DRAGON WELDING - THE NAUGHTY STEP
Dragon Welding is an anagram of Andrew Golding, a multi-instrumentalist and the co-founder of indie noise-pop legends The Wolfhounds. 'The Naughty Step’ is the fourth album by his electronics meets noise-pop group, but the first to feature new vocalist Nik Cockshott.
Out today, the release of ’The Naughty Step' is accompanied by a stunning 'stop-start' animated video for its title song by Award winning graphic artist Andy Royston. Royston also made a similarly dynamic clip for the recent single ‘We Dance Among You’ and designed the album cover artwork.
“The song is about that vague feeling you get when your judgement is questioned. You're pretty sure you've done nothing wrong, but you still have the nagging cloak of guilt draped around your sloping shoulders,” Golding explains. "I was at school at a time when corporal punishment was still allowed: beating children with canes and slippers. The line about the ‘punishment boys’ is about queuing up outside the sport teachers office, waiting for the cane, but neither you nor the teacher remembering the exact reason you were there. It sounds Dickensian, but it was the 1980s!”
As for the album as a whole, he continues: “the lyrical theme is me trying to deal with problems that I’ve never quite resolved in my mind, while new problems appear simultaneously. It’s neverending, so I will continue to write songs until I stop caring."
An album launch show takes place at The Betsey Trotwood in London EC1 on 1st March, at which support will come from The Othyrs, also founded by Golding and featuring family members that include his vocalist daughter Alice. Reviewing their recent “excellent third album”, 'Science Sunday’ (Dimple Discs), Shindig! stated that she “has a silken voice akin to any of the female greats past and present."
Dragon Welding issued an eclectic eponymous debut album in 2019, followed by the all-instrumental 'Lights Behind The Eyes’ (2021) and ‘Fictionary’ (2023). Encompassing all that had gone before while also looking firmly forwards, the last of these included 'The Dark' (feat. Anthony Chapman of Collapsed Lung) and 'An Angel Not Of This Earth' (feat. Alice Golding of labelmates The Othyrs), both hits in a parallel universe and displaying the prowess of a group that has never stood still.
Following a live show in 2023 where a last minute replacement vocalist had been required, Nik Cockshott (formerly of ‘90s leftfield indie rockers The Spores and The Keatons) joined Golding and the duo immediately began working in a more consistently song focused direction. 'The Naughty Step' was recorded before Cockshott emigrated from London to Manchester, since when they have continued worked together remotely. Further fruits of their endeavours have included the recent single 'These Are Dangerous Times', a radical reworking of the very first Dragon Welding release from 2019 that neatly marked the full circle rebirth of the group.
With a consistent voice and solid focus on idiosyncratic and at times downright dark electronic backing, augmented by an increasing plethora of obtuse instrumentation topped by unpretentious ecologically and socially aware lyrics, this incarnation of Dragon Welding is now ready to exceed all expectations.
