The Lottery Winners chase number one with Anxiety Replacement Therapy ahead of Staggeringly Good Brewery gig in Portsmouth

​On the eve of the release of Anxiety Replacement Therapy (ART), their latest album, the band are pushing hard for their first ever number one.

When The Guide catches up with them they’re on the road, with a full-on schedule.

‘It's been absolutely nonstop,’ says frontman Thom Rylance. ‘We're, like, 12 days into our tour without a day off, and our next day without a gig is the 15th of May. Any artist will usually do three days on, one off!’

Even though the tour has seen them stepping up the size of the venues they play, many dates have been selling out.

‘It's been overwhelmingly popular. I think, and you can quote me on this, we're kind of a big deal,’ he giggles. Speaking with Thom is like this – hugely likeable he manages to pull off the trick of being both self-deprecating but also confident in his and his band’s talents without sounding arrogant.

With the tour having started before the new album is out, most people have only heard the advance singles, but as Thom says: ‘They've been going down really well. It's been kind of bizarre to see, these songs which have only been out in the world for a couple of days even, but the way they've connected to the audience… I wrote a song called Letter To Myself, which is me addressing my 12-year-old self and some of the ways I was feeling then and kind of closing the chapter on that so I don't carry those feelings around any more.

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‘It seems to have really resonated with people to the point now where there's parts of our gigs where most people are crying! I don't know if that's good or bad, but the album is called Anxiety Replacement Therapy, so I suppose there's a reason for that!’

Letter to Myself is the current single; featuring folk-punk star and band friend Frank Turner, it's clearly a highly personal song for Thom.

‘I had a really difficult time growing up and I'm sure a lot of people did, so it's not like I want loads of attention for that or anything. But having really bad ADHD in a time and being at school where they didn't understand or nurture people that might have learnt in different ways or had other requirements.

‘Schools didn't really make the correct adjustments for people like me or anyone who might be neurodivergent. It kind of left me feeling a bit broken and discarded. I was actually expelled from two schools so I grew up thinking I was a bad person and that I didn't fit in with everyone.

‘I think that had quite a profound effect on the person I became, so I'm trying to address those feelings now, and saying, look it did all work out and, actually, if you could see the person you become you'd be quite proud of him!’

Thom is mostly able to keep his ADHD in check these days, but admits it can cause problems with his chosen career.

‘There's times where it's kind of overwhelming, especially at the moment in such an intense album campaign where we're going for this massive goal of a number one, against all the odds as well. We've not picked an easy goal, but that's part of it – I'm really determined as a person to achieve things. It's kind of bigheaded of me really. It can be quite intense, but my outlet is music and my outlet is writing and being onstage, and that is how I can cope and deal with the way my brain works.

‘I'm very lucky, and I feel very grateful that I've found my way of dealing with things. I really hope that people, specially young kids, if they're going through a similar thing I went through, I hope I can at least be some kind of example that shows you can channel the thing that makes you different into something that makes you great. Not that I think I'm great,’ he pauses, ‘well, I do!’

It was an ‘unhealthy obsession’ with Queen that sparked young Thom’s love of music.

‘I saw the Queen live at Wembley VHS and I wore it out – I watched it constantly, everyday. My gran made me the yellow jacket Freddie wore, and I would wear it all the time and draw on a moustache. I was totally obsessed with how Freddie had this command over an audience and how he could light up the place. It was something I really wanted to be able to do. On a small scale, I suppose I have achieved that, which feels good. But then later on, I started begging for a guitar every Christmas and I think when I was 12 I got my first guitar and got really into The Smiths and really into Nirvana and writing songs. Then I did my first gigs and never looked back. It was exactly what I wanted to be doing.

Aside from Turner, ART features a couple of other heavy-hitting guests. One of those is Happy Mondays’ frontman Shaun Ryder on the track Money – where he delivers his iconic ‘Call the cops’ line, much to the band’s delight.

‘When he did that we just broke down in hysterics,’ says Thom. ‘He's obviously a genius but I didn't know what to expect when he arrived. He's got a reputation – everyone's got a preconception of Shaun Ryder. I thought we needed a “call the cops”, or “a twisting my melon, man” on there, but am I supposed to write that and give it to him? But he went into the booth and we had the song going for an hour – one day we will release an hour-long version of the song because everything that he said was gold, it truly was!’

The other guest was Boy George who sings on Let Me Down. The Culture Club frontman can be notoriously prickly, but The Lottery Winners got to see a different side of him.

‘We were a bit worried going in but he's the most lovely, intelligent, interesting person I've ever met. When he talks it just lights up the room and you can really tell that you're talking to someone special.’ He deadpans: ‘I suppose it's like talking to me.’

But the night before they were due to shoot the track’s video George received the devastating news that his mum had died.

‘We were like, obviously we're not going to film the video, don't worry, do your thing, deal with this and we can park this – it's totally not important. But he said: “I don't want to let you down, I'll be there, I want to work and take my mind off of this. I'm going to be there.” He came and he was an absolute pro – he's an incredible person, I have so much respect George.’

The Winners’ last album Something to Leave the House For reached 11 when it was released in 2021. But the band are campaigning to hit the top this time around.

‘There's a real possibility we could get a number one album, which is absolutely bananas and scary and massive. It feels like a win for the working class – we started in the pubs of Leigh near Wigan. And if you can imagine the pubs of Leigh near Wigan, they're a bit rough! We were playing Wonderwall to the guy who requested it because you knew if you didn't, you might get beaten up. That's how we cut our teeth and progressed. We started playing our own songs and building it up, we started playing small music venues, then we were on first on small stages at festivals and it's built up and built up until we got supporting bigger names on tours, and now we're doing our own headline tours in quite significant venues and they're selling out. I feel like that is such an authentic and proper way to do it.

‘I don't want to name any names or slag anyone off,’ and to his credit refuses to when nudged by The Guide, ‘but there are other people we're releasing on the same week as, who've had a very different experience of making music – maybe they went to the Brit School, maybe some of their parents are millionaires – which just isn't the case with us. My dad's a joiner and he's not even good at it!

‘There's been a resurgence recently in the working class and, I don't want to say “true musicians”, because I don't want to take anything away from anyone, but with bands like The Reytons and The Lathums getting number one albums I feel maybe now is the time where all that nepotism and gatekeeping is just being overruled by the people who work hard.’

Towards the end of this tour they finally make it back to Portsmouth, which has become a home-from-home for them. It is an out-store show for Pie & Vinyl at Staggeringly Good Brewery, and tickets can come bundled with copies of the album – which if bought this week will count towards their chart position.

‘When we come to Pompey, that feels like a huge part of who we are – it feels like our second home because our manager and producer Tristan (Ivemy) is a Pompey lad and he absolutely loves Portsmouth more than anybody, which is lovely to see because that kind of mentality is the same as where we're from. There's that local pride, so I think we slot in nicely into the Portsmouth way of life and Portsmouth way of doing things.

‘Hopefully when we come back to Portsmouth this time, we'll be able to do it with the number one trophy.’

He’s quick to get another reminder to buy the album. ‘But we do need Portsmouth to get behind us and support us, and when they buy their tickets to get the CD and vinyl bundle – that would be very helpful!’

The Lottery Winners play Staggeringly Good Brewery in Milton on Wednesday, May 10. Doors 7pm. Ticket bundles from £13.99. Go to pandvrecords.co.uk.