We Speak Music

It Man release ‘White Heat’

Published

4 years ago

April 26, 2023

Don Reed

In a moving tribute new band IT MAN made a statement on their social media this week ahead of the release of debut single ‘White Heat’, which reads as follows,

“After much thought and consideration, we have decided that we will no longer perform or release music as The Jacques. Since the formation of the band 8 years ago, our line-up has changed, sometimes amicably but also in ways beyond our control. Four years ago, we lost our best friend and bassist Will. We had just completed our debut album ‘The Four Five Three’ after spending our early 20s living and touring together. These are precious memories of ours and we are grateful for all of the friendship, support and love we have received over the years. We are currently finishing an album that we feel marks a departure from our previous musical direction. It is for that reason that we have agreed to be known by a different name moving forward. Thank you all for your continued support. Love, Finn, Elliot, Harry & Dexter a.k.a It Man”.

And so it was, born of the ashes of one band who tasted early success touring with The Libertines, playing Glastonbury and SXSW, as championed by BBC and signing with a major label, the story unfolds in a new and thrilling way as 2023 sees the birth of IT MAN as they get ready to dominate UK and European shores with a series of heavy hitting new wave Britpop n rock releases scheduled including a new album later this year.

New member Dexter Dougan on the bass has brought healing and a whole new sense of purpose for these talented musicians as demonstrated on ‘White Heat’ their debut single, and a satirical romp through the fictional psyche of a young, middle-class 20th century couple fantasising about explosives, casual gambling and being some kind of street gangster.

Lead singer Finn O’Brien slurs out, “I’m trying, I’m trying not to think about it, cause its only there when I think about it”. All the while the guitars do a symbolic sleight of hand manoeuvre busily transporting the listener to some far off beach in the tropics, whilst nodding cheekily towards the spectre of neurosis that lurks just beneath the consumerist glitz of modern life.

‘White Heat’ was recorded by the legendary The Strokes producer Gordon Raphael and produced & mixed by another producer giant Dan Swift.

Oh and if you’re wondering why It Man, well it’s the title of a John Cooper Clarke poem/song which struck a chord with all members of the band.

‘White Heat’ will release on all platforms on March 31 on the band’s own label, Sore Records and It Man will be on the road from May as support for TALK SHOW, BRIX SMITH and MENADES

5th May / Guildford / Boileroom w/ TALK SHOW

23rd May / Bristol / Strange Brew w/ BRIX SMITH

24th May / Manchester / Yes w/ BRIX SMITH

28th May / London / Lower Third w/ BRIX SMITH

8th June / Newcastle / Cluny 1 w/ BRIX SMITH

15th June / Stroud / Subscription Rooms w/ BRIX SMITH

16th June / Portsmouth / Wedgewood Rooms w/ BRIX SMITH

18th June / London / AMP w/ MENADES

19th June / Brighton / Prince Albert w/ MENADES

More from We Speak Media:

We Speak Jazz

Zahili Zamora Wins Two Global Music Awards and Brings Her Afro-Cuban Jazz Quartet to Regattabar

Published

1 hour ago

November 2, 2026

We Speak Media

Zahili Zamora seated in a burgundy dress, her braided hair styled in a top bun

Zahili González Zamora. Photo by Robert Torres.

Afro Cuban jazz pianist Zahili Zamora brings her Afro Cuban Jazz Quartet to The Regattabar at The Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, Cambridge, on Friday, November 6 at 7 pm, with special guest Yosvany Terry on saxophone. The quartet features Gerson Lazo Quiroga on bass and Zack O’Farrill on drums. Tickets are $35 and $25 plus fees and are on sale now.

Zamora returns this week from a week in Seoul, Korea, where she was performing and auditioning students for Berklee. She has won two Global Music Awards for her recent album Overcoming, taking Silver Medals for Latin Jazz and Afro Cuban music and for album art and graphics. She is also nominated for the Boston Music Awards 2026 Latin Artist of the Year, with winners announced at Big Night Live on Wednesday, December 16, and WBUR has saluted her as one of its 2026 Makers, its annual series highlighting creatives of color making an impact in the local arts scene. Earlier this year she also won the InterContinental Music Award 2026 for Best of Latin America for her composition “Negra.”

The run of dates continues overseas and back in New York. The Zahili Zamora Afro Cuban Jazz Trio, with Gerson Lazo Quiroga on bass and Julien Miltenberger on drums, plays Upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London on Sunday, November 15, with shows at 2 pm and 8 pm. Zamora then plays duo sets with clarinetist Juan Fer Ruiz at So & So’s in New York on Saturday, November 28, Five Spot Jazz in New York on Sunday, November 29, Fat Swami’s Jazz Bar & Lounge in Guttenberg, New Jersey on Thursday, December 3, and The Delancey on Thursday, December 10.

About special guest Yosvany Terry, The New York Times has written that the Cuban saxophonist, percussionist and composer “has helped redefine Latin jazz as a complex new idiom.” Bassist Gerson Lazo Quiroga, a Chilean born Berklee Presidential Scholar, has performed at Carnegie Hall, SFJAZZ and the Montreal, Monterey, San Jose and Panama Jazz Festivals. Drummer Zack O’Farrill, son of pianist Arturo O’Farrill and grandson of composer Chico O’Farrill, performs regularly across the United States and the globe.