Molland joined Badfinger in 1969, completing the four-member lineup most are familiar with. His first appearance came on 1970’s ‘No Dice’, an album which contained ‘No Matter What’, and ‘Without You’, the latter of which would be famously covered by both Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey. In total, Molland played across seven Badfinger albums, contributing to some of their most famous tracks, including ‘Baby Blue’, which debuted on the UK Charts in 2013 after featuring in the final moments of the Breaking Bad finale.

In December, Molland’s partner Mary Joyce revealed that the guitarist had been in intensive care due to complications from diabetes, including a bacterial infection leading to septicaemia. A GoFundMe was set up in January to help cover the spiralling medical expenses, and has raised over $30,000 as of the time of writing. 

Among the donors was a ‘Richard Springfield’, possibly Rick Springfield, known for his hits ‘Jessie’s Girl’ and ‘I’ve Done Everything for You’. The pair worked together on a 2021 cover of Badfinger’s ‘Love is Gonna Come at Last’, and Springfield has never been shy on his admiration for the Welsh band. “Badfinger has always been one of my all-time favorite bands. I am often asked by journalists, ‘What is the one song you wished you had written?’ And my answer is ‘Baby Blue.’ What a perfect song! Their music was and is immortal.”

Born in Edge Hill, Lancashire, Molland contributed to Badfinger in various ways. Most commonly credited as a guitarist, he also sang and was credited as a songwriter, including on the original version of the previously mentioned ‘Love is Gonna Come at Last’. Through the band’s connection to The Beatles via Apple Records, Molland also appeared on John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ and George Harrison’s ‘All Things Must Pass’.

Badfinger had a tumultuous history, and is one of music’s many tragic tales. Molland kept the music of the band alive through his touring act, Joey Molland’s Badfinger. That one act performed over 300 shows since 1981, including 50 in 2024, with his last live performance in September coming just months before his illness. 

Very sad to hear about the passing of Badfinger’s Joey Molland. He was a great musician and good friend. #joeymolland #ripjoeymolland #badfinger #mickydolenz #whitealbumtour pic.twitter.com/wUKvnTWdTc

— Micky Dolenz (@TheMickyDolenz1) March 2, 2025

Tributes poured in for Molland from both fans and fellow musicians. Monkees drummer Micky Dolenz shared photos of the pair together on tour and called Molland “a great musician and a great friend.” One fan on Reddit shared his own experience with the musician, recalling how he helped mentor the group and produce their demo recordings.  

Comment byu/CowardiceNSandwiches from discussion inMusic

Molland’s death brings an end to one of music’s most under-appreciated bands, though offers us a chance to revisit their discography, as well as Molland’s solo work. Through his tracks with a variety of artists, including former Beatles, his music has been heard by millions around the world and is still played today.

“We need more fight and need more grit. We need more punks and we need more bricks”

‘We Need More Bricks’ from our upcoming self-titled album is out nowhttps://t.co/nc7ptZEifypic.twitter.com/jBgdY8zWKs

— Neck Deep (@NeckDeepUK) November 17, 2023

In an interview with Rock Sound, vocalist Ben Barlow said “We Need More Bricks’ is, in my opinion, Neck Deep at their political best. Touching on everything from the monarchy, immigration, protest laws and international wars. We find ourselves at a cross section in the zeitgeist where bricks could be used to build something, or to be destructive. 

I’m calling on punks and those that want to make a difference, to do so. As well as being our most poignant political track to date, it also features my favourite riff/breakdown we’ve ever written, with a mosh call that, I hope, makes the listener think about their role in the world, and to speak up, take action on the many injustices the world faces today.” 

The new track will be part of the band’s upcoming self-titled album which is set to drop on January 19th 2024. Neck Deep will be the rockers’ fifth studio album and will include previously released singles “Heartbreak Of The Century”, “Take Me With You” and “It Won’t Be Like This Forever”.

Still speaking with Rock Sound, Barlow stated “This album is the sound of us knowing ourselves and knowing our ability. It’s unapologetically us. We’re professional songwriters now and we’ve really honed in on what we’re good at – but it’s also about having fun and enjoying writing these tracks. And there are those little sonic signatures in the mix that even I can’t really put my finger on that just make it Neck Deep. It happens when we get in a room together and it clicks – it’s us just doing our thing like we always have.”

Made from the ground up by us. This is Neck Deep in its truest form. Our self-titled album will be released on January 19. Pre-order now at https://t.co/prCe3obOpgpic.twitter.com/syC9LBq7h3

— Neck Deep (@NeckDeepUK) September 28, 2023

The tracklist for the upcoming album can be found below:

1. Dumbstruck Dumbf**k
2. Sort Yourself Out
3. This Is All My Fault
4. We Need More Bricks
5. Heartbreak Of The Century
6. Go Outside!
7. Take Me With You
8. The May Not Mean To (But They Do)
9. It Won’t Be Like This Forever
10. Moody Weirdo

Neck Deep are set to play an exciting show at London’s Alexandra Palace next year on March 28th. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the band’s website.

It’s been a long time coming but we’re stoked to be finally headlining Ally Pally. We’ve always loved the venue, now it’s our turn for our biggest headline show. We’re expecting it to be the best Neck Deep show ever, & you wouldn’t wanna miss that would ya?

On sale Friday 10am pic.twitter.com/4ifcXNriQB

— Neck Deep (@NeckDeepUK) August 9, 2023

Speaking about the band’s alien-inspired new song, frontman Ben Barlow says the track was “literally as simple as: we should write a song about aliens called ‘Take Me With You.’ So conceptually and lyrically it was pretty straightforward. A few of us in the band are big UFO heads [particularly Seb Barlow, bass] so we had a lot of fun writing this one.”

The song is a playful and more light-hearted take on feeling fed up with the state of earthly situations that the band are noted for and Barlow has stated that the song owes a nod, at least in part, to Blink-182’s hit “Aliens Exist.” Singer for Blink-182 Tom Delonge has long been a vocal believer of UFOs and his company To The Stars made moderate news headlines after the recent US UFO hearings seem to confirm that UFOs, at least, may need to be taken seriously. Neck Deep promise however, that more meaningful songs are in the pipeline and will be released in due course.

It is perhaps surprising that, given the band’s more than ten years on the scene, Neck Deep have never headlined Alexandra Palace but that particular box will be ticked in March when the group finally play its hallowed halls as the top billed band. It is an indication at how much the band has grown in popularity over the years as the group get ready for what will surely be their biggest ever show.

Discussing the March 28th show, the band said, “it’s been a long time coming but we’re stoked to be finally headlining Ally Pally. We’ve always loved the venue, now its our turn for our biggest headline show. We’re expecting it to be the best Neck Deep show ever, and you wouldn’t want to miss that would ya?”

Take Me With You is now available to stream worldwide. Aim your speakers at the sky https://t.co/yyuvLX2PxC pic.twitter.com/hAqCTJ02Ec

— Neck Deep (@NeckDeepUK) August 9, 2023

Tickets for the Alexandra Palace show will go on sale at 10am on Friday, 11 August. Tickets can be purchased here.

Neck Deep Tour:

16/08/2023 – Asylum – Birmingham
17/08 – Rebellion – Manchester
18/08 – Dome, Tufnell Park – London
19/08 – Dome, Tufnell Park – London
15/10 – Key Club – Leeds
16/10 – Slay – Glasgow
17/10 – Globe – Cardiff
19/10 – Doornroosje – Nijmegen, Netherlands
22/10 – Live Music Hall – Cologne, Germany
24/10 – Columbia Theatre – Berlin, Germany
25/10 – Proxima – Warsaw, Poland
26/10 – MeetFactory – Prague, Czech Republic
28/10 – Arena Wien – Vienna, Austria
29/10 – Magazzini Generali – Milan, Italy
30/10 – Technikum – Munich, Germany
01/11 – Plaza – Zurich, Switzerland
02/11 – Vooruit – Ghent, Belgium
03/11 – Schlachtof – Weisbaden, Germany
05/11 – Markthalle – Hamburg, Germany
06/11 – La Machine du Moulin Rouge – Paris, France
28/03 – Alexandra Palace – London