After releasing their first new music in 20+ years with the ‘Make It Real’ EP in September, ‘90s cult favourites The Samurai Seven quickly build upon their comeback as they share the follow-up single ‘¡Dios Mío!’. It comes as they commence a UK tour as guests to The Boo Radleys in Manchester tonight. Listen HERE.
Emerging from Oxford, The Samurai Seven are one of the great “what if?” stories of the late ‘90s. And in an alternate universe, you could imagine ‘¡Dios Mío’ being the song that broke them into the mainstream. Coming across like The Beatles playing harmony-heaven bubblegum pop with a propulsive punk energy, it’s the perfect synthesis of sugar sweet melody and spiteful intensity. While the title is the Spanish phrase for ‘My God’, it’s really a playful spin on the recurring lyric “Each time you diss me, you diss yourself” – a spiked barb at a foe lacking in honesty and integrity.
‘¡Dios Mío’ was written by Simon Williams. It was recorded by the band – also featuring his brother Matt (vocals, rhythm guitar), Jimmy Martin (bass, vocals) and Chris Hayward (drums) – during sessions at Runway Studios with producer Hugo Nicolson (Primal Scream, Radiohead, Björk). It was completed with mixing by Stuart Jones (Frank Turner) at Woodworm Studios, and mastering from Tim Turan.
The Samurai Seven had become a hot tip in the late ‘90s, stealing the show at Oxford Sound City in 1997, playing five Peel Sessions, and earning further attention from Steve Lamacq and NME. And like many other bands who would go on to be household names from the era, their early singles included releases on legendary indie labels Fierce Panda and Shifty Disco.
But that momentum was halted in dramatic fashion on Valentine’s Day, 1999. Simon Williams stepped out of a pub in his hometown and was shot in a drive-by that remains unexplained to this day. Although his sight was saved due to the skill and dedication of the NHS, The Samurai Seven’s prolonged absence during his recovery killed their momentum. Although their debut album, ‘Le Sport’, was finally released in 2002, their moment in the spotlight had already passed.
Nonetheless, the four members remained friends. A reunion was never seriously on the cards, until two things occurred in 2024: Jimmy’s suggestion that they could celebrate his birthday with a one-off rehearsal session and Matt’s recovery from a serious illness, which made them realise that there wouldn’t be many more opportunities. From there it was a natural progression: more rehearsals, fans reacting excitedly to photos of them together, and offers for gigs. And now this unexpected The Samurai Seven sequel is firmly underway.
The Samurai Seven will follow The Boo Radleys tour by playing a homecoming at The Bullingdon on November 19th – remaining tickets are available HERE. Their upcoming shows are:
NOVEMBER
6th – Manchester, Night & Day (with The Boo Radleys)
7th – Leeds, Brundell Social Club (with The Boo Radleys)
8th – Glasgow, Stereo (with The Boo Radleys)
13th – Lewes, Con Club (with The Boo Radleys)
15th – London, Oslo (with The Boo Radleys)
19th – Oxford, The Bullingdon (HEADLINE SHOW)
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