'English Teacher prove why they're in a class of their own with flawless War Child gig'

Discovering a new artist's work and wanting more music fans to listen to the songs you have on repeat can be a double-edged sword.

You want them to achieve mainstream success and all the accolades that come with it, knowing you face the prospect of seeing them perform inside often soulless arenas rather than more authentic venues.

While English Teacher have already enjoyed phenomenal success, watching them on stage at Hanger 34 on Friday night, I got the feeling it might just be the last time I see them perform in Liverpool in such an intimate setting.

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Made up of Lily Fontaine, Lewis Whiting, Douglas Frost, and Nicholas Eden, the indie rock band proved why they are such critics' darlings during their performance supporting War Child's Day of the Girl fundraiser.

English Teacher left no instrument unplayed as they belted out tunes from their award-winning debut album, This Could Be Texas, alongside a few new tunes. One minute, you're focusing on the song's beautiful lyrics, the next, you're left energised by the lengthy instrumentals that got everyone in the crowd moving.

It's impossible to compare the quartet with any other bands on the scene right now; in terms of their sound, it's truly original and fresh.

I first saw - and learned of - English Teacher at the Northern Music Awards. As a millennial rapidly becoming uncool by the day, Spotify DJ has yet to send me their music.

But before their set had even ended inside Albert Hall, Manchester, in April 2024, I was adding them to my playlists and googling their story.

I was thrilled when they won the Mercury Prize a few months later. Despite being in the throes of a brat summer and a massive fan of Charli XCX (again, an uncool millennial), I was delighted to see the four-piece band win the prize for numerous reasons.

English Teacher's victory was entirely deserved based on musical merit alone, but it also offered hope to any artist wanting to pursue a music career who dares to live outside of London.

While the UK music scene is filled with talented artists, English Teacher winning the Mercury Prize in 2024 marked the end of a 10-year run of London-based acts honoured exclusively.

Such statistics mean bands from outside London can get lumped with lazy stereotypes, with English Teacher laughing with me before their set about how northern acts are often described as 'gritty' for no other reason than their geographical location.

Thanks to government funding for the arts being consistently cut, beloved music venues are closing down and producing a song that can trend as TikTok audio seemingly a requirement for emerging musicians, the fact that English Teacher managed to not only have the hope to form a band but to create a beautiful body of art with their debut album is awe-inspiring.

"I say it is really important that people from all different backgrounds just keep doing it," lead vocalist Lily told me backstage when I asked the band if they had any advice for aspiring musicians disheartened by the current state of the industry.

"Try not to let all of that stuff [impact you] because we actually really need art. The music industry is such a big part of our economy - the reason it is so good is because of voices from different backgrounds, and it won't sustain unless people keep doing it, so it's really important.

"I'd say to people, even if it feels like you haven't got the funding in school, or they've cut your GCSE music lessons, etc, keep going because we need it. Otherwise, the diversity in the music industry will reduce, and then it will reduce the quality of music being put out and then."

English Teacher are indeed in a class of their own at the moment, but hopefully a new generation of talent heeds their advice and many more join them soon.

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