Jack Valero Follows Glastonbury 2023 With Temporary Helplessness

by | Jul 4, 2023

Jack Valero’s two sets at Glastonbury Festival last month helped introduce him to an ever-growing audience, showing those present the sharply observed songwriting that has won praise from a host of tastemakers as well as repeated airplay at 6 Music and Radio X. It’s a talent that’s worth coming back for, as Valero demonstrates with his brand new single Temporary Helplessness. Both this track and his recent single Pull Back The Hammer will feature on a new EP which will follow later in the summer.

Jack Valero @ Glastonbury Festival 2023

Jack Valero @ Glastonbury Festival 2023 (Kalpesh Patel)
Jack Valero @ Glastonbury Festival 2023 (Kalpesh Patel)

As with his previous single, Temporary Helplessness sees Valero’s songwriting given a double-shot of stirring potency courtesy of his new live band. It’s a song which evokes the jangle pop of the ‘80s indie scene for a new generation, and, much like many of the bands of that scene, its bright, upbeat energy initially masks the darker heart of its lyrics. As his words indicate (“I’m building up to take you on, but every time I fall apart”), it addresses a challenge which is all too often an uphill battle.

Valero says: “When I was in counselling, I talked a lot about my frequent and seemingly random panic attacks. My counsellor described them as a ‘temporary helplessness’ and that phrase really stuck with me. As I’ve said in the past, I love juxtapositions, so I ended up writing a song about dealing with these feelings of temporary helplessness to a happy tune. It almost in a way reflects the difficult situation of your environment being fine or even great and yet inside feeling like you’re falling into a never-ending pit.”

His second single under a new deal with Modern Sky (The Lottery Winners, Jamie Webster, The Slow Readers Club), Temporary Helplessness was written by Valero and recorded at Echo Zoo Studios in Eastbourne with producer Romeo Stodart (The Magic Numbers) and engineer Dave Izumi.

The accompanying video for the new track features Jack alongside his band: Erik Litstrom (guitar), Maxine Cahill (bass), Theo Williams-Burchell (drums) and Amie Shouler (backing vocals). The visual plays upon the song’s deep dive into the realities of anxiety and isolation by showing just how much difference friendship and community can make when the band are later reunited.

Check out the video below:

Jack and friends’ upcoming live shows commence with a hometown show at Brighton’s Folklore Rooms before playing two very different outdoor shows. They will play a Summer By The River festival show at The Scoop on London’s Southbank alongside Romain Axisa and Tilda Allie for Front Row Songs on 27th July. The following day, they will head to Kendal Calling to play Tim Peaks Diner, the festival’s cabin/music emporium/coffee shop destination that was founded by Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess.

Check out photos from Jack Valero’s Avalon Cafe set at Glastonbury Festival:

  • Jack Valero @ Glastonbury Festival 2023
  • Jack Valero @ Glastonbury Festival 2023
  • Jack Valero @ Glastonbury Festival 2023
  • Jack Valero @ Glastonbury Festival 2023
  • Jack Valero @ Glastonbury Festival 2023
  • Jack Valero @ Glastonbury Festival 2023

The current dates are, with more to be announced soon:

JULY
6th – Folklore Rooms, Brighton
27th – Southbank, Summer By The River, London
28th – Tim Peaks Diner, Kendal Calling

AUGUST
5th – Folk Festival, Barking
5th – Multitude Festival, Milton Keynes

SEPTEMBER
2nd – Cerne Abbas, Dorchester

NOVEMBER
4th – 19 Something Festival, Reading

DECEMBER
8th -Fire Station, Sunderland (supporting Tom A. Smith)

Live photography of Jack Valero at Glastonbury Festival 2023 by Kalpesh Patel

Rick Astley Isn’t Gonna Give You Up At Glastonbury 2023

The Churnups (Foo Fighters) @ Glastonbury Festival 2023 (Kalpesh Patel)

Foo Fighters Launch New Era With ‘Today’s Song’ As Debut Album Turns 30

As Foo Fighters celebrate three decades since the release of their groundbreaking 1995 debut, the rock titans have dropped a powerful new track that looks to the future while honouring the past. Today’s Song, released across digital platforms today, is the band’s first new material since 2023’s critically acclaimed But Here We Are, and it serves as both a love letter to resilience and a bridge to the next chapter in their storied career.

James Morrison (Tom Oxley)

James Morrison Shares Stirring New Single ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Loved’ Ahead Of Sixth Album ‘Fight Another Day’

Fresh off the success of his comeback single Fight Another Day, James Morrison continues his triumphant return with a second taste of his upcoming album—The Man Who Can’t Be Loved—a soaring, soul-stirring piano ballad that’s classic Morrison through and through.

Jessie Murph (Press)

Jessie Murph Unveils New Single ‘Heroin’ And Details Sophomore Album ‘Sex Hysteria’

Breakout star Jessie Murph continues her meteoric rise with the release of Heroin, a vulnerable and emotionally...
Halestorm @ London Stadium (Kalpesh Patel)

Halestorm Ignite London Stadium With Ferocity, Heart, And An ‘Everest’ Taste Of What’s To Come

Opening for British metal legends Iron Maiden isn’t for the faint-hearted, particularly at the London Stadium—in front of 80,000 fired-up metal fans! But Halestorm have never been a band to flinch in the face of pressure. On Saturday night at London Stadium, the Pennsylvania rock veterans delivered a blistering, defiant set that not only won over the die-hard metal faithful but teased the future of a band still ascending.

Iron Maiden @ London Stadium (Kalpesh Patel)

Iron Maiden Keep On Trooping At London Stadium And Celebrate 50 Years At ‘Homecoming’

You have to feel a bit for Lzzy Hale and her band Halestorm this evening, warming up an Iron Maiden crowd is a...
Zach Bryan @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Bethan Miller-Carey)

Zach Bryan Brings Americana Thunder to BST Hyde Park 2025

BST Hyde Park 2025 roared into its second day with a headline set that will be etched into festival folklore. Zach Bryan, the Oklahoma-born troubadour, delivered a powerful 23-song performance that spanned his six-year career — and marked his triumphant arrival on the UK’s biggest outdoor stage.

Korn @ Download Festival XXII - Sunday (Carolina Faruolo)

Masks, Mayhem, And Metal Legacies: Korn Bring Download Festival XXII To A Triumphant, Tear-Up Finale

The third and final day of Download Festival XXII is here, and whilst we’re sad it’s almost over, we’ll save the mourning for tomorrow and dive headfirst into everything it’s got.

Billy Idol @ Wembley Arena (Kalpesh Patel)

Billy Proves He Is No False Idol, But A Truly Authentic One At Wembley Arena

Fresh from being well received at the inaugural Forever Now festival as well as a surprise appearance alongside...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing