Interviews (247)

• March 30, 2026
• Colleen Johnson
• 110
• 0

As the city shakes off its winter doom a bit, touring is amping up this month as the weather warms up. And one band that is sure to warm up this city for a minute is the UK-based Divorce, who will be making their Boston area debut this upcoming Sunday at The Rockwell in Somerville. Yes, it is Easter, which may be a bit of a hard sell if you’re celebrating, but at this point in the day, the show can serve as the perfect excuse to head out a little early.

Sunday’s show serves as the last show of Divorce’s first US headline run, and will serve up the perfect room for the dreamy tunes that are sure to be brought to life at the gig off the band’s now just over a year old debut album, Drive to Goldenhammer. While the album has been out for a year, it’s some of the first chances for US audiences to hear songs that earned the #1 spot on the UK Americana albums chart upon release. Lyrical moments like “I was made for loving you, but the living made me weak,” from the lead-off track “Antarctica,” are sure to be the perfect fit for the intimate black-box theater the band will be taking on.

I got the chance to chat with Tiger Cohen-Towell and Felix Mackenzie-Barrow from the band, fresh off sound-check for their first US show of the run, a little over a week ago, and, casually, as well, fresh off opening for Sam Smith on their last four dates of their residency in San Francisco. Tiger and Felix chatted with me about those shows, what they’re looking forward to on their US run, a tidbit about upcoming music, and more. You can find our chat below, and limited tickets to their upcoming gig are available here!

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New England Sounds: You’re about to play the first show of your US headlining tour, but you just came off some shows opening up for Sam Smith. How did these shows go, and how are you feeling after playing these four nights with Sam? 

Tiger: Feeling good, it was never really on our bingo card to be playing four shows with Sam Smith.  But it’s happened, and it was incredible.  San Francisco’s a really good city; the crowds really embraced us, which I think was just lovely.  It was a really open-minded crowd; we did five stripped-back songs, which was a really nice experience, and it was well received.  So yeah, it was a big celebration as well, so it was great to be a part of it. So to be part of that was an honor. 

NES: Then you opened the last four nights of that residency. Being a warm-up to, obviously, your first US headlining run, which you’re starting tonight. How are you feeling before the first show? 

Felix: So yeah, we did those shows with just the two of us and an acoustic guitar.  So, this tour is going to be a lot more band-heavy, playing as a four-piece. And yeah, I’m excited to play in some smaller rooms again. As much as it’s lovely playing a big theater, I really love playing in a more intimate space.  We get to feel a lot of the crowd’s energy, and I think it’s going to be a really good experience. 

NES: And then this is the first show, I’m sure you’ll figure it out as you go, as you continue on the road, but how are you kind of curating these sets? Playing the full debut album, or maybe some new stuff that you’ve been working on? Kind of what’s the game plan? 

Felix: Yeah, I mean, we’ve been making a record for the past month or so.  And so we’re playing some of the new songs from that. But also, yeah, we’ll be playing lots from Drive to Goldenhammer, the first record. 

And yeah, it’s really cool. It’s fun to be able to try out some new stuff, but also, these are our first US headline shows.  It’s always interesting to see how your songs are received so far away from home. 

NES: And then, I know you’re covering a lot of ground on this run.  You’re only going to be on this tour for ten shows. This is a preview of the show in Somerville, the last of the run. So obviously, you have some ground to cover all over the states. Is there a certain place you’re looking forward to? 

Tiger: I’m really looking forward to New York. I’ve never been there, so that’s something I’m looking forward to. To see some sights and things there.  That’s what I’m excited about: seeing some new cities. 

Felix: I’m excited to see Chicago. I’ve watched a lot of The Bear. And I’m a big Wilco fan. 

NES: Oh, nice! That’s actually where I grew up, so I like that answer even though I’m in Boston. Just outside of the city, you’ll have to get some good food!

Felix: Also, Boston, we’re pretty excited about that.  That’s the last night of the tour, I think it will be a really special show. We’ve met some lovely people from Boston over the years, so that will be really cool. 

NES: That venue is perfect, too. For the album, and how vibrant it is 

Felix: Amazing. 

NES: Perfect, and then you kind of talked about it a little bit, but I know you both bring your own parts to the writing process. Each person brings their own lyrics, maybe leads different songs, was that kind of still the process for this second album? I’m sure you can’t say much. 

Felix: Yeah, we can’t probably say much, but I think if anything, we went deeper on it. Yeah, I’m excited for it. 

Tiger: Yeah, our second album, I’m pretty excited for it as well. Yeah, probably (both laugh). But yeah, we’ve been working on stuff, and I think we’re always growing. I think in a lot of ways, we’ve been developing pretty well, going in a good direction early on for the band. We’ve been very lucky. This next chapter has really come together, the next step, really.  

NES: And then when it comes to the writing process, is it something where you think you’ll still be writing on the road, considering how long it takes to write that first album, the second comes quicker normally. Or do you mostly just write when you’re not on tour? 

Felix: I mean, it’s a mixture, really. I know a lot of bands, they start a lot of the like early building blocks, the roots of the songs, when they’re like sitting in a van. But obviously, touring and driving long distances, it means you get relatively little time to kind of sit with anything. Yeah, I don’t know, I’m just open to seeing how things come about, naturally. 

Tiger: It’s really been kind of random when it comes to things like that. There have been times where we kind of test out things, and we’ve worked on things before, like fleshing out stuff in hotel rooms. Stuff like that. 

NES: And obviously, a lot is going on, the upcoming record is still in progress, you have this round of dates. Maybe, as cheesy as it might sound, maybe focuses or goals as you take on this US run, and this next year. 

Felix: Connecting with people here. We’re still really new to the US, so I think the most important thing for us is to meet the people who want to know our music, and keep building that rapport, and see how it plays out over here, I guess. And yeah, take it in a bit, we’ve been looking forward to doing this for a really long time, and feel very privileged to have the opportunity. 

NES: And obviously touring, I’ve been told that it takes like six hours to cross the United Kingdom. So obviously a little bit different from the US, but maybe to end it out, the three things you had to bring with you? 

Felix: Our touring tool-kit? 

Tiger: I’m going to say something so performative, but probably a good book. I’ve actually taken three books with me, and I’ve bought some books while I’m out here. This is great, my mouth guard. And I guess my third one would be a really good selection of tops. Like, lots of tops.  Like topsi’s, T-shirts, and shorts.  A really good array of shirts. What about you, Felix? Do you want to say your three? 

Felix: Yeah, a bunch of different teas, I think. Like a nice herbal tea selection always helps me. Our tour manager got us on to this like Chinese herbal throat medicine, which is kind of great. Do a lot of singing, that helps.  And yeah, what else? Yeah, a good book, probably. It all sounds a little holier than thou; they’re not very rock and roll answers, but fuck it!

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