The Samurai Seven, the Oxford band who were a hot tip in the late 90s, have released a new single, ¡Dios Mío!, on the same day they start a UK tour supporting The Boo Radleys. It follows the Make It Real EP from September, their first new music in more than 20 years, and vinyl copies of the EP are on sale at the shows.
The title is Spanish for "my God", but it's really a play on a recurring lyric, "Each time you diss me, you diss yourself" – a dig at someone short on honesty and integrity. Singer and guitarist Simon Williams says the song calls out boorish male behaviour in the workplace, whether that's in the office, at the Christmas party or in the disingenuous peacocking on LinkedIn. The hook in the chorus is, in his words, a respectful nod to Dr Dre, "king of the diss track". The press release describes it as harmony-heaven bubblegum pop with a propulsive punk energy.
Aiming a song at LinkedIn peacocks and office Christmas party bores, then crediting Dr Dre for the hook, is a combination I'm happy to put my name to. I'd point anyone with a liking for 90s indie towards ¡Dios Mío! and the Make It Real EP.
Simon wrote it and the band recorded it at Runway Studios with producer Hugo Nicolson, whose credits include Primal Scream, Radiohead and Björk. The line-up is Simon, his brother Matt (vocals, rhythm guitar), Jimmy Martin (bass, vocals) and Chris Hayward (drums). Stuart Jones, who has worked with Frank Turner, mixed it at Woodworm Studios, and Tim Turan did the mastering.
The band stole the show at Oxford Sound City in 1997, played five Radio 1 Peel Sessions and drew attention from Steve Lamacq and NME. Their early singles came out on Fierce Panda and Shifty Disco. Then on Valentine's Day 1999 Simon was shot in a drive-by outside a pub in his hometown, an attack that remains unexplained. NHS staff saved his sight, but the long break while he recovered cost them their momentum, and their debut album, Le Sport, only came out in 2002.
The comeback began in 2024, when Jimmy suggested a one-off rehearsal to celebrate his birthday, and Matt's recovery from a serious illness made them realise there wouldn't be many more chances. More rehearsals, excited fans and offers of gigs followed. Since then they've had coverage from Louder Than War, Northern Exposure and the Oxford Mail, and airplay from BBC Introducing, Radio X and Mickey Bradley at BBC Radio Ulster.
Tour dates:
- Fri 6 Nov – Manchester, Night & Day (with The Boo Radleys)
- Sat 7 Nov – Leeds, Brundell Social Club (with The Boo Radleys)
- Sun 8 Nov – Glasgow, Stereo (with The Boo Radleys)
- Fri 13 Nov – Lewes, Con Club (with The Boo Radleys)
- Sun 15 Nov – London, Oslo (with The Boo Radleys)
- Thu 19 Nov – Oxford, The Bullingdon (headline show)
Remaining tickets for the Bullingdon show are here: https://wegottickets.com/f/25165
Follow the band on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.samurai.seven/ and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_samurai_seven/