Villanelle set Measly Means release after fast rise through UK support tours

Villanelle release their debut EP Measly Means on May 6, 2026. The trio recorded the EP after forming in summer 2023 and have spent the intervening months touring and building an audience.

Vocalist Gene Gallagher, guitarist Ben Taylor and bassist Jack Schiavo met by chance in 2023. Their early single ‘Hinge’ drew comparisons to 1990s alternative rock and became the first marker of the band’s live trajectory.

The band’s first shows were high profile. Liam Gallagher invited them to open his 2024 anniversary tour of Oasis’ Definitely Maybe. Those dates were their baptism by fire and their first experience playing large rooms.

More recent support work included a run with Miles Kane. The interview took place in early April, shortly after the Miles Kane dates. ‘It was great, man,’ Schiavo said of the Academies shows. The band described playing those venues as useful for reaching new fans.

Scholastic venues have also been a focus. Last year Villanelle ran the Punchbag tour of university venues to try to reintroduce band music into student culture. Taylor said the university shows gave the band closer contact with young audiences and immediate feedback about performances.

The trio shared behind the scenes details about life on the road. Schiavo said Gene spent the Miles Kane tour sober on antibiotics while Ben and Jack drank. ‘I was desperately trying to corrupt him, but he was unflappable,’ the bassist said. Gallagher also described late nights spent playing the game Dave The Diver on a Steam Deck.

Measly Means collects several of those early live songs. The title track is built on a paranoid, chugging riff. ‘Squeeze’ moves into a more introspective register. ‘Opportunity’ includes the lyric about ‘sitting facing backwards’ and, according to Gallagher, ‘is just about getting your shit together’.

The band say they are already working on a second EP and holding material back for an eventual album. ‘I take it game by game,’ Gallagher said when asked about the pace of releases.

‘People know who Gene is. We own that and appreciate it, but we also work extremely hard at the same time,’ Taylor said, responding directly to questions about family connections.

Villanelle will play The Great Escape on May 15. Measly Means is due May 6 on their label.