Micko & The Mellotronics Unleash poignant power-pop of "Viva La Underdog"

Following their recent inclusion in the ‘Heartstopper Forever’ soundtrack alongside the likes of Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, Micko & The Mellotronics return with new single “Viva La Underdog”. Fusing the fizzy power-pop melodies of Buzzcocks or Squeeze, with the arch Brit-pop sensibilities of Pulp or Blur, and a dash of Bonzo’s-esque surrealism; the result is a new single with bark and bite in abundance, but an underlying bittersweetness too.

“Viva La Underdog” was written following a series of visits to a local care home to see his mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. As the pair spent time together, the reassuring glow of the telly in the corner reeling through old episodes of Top of the Pops also became a recurring presence; a zeitgeist tape of yesteryear, complete with soundtrack, providing something of a Proustian window for deeper thought and reflection.

“It occurred to me that, at some point, I could well be in the same position, reflecting on what I could remember — what happened, what didn’t, and the feelings that go with it” says Micko.

“I wanted to write a life-affirming track, and the role of the underdog is something that we can all relate to. What’s important to me ultimately in my work is engagement, not winning or losing — stimulating myself and, hopefully, others through creativity. That’s what the line “it’s all in the game” in the chorus speaks of.”

A song about living in the moment while pausing for thought on the peaks of the past, musically “Viva La Underdog” also honours the memory of the late, great Neil Innes (The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, The Rutles), who Micko fondly remembers as his “old mucker and songwriting mentor”. As the frontman adds:

“I was in a charity band with Neil (The Spammed) for the last six years of his life. Every record that I release will always have an Innes-inspired track on it.”

Bringing some of Neil’s irreverent spirit to the screen for this latest single, “Viva La Underdog” arrives with an official video created with long-term collaborator Ashley Jones featuring sock-puppet stars Sooty and Sweep, with a new found need for speed... Watch the video in full here: https://youtu.be/mUAH81rVd_w?si=MNs3R-XEwf1ZlDP3

“Viva La Underdog” arrives as the fourth video to be cut from Micko & The Mellotronics’ acclaimed 2026 album, ‘The Trinity’, which is out now. With Devolution Magazine praising the album as “yet another great offering”, Louder Than War further hailed the band’s third record as “the best album that Micko and co have released”. 

Since the album’s release, Micko & the Mellotronics have also been revelling in the recent spike of attention that has surrounded “(What’s in a) Name”, with the track enjoying position No.6 in a 900,000 Spotify playlist, following its inclusion in the recent ‘Heartstopper Forever’ soundtrack alongside tracks from multi-million selling artists like The National, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish. You can listen to the soundtrack on Spotify here.

Micko & The Mellotronics formed in 2017 with the intention of turning Micko Westmoreland’s songwriting skills into a dynamic live prospect, and released their debut album in 2020. The recent incarnation of The Mellotronics sees Micko’s rabble-rousing vocals and spiky, agitational guitar work augmented perfectly by the crack squad of newbies drummer JD Kickdrum and Adrian Smith on bass. Paul Cuddeford (Boomtown Rats) moonlights when in town.

Since then they’ve been busy cutting their teeth with a series of shows around the capital and beyond, making return visits to the 100 Club in Oxford Street and earning multiple requests for support slots from acts as established as Evan Dando (Lemonheads), The Woodentops, David Devant & His Spirit Wife, Blue Orchids, Sheep on Drugs, The Television Personalities and The Monochrome Set.

The Mellotronics have racked up many 6 Music plays from their previous album ‘Le Vice Anglais’, while the previous two singles from forthcoming album ‘The Trinity’ have been featured by Mickey Bradley on his BBC Ulster Friday night show. The last single, “Misery Guts”, made it into the top 25 of Louder Than War’s best of 2025. Marco Pirroni from Adam and the Ants is a supporter and has name-checked Micko on social media as a rising star.

Released earlier this Summer, the band’s most recent record ‘The Trinity’ was made while Micko was supporting his mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s, which became a prominent and poignant theme across the record. Described by Micko as “a special album for me”, it was recorded at home with contributions from Paul Cuddeford (who provided lead guitar/E bow arrangements and augmented Micko’s initial compositions). Its stellar rhythm section is provided by Budge Magraw and Jan Noble, while other notable contributions include Arnulf Lindner (Ed Harcourt/Richard Ashcroft), Terry Edwards (PJ Harvey). The album is available to buy and streaming now, and features the latest single “Viva La Underdog”.