Skydaddy 31/01/25 @ The Attic, Leeds

Skydaddy, the moniker of London-born Lebanese/Grenadian artist, Rachid Fakhre, began life in early 2023 as an offshoot of his previous acclaimed project Spang Sisters. Before releasing any music, there was a buzz around the new project in the London scene - 2 weeks before Fakhre released his first single, ‘That Morning’, he toured the UK with his 7-piece backing band supporting Black Country, New Road. Following that, he spent the rest of that year releasing singles - including ‘Tear Gas’ a collaboration with BC, NR’s Tyler Hyde - that eventually became part of his debut mini-album Pilot.

Released on February 2nd last year, the release quickly garnered Fakhre a reputation of “a modern day chamber folk virtuoso redefining musical narratives” (Still Listening). The songs demonstrated his compositional prowess and ambitious production and arrangements. As Clash wrote, “‘Pilot’ is a reclamation of the multi-instrumentalist’s Lebanese heritage… careening between ambient-jazz sound collages, marathon orchestral codas and oblique confessionals”. Fakhre took his show on the road on a UK-wide headline tour soon after Pilot’s release, selling out shows in Edinburgh, Brighton and Bristol, finishing with a headline at London’s 100 Club.

Skydaddy's forthcoming EP 'Anchor Chains, Plane Motors & Train Whistles' will be out on January 10th. Taken from the mouth of George Bailey of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, the title symbolises a blind faith in technological advancement. He described these as the “three greatest sounds in the world.” Even a century on, these sound images denote grandeur and expanse. This is what Skydaddy wanted to achieve in the sound of this forthcoming record: a surrendering of being tied to the old world and an exploration of modern anxieties.