New single out on 16 October from Micko & The Mellotronics, called Viva La Underdog – the fourth video to come from this year's album The Trinity. It's power pop with a bit of bite, mixing the fizzy melodies of Buzzcocks and Squeeze with the arch Brit-pop of Pulp and Blur, and (so the press release says) a dash of Bonzo Dog surrealism too. The arrangement has a real elegance to it – every instrument gets just enough room to make its mark, so it sounds pretty rich without ever getting cluttered.
The song came out of Micko's visits to see his mother in a care home, where she has Alzheimer's – old Top of the Pops repeats were on in the background, which got him thinking about memory and what gets kept. "I wanted to write a life-affirming track," he says, "what's important to me ultimately in my work is engagement, not winning or losing." The video itself is a lighter touch though – sock puppets Sooty and Sweep get a new found need for speed, courtesy of long-term collaborator Ashley Jones.
There's a proper tribute buried in there too – Viva La Underdog honours the late Neil Innes (The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, The Rutles), who Micko calls his "old mucker and songwriting mentor" after six years together in charity band The Spammed. "Every record I release will always have an Innes-inspired track on it," he says.
The Trinity has had strong reviews (Louder Than War called it the best record the band have released) and Micko's earlier track (What's in a) Name recently turned up on the Heartstopper Forever soundtrack alongside Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish – unlikely company for a band who've spent years cutting their teeth at the 100 Club.