NME’s latest stars of The Cover, Westside Cowboy, have created an exclusive playlist to accompany the story’s launch – check it out below.
The Manchester indie band are on this week’s (February 16) edition of The Cover, a manifestation of NME’s commitment to supporting emerging talent across the globe on a weekly basis. Every week, a rising artist will feature on The Cover – you can read Westside Cowboy’s profile here, written by Rhys Buchanan and featuring photography by Andy Ford.
Alongside The Cover, Westside Cowboy have created a playlist called ‘Britainicana’, the tongue-in-cheek name they’ve given to their country-tinged indie sound. Their selections include songs by The Replacements, Hank Williams, Jackson C. Frank, Teenage Fanclub and more. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below and on Apple Music.
For Westside Cowboy, 2025 was a breakthrough year. After scoring a spot on that year’s NME 100 list, they became a word-of-mouth sensation at Brighton’s new music festival The Great Escape and were named winners of Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition. The latter earned them a spot on the Woodsies stage last June, and they quickly became the new name popping up around the site over the course of the bash.
In the time since, their momentum has only continued to snowball, with a record deal, milestone gigs and trips to the US racking up. Even as the pace picks up, though, there’s still a humble sense of caution in the way they speak about things that mirrors the band’s lovable charm onstage. “The novelty of playing to people hasn’t worn off, whether that’s Glastonbury or anywhere,” says drummer Paddy Murphy. “It always feels a bit like someone’s had a word like, ‘Let this little band have a go.’ It never quite feels certain and real – it’s like somebody’s going to turn the lights on, then we’re going to have to grab our stuff and leave.”
Elsewhere in The Cover, the band discuss their simple intentions when forming the band, the community around them in Manchester, and their continued evolution on recent EP ‘So Much Country ‘Till We Get There’.
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Read Westside Cowboy’s full Cover story here and find out who else has been on The Cover here.
Every year, NME produces 50 Cover stories, showcasing the future of music via in-depth profiles and exclusive photoshoots. Check out our coffee table book NME The Cover 2024-2025, which features the likes of Kneecap, Lola Young, Amaarae, LE SSERAFIM, Oklou and many more.