PHOTO CREDIT: Sama Beydoun FOLLOW THE WANTON BISHOPS SPOTIFY || FACEBOOK || INSTAGRAM || TWITTER || WEBSITE Today, (13th October 2023) Lebanon’s The Wanton Bishops share new single ‘Beirut’, a homage to the Middle Eastern city. The track is a concoction of searing rhythmic Blues-Rock guitars, serving as a bed for the lead synths reminiscent of the old belly dancing licks used by the heroes of the genre – the likes of Ihsan El Munzer and Baligh Hamdi. ‘Beirut’ is the third single from upcoming album ‘Under The Sun’ due for release on 17th November via Gnu Roam, distributed via Kartel Music Group. Listen to ‘Beirut’ here. Watch the visualiser here. “It’s an ode to an eternal city, to its people and their way of life. The thing about this much adversity, is that it tends to scar, the kind of scars that never heal. But it’s often our own fault. We’ve done her wrong, Beirut! For decades. Ripped her to pieces. Us the people”, comments Nader Mansour (AKA The Wanton Bishops) on the track’s meaning. He adds, “8 times destroyed, 8 times resurrected, Beirut today is a weary lover who might’ve lost the ability or willingness to love. In such cases the only thing that’s left to do is to offer more love, and even more love, without expecting any reciprocation, in the hope that maybe, one day, the city will trust again and enough to love back!” 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 forthcoming album ‘Under The Sun’, due for release 17th November on Gnu Roam, distributed via Kartel Music Group. ‘Under The Sun’ is an exploration of identity and ultimately a love letter to Beirut, capturing Nader’s kaleidoscopic life journey through a melting pot of musical influences; oriental, electronic, blues, rock n’ roll, psychedelic, surf, synth pop and dance. “It’s Lebanese Rock”, adds Nader, “a new genre, a blueprint for future music. It’s not fusion, it’s confusion, it’s not world music, it’s music from the world, for the world”. UNDER THE SUN | 
