James Marriott has unveiled his explosive new single, Burn Down The Disco, as the singer-songwriter enters another ambitious chapter in his rapidly accelerating career. Released ahead of his recent main stage appearances at Reading & Leeds Festival and Electric Picnic, the track finds Marriott leaning into a more visceral side of his sound, combining driving guitars and euphoric production with a lyric centred on obsession, attraction and the point where desire becomes destructive.
James Marriott @ Latitude Festival 2026
At the heart of Burn Down The Disco is a moment of perfectly controlled tension, as Marriott’s delivery of “momentary heart attack” gives way to a sudden silence before the track erupts back into life. It is a brief pause that mirrors the song’s subject matter: the dizzying rush of losing control when attraction becomes all-consuming. “Burn Down The Disco is the unveiling of obsession within a relationship,” Marriott explains. “The deconstruction of the version of yourself you display to someone, to be replaced by unabashed, destructive yearning.”
The track is designed to hit hard and quickly, reflecting the emotional intensity at its centre while offering a glimpse of the direction Marriott’s live shows are now taking. “I wanted to write a song which hit you hard and fast, whose lyrics matched the energy of feeling like you’re losing your mind for someone,” he says. “It felt like the right teaser of the energy the live shows will take on from now on.”
The accompanying video sees Marriott embracing the track’s chaotic energy with a deliberately tongue-in-cheek superhero concept. “It was also the perfect excuse to be a (terrible) superhero in a music video, having never reached these levels of anti-pop before,” he adds.
The release arrives alongside news of one of Marriott’s biggest headline shows to date. During his Reading Festival performance, he surprised the crowd by announcing that he will headline London’s O2 Academy Brixton on 17th September, with Chloe Slater and Hannah Grae joining him for support.
For Marriott, the Brixton show carries particular personal significance. Having watched artists who shaped his own musical journey perform at the venue, stepping onto its stage as a headline artist represents a remarkable progression from his early days as a performer. “Brixton has been my dream venue for many years now,” Marriott says, recalling seeing artists there who were hugely important to him, including Tyler, The Creator during his first UK show. “To think now, a matter of years later, we’re not only playing it, but headlining it, is astoundingly special to me.”
The announcement caps a period of extraordinary growth for Marriott. His second album, Don’t Tell The Dog, reached No. 1 last summer, while January’s California Rain became his first Top 40 single. His ascent as a live performer has been equally rapid. Less than a year separated his first ever show from his debut at Reading & Leeds, while his self-released debut album, Are We There Yet?, subsequently entered the UK Official Albums Chart at No. 17.
James Marriott @ Crystal Palace Park
Since then, Marriott has progressed from intimate rooms to some of the UK’s most prestigious stages, including the Royal Albert Hall, while selling out increasingly ambitious headline shows of his own alongside festival appearances such as this year’s Latitude Festival, which Rockshot Magazine went along to check out.
That trajectory is rooted in a particularly strong connection with his audience. From his first hometown show at Brighton’s The Electric in October 2022, Marriott has developed a live identity built around turning personal emotion into collective release. What began with a small room erupting into a communal roar has expanded into festival crowds and packed headline venues without losing that sense of intimacy.
His relationship with his audience predates his career as a recording artist. Marriott initially built his following through YouTube, where his chaotic pop-culture commentary established a distinctive personality and a direct connection with viewers. He has since translated that instinct for communication into his music, bringing together candid songwriting, an irreverent sense of humour and a willingness to continually reshape his sound.
Burn Down The Disco arrives as another step in that evolution, with its muscular guitars and expansive production pointing towards a live experience that promises to be increasingly ambitious. With a No. 1 album, a first Top 40 single, major festival appearances and now a Brixton headline show on the horizon, James Marriott’s rise shows little sign of slowing down.
Upcoming UK Live Date:
SEPTEMBER
17th – London, O2 Academy Brixton
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