He had been with Catfish since 2017 and was keen to carry on in some way. On drums is Mitch Weaving, who was the dep drummer for Catfish in our final year or so. Alex Voysey is a great young guitarist who asked me to record and produce his last album, and he was my first and only thought about a player to join the new band.
The band is not as heavy as Catfish - Alex plays in a different style, and it was Matt who wrote the heavier songs. Some of it has prog and funk influences, and it is very song-based, and I work hard on my lyrics. So far, all written by me, except for one group composition - and there will be more of those as we develop.
Is there an artist, style, or era of music that the band is taking inspiration from (other than Catfish, of course)?
The feel of Pink Floyd is never too far away with some of our songs, and for me as a writer, the early albums of Elton John have always been an inspiration. Other musical influences would be bands like Little Feat and Gov’t Mule.
Where have you been gigging recently, and how have the gigs been going?
We only started in April, so it’s still pretty new, but we have been doing some nice shows at Arts Centres and the like, as well as Upton Blues Festival. We have quite a busy diary into next year, when we hope to return to Europe too.
This must have been an emotional journey for you all, given everything.
It still is emotional and sometimes very raw, but at the same time has given me a lift and brings me back to my love of music.
Are there any plans for new music to be released by the band?
Yes, our debut album is all but finished and will be released in the autumn.
We are well up for welcoming you back. What can we expect from your show at The Bear?
We are really looking forward to it, we always had a great time with Catfish at The Bear Club, one of my favourites. There’ll be new songs, some Catfish songs, and a few (some maybe surprising) cover versions.
Burning Rope joins us on Friday 15 August 2025