Cult favourites Police Dog Hogan have unveiled their rousing new single Go Down Fighting, the latest preview of forthcoming album The Light At The Top Of The Stairs, set for release on 10th April.
Police Dog Hogan
Long admired for doing things firmly on their own terms, the band have built a loyal following with a sound fans have dubbed “a seven-headed joy machine” and “like pop music with all the wrong instruments.” With swooning vocal harmonies, buoyant brass and rich Americana textures, Go Down Fighting captures that spirit in full flow.
The track is an exuberant anthem for the nearly-men and gloriously gallant runners-up — a celebration of finishing second with pride. While history may favour the winners, Police Dog Hogan instead toast the flair-filled football team that never quite clinched the title, the cult band who made classic records without troubling the charts, and the indie film star overlooked at awards season.
Frontman James Studholme explains: “There’s a weird dignity, even a sort of grace, in finishing second with attitude. Everybody has some kind of experience with losing, and we wanted to put a positive spin on the idea of giving it your all, leaving nothing on the pitch, and then going down in flames.”
A live staple for over a year, the single took time to perfect in the studio. “You achieve something on stage which can be very hard to bottle in the studio,” Studholme adds. “We needed to play it live for a while to see what made it tick, and then go back and start again.”
The Light At The Top Of The Stairs is described as a defining statement from a band fully aware they’re entering the autumn of their years. While themes of mortality, grief and the passing of time weave through the record, the tone is far from maudlin. Instead, there’s warmth and reassurance in self-knowledge — a sense that as long as the light’s still on, the journey continues.
Police Dog Hogan’s reputation has been forged the old-fashioned way: relentless touring. Past highlights include appearances at Glastonbury Festival, selling out London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire and supporting The Beach Boys. This spring they return to the road for an extensive headline run from April through June, culminating in their own Hoganberry Weekender at Victoria Hall in Settle and a London date at Islington Assembly Hall.
UK Live Dates
APRIL
16th – South Petherton, The David Hall
17th – Tavistock, The Wharf
18th – Salisbury, Art Centre
23rd – Burton-on-Trent, Deer Barn
24th – Liverpool, The Tung Auditorium
25th – Dorchester, Bishop’s Court Farm
30th – Hailsham, Pavilion Theatre
MAY
7th – Gateshead, Glasshouse
8th – Edinburgh, Queen’s Hall
9th – Birmingham, The MAC
JUNE
4th – Norwich, Art Centre
5th – Cambridge, The Junction 1
11th – Manchester, Band On The Wall
12th – Settle, Victoria Hall – Police Dog Hogan’s Hoganberry Weekender
13th – Settle, Victoria Hall – Police Dog Hogan’s Hoganberry Weekender
18th – London, Islington Assembly Hall
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