Cult favourites The Samurai Seven have made their long-awaited return with the release of their new EP Make It Real, marking the Oxford band’s first new release in almost 25 years. The four-piece first made their name in the late 1990s with a ferocious combination of melodic pop, punk energy and rapid-fire guitars, earning a devoted following and the backing of influential independent labels Fierce Panda and Shifty Disco. Their early momentum was significant, with the band recording five Peel Sessions and becoming one of the most talked-about acts on the Oxford scene.
The Samurai Seven
That promising trajectory was brought to an abrupt halt when vocalist and guitarist Simon Williams was shot in the eye during a random drive-by attack. Although the NHS was able to save his sight, Williams faced a long recovery before The Samurai Seven eventually returned with their debut album, Le Sport, in 2002. By then, however, the momentum that had surrounded the band had largely disappeared.
More than two decades later, The Samurai Seven are finally getting the opportunity to pick up where they left off. The new Make It Real EP represents a remarkable second chapter for a band whose story could easily have ended after their debut. Rather than simply revisiting their past, though, the four-piece have returned with a collection of new songs that demonstrates that the creative chemistry which originally brought them together remains firmly intact.
The EP has already been previewed by two singles. Punching Down provided an explosive introduction to the band’s comeback, combining layered vocal harmonies with a rampaging pop-punk attack while taking aim at right-wing attitudes. Duck And Cover, meanwhile, revealed a different side to their sound. Pulling back from the band’s trademark 100mph pace, the track is built around swampy guitars and hypnotic urgency, with lyrics that embrace the importance of living in the moment against the backdrop of a world once again haunted by the possibility of global catastrophe. The song draws an implicit connection with the band’s formative years, when the threat of nuclear conflict and the Cold War shaped the world in which they grew up. Decades later, its themes remain uncomfortably relevant.
The two previously unheard songs on Make It Real continue the band’s remarkable return. The title track combines the melodic instincts of 1960s pop with the punch of 1990s power-pop, while its lyrical focus turns towards authenticity and integrity in an increasingly artificial world. Against the backdrop of rapidly developing AI technology, the song questions what it means to remain genuine and human. You Love Me Too Much takes another route into the band’s melodic side, bringing together the immediate pop sensibilities and punk energy that have always defined The Samurai Seven.
Together, the four songs released so far demonstrate a band that has returned with considerably more than nostalgia. While the group’s original sound remains recognisable, Make It Real reflects the experience of several decades away from the spotlight and a renewed enthusiasm for creating something new.
For Williams, the most exciting aspect of the reunion has been discovering that the songwriting process did not feel like an attempt to recreate the past. “Playing together again was so joyful and thrilling,” he says. “I started having new song ideas almost immediately; which was more exciting to us than just rehashing old stuff.” That creative spark was reignited in 2025, when the four members booked a rehearsal simply to see what it would feel like to play together again.
Williams, his brother Matt on vocals and rhythm guitar, bassist and vocalist Jimmy Martin, and drummer Chris Hayward had remained friends despite The Samurai Seven drifting apart following Le Sport. There was initially no grand plan behind the rehearsal – just an opportunity to rediscover the chemistry that had brought them together in the first place. Instead, the session transported them back to their original era, recalling the excitement surrounding their appearances at Radio One’s Oxford Sound City and their recording of the theme for John Peel’s television show Sounds Of The Suburbs.
The joy of playing together again quickly became impossible to ignore. New songs began to emerge, and their quality convinced the band that this was more than a one-off reunion. The Samurai Seven returned to the studio to record what would become Make It Real, working with GRAMMY®-winning producer Hugo Nicolson, whose production credits include Primal Scream, Radiohead and Björk.
The sessions took place at Runway Studios before the completed recordings were mixed at Woodworm Studios in Oxfordshire, the historic studio associated with Fairport Convention. The result is a release that reconnects The Samurai Seven with their original identity while allowing them to embrace the decades of experience that separate their debut from their return.
Their reputation as one of Oxford’s cult indie acts has remained intact in the years since their original run, and the band’s decision to return to the stage has already generated considerable anticipation. They will begin their live comeback with a September appearance supporting The Glorias in Portsmouth before heading out across the UK in November as special guests of The Boo Radleys.
The tour culminates in a particularly significant homecoming on 19th November, when The Samurai Seven headline The Bullingdon in Oxford – bringing the story full circle to the city where the band first established themselves.
After nearly a quarter of a century away, Make It Real is not simply a return to the past. It is The Samurai Seven proving that the chemistry, humour, melodies and sheer energy that made them such an exciting prospect in the late 1990s never really disappeared. The band have simply taken a very long route back to where they belong.
Upcoming UK & Ireland Live Dates:
SEPTEMBER – with The Glorias
20th – Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms (with The Glorias)
NOVEMBER – with The Boo Radleys
6th – Manchester, Night & Day
7th – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
8th – Glasgow, Stereo
13th – Lewes, Con Club
15th – London, Oslo
NOVEMBER – Headline show
19th – Oxford, The Bullingdon
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