“There’s talk of a new album to come, which I’m really f***ing looking forward to,” Bez told The Sun. “It’s going to be visionary. It’s going to be massive. With all my heart and soul, I want it more than anyone.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Happy Mondays (@happymondaysofficial)

Although there is no information on when fans can expect this album, it would be their first studio outing since ‘Uncle Dysfunktional’ in 2007. That release also came after a barren period of 15 years following 1992’s ‘Yes Please!’, often considered the last in the classic period of the band. Peaking at a disappointing 73 in the UK Album Chart, ‘Uncle Dysfunktional’ received criticism and was described as “directionless,” however it would springboard The Happy Mondays into a festival mainstay. The band has played almost 300 live shows since the album’s release.   

The influences of The Mondays cannot be overstated. Fusing a variety of eclectic genres such as acid house, funk and psychedelic rock, they would come to help define the Madchester sound alongside bands like James and The Stone Roses, influencing them with tracks like ‘Step On‘ and ‘Kinky Afro‘. Further along the musical evolutionary chain, Oasis would emerge, inspired by the sounds of Manchester before them, and would go on to become one of the biggest bands of the 90s. Oasis were signed by Alan McGee, who was also managing the Happy Mondays. 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Gogglebox (@c4gogglebox)

Bez’s comments come at a busy time for both him and Ryder. The two have become mainstream figures thanks to their appearances on Celebrity Gogglebox, becoming fan favourites for their genuine, down-to-earth comments and observations. The pair also starred in a Channel 4 feature where Bez planned a mock funeral for Ryder, with the video reaching nearly a million views. Ryder also remains active with the Happy Mondays’ spiritual successor Black Grape, who will be heading out on tour this year to celebrate 30 years of their debut album ‘It’s Great When You’re Straight… Yeah’.

Meanwhile, Bez and Ryder’s other project, Mantra of the Cosmos—a supergroup featuring Oasis’ Andy Bell and Zak Starkey—has also been making headlines. The band debuted an exclusive vinyl-only single, ‘Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous)’, co-written with Noel Gallagher, during their performances at Liverpool’s Cavern Club. According to Bez, Starkey has played a key role in reigniting their creative spark: “Zak is the driving force behind the creativity. It’s ignited us all and got us all excited again.”

The Happy Mondays are set to take the stage at Forever Now 2025 this coming June, sharing the bill with the likes of Johnny Marr, The The, and recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee, Billy Idol. 

Whether the new album comes before or after this year’s festival season, Bez has promised “the most magic s**t you’ve ever heard.” Only time will tell if it ranks among their greatest albums, but 2025 promises to be a great year for fans of Bez and Ryder, and their various projects.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shaun Ryder (@shaunryderx)

Black Grape celebrated the 25th anniversary of the same album in 2021 after the planned celebrations were undone by the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally planned for 2020, the tour was moved to March 2021 before being rescheduled again, and eventually happening in September.  

When it finally happened, the event was just as much about the anniversary of the album as it was about fans finally being able to return to music venues, even if it did require vaccine passports. RGM’s Carl Maloney described the energy between band members Shaun Ryder and Kermit as electric, likening them to “scallywags just let out after being cooped up for 18 months.” ‘It’s Great When You’re Straight…Yeah’ is the band’s most well-known album and makes up most of the material they perform live. Fans attending any of the 11 dates can expect to hear ‘In The Name Of The Father’, ‘Tramazi Parti’, and ‘Kelly’s Heroes’, alongside material from their latest album, ‘Orange Head’, released last year.  

The tour will be supported by Dodgy, another ’90s act best known for hits like ‘Staying Out for the Summer’ and ‘Good Enough’, the latter of which reached No. 4 on the UK charts. The pairing will be a nostalgia trip for fans, transporting many of them back to the peak of Madchester and Britpop.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mantra Of The Cosmos (@mantraofthecosmos)

Shaun Ryder and Bez are both currently part of the supergroup Mantra of the Cosmos, which recently played two sold-out shows at Liverpool’s Cavern Club and released a track co-written with Noel Gallagher. Though Bez is no longer an official member of Black Grape, leaving the band in 1998, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him join Ryder and Kermit on stage, armed with a pair of maracas or a tambourine.

Ryder shared the tour poster from his X account as well as a link for tickets. Fans were quick to point out the absence of shows in Leeds and Dublin. There are no shows planned for Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland, as was the case in 2021 too, though there was a date in Wales, which also misses out on the 2025 tour. There’s no official word on extra dates yet, but if there is the demand, Black Grape may just add one or two more shows.

Where’s Leeds ?

— craig smith (@SmithCsmiff1974) January 27, 2025

‘It’s Great When You’re Straight…Yeah’ was met with critical acclaim upon its release and debuted at number 1 in the UK Album Chart, knocking off the Supergrass album ‘I Should Coco’. It was praised for its musical variety, which Lollipop Magazine’s Chris Adams compared to The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’.  

Though Black Grape don’t command the same recognition as Ryder and Bez’s previous band, The Happy Mondays, they still have a devoted following, with fans quick to defend the album and heap praise on it. The Happy Mondays were in the news back in December when their backing singer, Rowetta, abruptly left the group.

Comment byu/rusy from discussion invinyl

Interestingly, the album is yet to receive a remaster, and the 30th anniversary would be a prime opportunity for one to surface. Whether they’re a nostalgia act or not, fans of Black Grape will be excited for everything 2025 holds. As long as Shaun Ryder is at the helm, the party shows no signs of slowing down.

Tickets are currently on pre-sale, but will go on general sale on Friday 31 January. They can be bought here.

Unlike their two previous singles, ‘Gorilla Guerilla’ and ‘X (Wot You Sayin’)’, Domino Bones will not be released digitally. Instead, it will be available exclusively on vinyl and sold only at Liverpool’s iconic Cavern Club. This limited release coincides with the band’s two shows at the venue on January 19.

Mutual admiration seems to have laid the groundwork for the surprise collaboration. Mantra of the Cosmos have posted photos of Gallagher on their Instagram, captioned “Noel of the Cosmos.” Gallagher previously praised the band’s artistry, likening them to “Dylan, Dalí, and Ginsberg on a rocketship to the moon to have it with the Clangers.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mantra Of The Cosmos (@mantraofthecosmos)

Zak Starkey, the group’s leader, shared his excitement at the collaboration: “It’s not every day that the greatest songwriter of my generation – not to mention Shaun, the greatest beat poet of our times – sends a tune to me.” Gallagher heaped even more praise on Ryder, “Noel texted me saying, ‘Do you know what you’ve got? The British Bob Dylan.’”  

The song’s creative process suggests the partnership will be a one-off collaboration. Gallagher sent his recorded vocals for the chorus to Starkey, who then built the track around them. With Gallagher’s commitments to upcoming Oasis dates, any long-term involvement with Mantra of the Cosmos seems unlikely.  

The Cavern Club holds personal significance for Starkey, who wasn’t shy about his family’s connection to the venue: “There’s a great deal of family heritage at the Cavern aside from the Beatles. My parents courted there. Who knows, I may have even been conceived there!”  

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Cavern Club (@cavernliverpool)

This marks Starkey’s first performance at the Cavern Club, a venue that will always be synonymous with his father, Ringo Starr. In fact, Ringo was the first of the four Beatles to play at the Cavern, doing so in July 1957. The original venue was demolished in the 1970s to make way for Merseyrail infrastructure, but rebuilt in the 1980s, preserving much of its original footprint.  

Mantra of the Cosmos has split opinions. While one X user described their music as “like walking into a northern pub at 4am which smells horrible with several men half asleep lying on the sticky floor singing madchester tracks but totally out of tune,” Gallagher included ‘Gorilla Guerilla’ in his ‘Summer 2023 Playlist’ on Spotify. 

mantra of the cosmos songs are like walking into a northern pub at 4am which smells horrible with several men half asleep lying on the sticky floor singing madchester tracks but totally out of tune

— carol (@magicalspring) January 8, 2025

The choice to release ‘Domino Bones’ exclusively on vinyl aligns with buying habits in the UK. Vinyl sales in 2024 hit almost £200 million, making it the most premium format despite being outsold by CDs in volume. Fans are happier to buy quality over quantity, especially when it comes to exclusive releases. Limiting sales to the Cavern ensures the track reaches die-hard fans.
Whether ‘Domino Bones’ signals the end of the band’s erratic journey or the start of a prolific year remains to be seen. For now, fans can look forward to seeing the group—and Gallagher’s contribution—in the intimate, historic setting of the Cavern Club. Tickets for the event have sold out, however fans can join the waiting list here.

Happy Monday and Black Grape members Shaun Ryder and Bez have teamed up with former Oasis and The Who drummer Zak Starkey, and Oasis bassist and Ride guitarist Andy Bell to form the supergroup.

On the chaotic and fun-filled single “Gorilla Guerilla” Ryder’s cries of “Gorilla!” echo over Bez’s energetic maracas, repetitive guitar riffs, and thumping drum beats. Released alongside the hallucinogenic single is a colourful animated music video created by Ryder’s son Olli. Watch the trippy video for “Gorilla Guerilla” below:

Mantra of Cosmos features baggy icon Shaun Ryder on vocals, Welsh musician Andy Bell on guitar, Ringo Starr’s son Zak Starkey on drums, and everyone’s favourite cheeky chappy Bez on percussion.

Ryder revealed the group’s formation to The Sun in early May spilling to the publication that the band had been secretly working on a debut album that would be “coming out very soon”. The 90s star continued, “It doesn’t sound like the Mondays or Black Grape or Oasis or The Who, it’s what we’re doing all together.”

Channel 4 herded together the fantastic four for a TV interview in which Bez revealed, “for the first time ever I’ve actually got maracas solos”! Watch the whole interview here.

In a video shared to the band’s Instagram, when asked who would be in his fantasy supergroup dead or alive, Ryder replied, “John Lennon, Paul McCartney, every member of the Rolling Stones past and present. Sly Stone, the Pistols, the Kinks, both brothers and all the rest of the band. Funkadelic-Parliament! Every member of Parliament!”

The band made their debut live appearance at The Box in London on the 5^th June giving an intimate performance at the venue.

Mantra of The Cosmos will be taking Glastonbury Festival’s Glade area by storm on Sunday 25^th June at 8.20 pm.

Bez and Ryder will also be playing as part of the Happy Mondays later this year. The band will be playing Dreamland in Margate alongside Primal Scream and Crystal Palace Bowl in London with James in August. A month later they will appear at the Rock N Roll Circus festival in Sheffield.

See below for Mantra of the Cosmos UK dates:

25/06/23 – Glastonbury Festival – Glastonbury