Would-Be-Goods – The Gallopers (Skep Wax)
Danger lurks amid the lights of the funfair in the 1950s carousel whirl of The Gallopers, the new single from seminal 1980s indiepop band Would-be-goods.
Artist: Would-be-goods
Track: The Gallopers
Label: Skep Wax
Released: 20 November 2025
Find it: Bandcamp
Seminal 1980s indiepop band Would-be-goods have shared a first track from their forthcoming album Tears Before Bedtime, due out in February 2026. Single The Gallopers has a tremulous guitar with a rock n roll rhythm, matched to a bittersweet vocal as it warns of the dangers of having too much fun at the fair.
This is a track made up of many layers: the nostalgia for escaping the everyday at the fantastical travelling fair; the warnings about the temptation to be found there gone unheeded; the playfulness and light; the loss of innocence and darker edges; youth passing. Stay on the surface and this is delicate and catchy indiepop, board the carousel and there’s something magical and wistful at work.
‘Don’t go down to the dodgems / You know it’ll end in tears / Don’t go up on the big wheel / You could be there for years’
Led by Jessica Griffin she’s joined here by Peter Momtchiloff (Heavenly, Talulah Gosh) on guitar, Debbie Greensmith (Thee Headcoatees and many others) on drums, and Andy Warren (The Monochrome Set, Adam and the Ants) on bass The Gallopers is pretty and unsettling, retro yet timeless, and reminds us what great storytelling chops this band of pop adventurers has.
The Gallopers by Would-be-goods is out digitally now. It is taken from album Tears Before Bedtime out on vinyl, CD and digital via Skep Wax on 13 February 2026.
Find Would-be-goods: Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky
Live dates:
- 12 December 2025 – Hope and Ruin, Brighton
- 21 February 2026 – The Water Rats, London
- 25 February 2026 – Just Dropped In, Coventry
- 5 March 2026 – Music Hall, Ramsgate
- 3 April 2026 – The Gate Arts and Community Centre, Cardiff
Image: Ian Greensmith
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Sarah Lay
A long-standing music journalist she's also co-founder of independent record label Reckless Yes, an author of novels, and when not messing around with words and music, a digital strategist.
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