Alt-J frontman Joe Newman has said he didn’t think he’d be able to “pick himself up” after the departure of the band’s bassist Gwil Sainsbury in January.
The bassist left the band for personal reasons at the beginning of the year, shortly before the group started recording their forthcoming second album, and the band are now continuing as a three-piece.
Speaking to The Guardian, Newman called Sainsbury the band’s “silent leader”, saying: “I didn’t think we were going to pick ourselves up.”
Discussing why he withdrew from doing interviews after the group bagged the 2012 Mercury Music Prize for their debut ‘An Awesome Wave’, Newman added that Sainsbury’s departure only added to the pressure he felt. “I thought it would all fall on my shoulders and I wouldn’t be able to carry the weight. But we dug our heels in.”
The band release their second album ‘This Is All Yours’ on September 22. The band will tour the UK in support of it this autumn.
Alt-J will play:
Glasgow O2 Academy (September 18)
Manchester Apollo (19-20)
Wolverhampton Civic Hall (22)
Brighton Centre (23)
London Alexandra Palace (24)
Dublin O2 Arena (27)
To check the availability of Alt-J tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/TICKETS now, or call 0844 858 6765.