Today Lebanon’s The Wanton Bishops release their anticipated second album ‘Under The Sun’, a homage to Beirut and exploration of its identity. Listen to ‘Under The Sun’ HERE.
To mark the release, The Wanton Bishops have released a video for ‘We Are One’ - a call for unity in the current political climate. Vocalist Nader Mansour comments on the track “As hard and unrealistic as it might sound these days, We Are One, all of us, under the sun, transcending borders, countries, governments, religions… Granted that Love is all, but it sure starts by repairing injustice".
The Wanton Bishops, though a band by every definition of the word, is primarily the vision of one eclectic man – Nader Mansour. A cultural anomaly, considering the fact that he was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, Nader as lead singer is the very epitome of a howling blues man.
Following the release of debut album ‘Sleep With The Lights On’, a Delta blues record inspired by the likes of RL Burnside and Muddy Waters, Nader journeyed to America’s deep south to experience the roots of Mississippi blues. The experience spawned a musical epiphany, as he returned home to Lebanon a changed man with a newly inspired musical vision. Nader’s music slowly emerged from the Delta swamps into the Lebanese mountains, and the music of The Wanton Bishops began to reflect Nader’s homeland, his people, and his personal journey. To quote Nader, "I’m finally getting to the core of the music I want to create, and that core is scarily confused, yet uniquely special, much like our own identity as Lebanese people living in Beirut, that eternal cultural crossroad". This experimentation is initially heard on the band's EP 'Nowhere Everywhere', and has now become fully realised on new album ‘Under The Sun’ out now on Gnu Roam, distributed via Kartel Music Group.
In tandem with the album, Nader has written his own letter to Beirut, which you can read HERE.