UNLUCKY are fast becoming one of London’s most compelling new acts, blending jagged electronic textures, distorted vocals and existential lyricism into a sound that feels both volatile and strangely intimate. Fresh off their Sebright Arms performance — and hinting at new material shaped by recent London studio sessions — the trio of Patrick James Fitzroy, Tamsin Wickens and Max Doohan channel a mix of industrial grit and emotional honesty that’s earning them a growing underground following.
With roots in a scene that’s currently buzzing with experimentation and cross‑pollination, UNLUCKY stand out for the sheer intent behind their music: raw, restless and unafraid to confront the darker corners of modern life. What follows is a conversation that digs into their origins, influences, creative process and future plans, plus a Come Dine With Me twist and their dream festival lineup featuring artists dead or alive.
Let’s start at the beginning — what were your earliest musical experiences, and when did you first feel that making music was going to be more than just a hobby?
Tamsin: My mum took me to Glastonbury when I was 11 years old. It was a real musical education for me. I can’t really remember being obsessed with music up until that point. I saw Gorillaz, Scissor Sisters, Snoop Dogg, and Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood played an impromptu set at the Park Stage; all of them have shaped my musical identity. I think I asked for my first guitar that year.
I think I decided to make music more than just a hobby when I decided to do a music degree. I just didn’t see myself doing well at uni if I wasn’t studying something I was really passionate about. I think we all share that same ethos, as we all did music degrees… or maybe we’re just not very good at anything else.
How long have you been creating music, either as UNLUCKY or in previous projects? Was there a defining moment that pushed you into taking it seriously?
Tamsin: The band started as a collection of songs that Patrick had been working on over a period of time. Then we all met at Primavera Festival in Barcelona a few years ago. Patrick and I started learning these songs, and shortly after that we started gigging. We actually had a few different drummers before Cam joined as a permanent member.
Pat: A lot of our first songs came from me periodically writing music outside of work I was doing with other artists. It was only after I realised there was a shared vibe between them all that I thought it would work well as a new project. I think the moment Cam joined the band and we’d sort of cemented the live show as the three of us was when I started to think this could be something quite significant.
Who else is in UNLUCKY, and what does each member bring to the overall sound? Give us a sense of the personalities behind the project.
Pat: So officially, UNLUCKY is Tamsin, Cam and I. Tamsin is primarily on vocals, guitar and Moog. I’m on vocals, guitar and production, and Cam is drums and samples (and occasionally wind chimes). If I had to define their identities within the band, Tamsin is raw energy, a very eye-catching performer, but also does a lot of the more experimental chops in the set. Cam is one of the most technically gifted drummers I know, but has a backhand like a boxer, so it’s all power, yet intricate detail. A lot of what I do tends to be guitars that don’t sound like guitars and vocals that don’t always sound particularly human, so I guess I’m bringing a bit of the mystery.
Where are you all based originally, and how buoyant is the music scene in your area right now?
Tamsin: I was born and raised in London, which I feel very lucky about! The DIY music scene is very vibrant. I’ve been playing and going to gigs since I was old enough to do so (or old enough to sneak in). In fact, my dad snuck me into see Wire at the Barfly in Camden age 13. I used to play a lot in Camden when I was a teenager in places like the Camden Assembly (fka Barfly), the Monarch (RIP), and the Lock Tavern, and there was a big scene of bands back then. In the last 10 years, it feels like a lot of the London music scene has moved to places like the Windmill Brixton and the George Tavern, which are great venues spearheading new bands.
Cam: I’m from Plymouth originally, so to me the idea of London in general was quite exotic and far off growing up! We were lucky to have a large venue, so I was going to gigs whenever people came through town, since I was tiny. But in terms of the live scene, it really revolved around a number of venues around the university, namely the Junction and The Underground, where my first band, amongst others, really shaped our own scene from the ages of 15 to 18. We’d play every weekend, even if it meant playing the same venue five weekends in a row… and we often got cut off as everyone coming to see us would turn up wasted and underage. I feel like we captured a real moment in time there. The scene still exists, but I’m not sure it’s full of the same daft kids anymore.
Pat: Although I was born in Cape Town, I grew up in Crawley (basically Gatwick Town) —a relatively austere place which, remarkably, also birthed The Cure… at my school, no less. In fact, "A Forest" is actually about Tilgate Forest in Crawley, which is as spooky as the song sounds. We had quite a thriving music scene growing up, but it died pretty quickly when many of us left town. Unfortunately, the lack of support for venues and live music spaces in the area just meant things would pop up and fizzle out very quickly. I hope that changes again soon.
Your Sebright Arms set had a distinct energy — who would you say are the key influences shaping UNLUCKY’s sound, whether musically, lyrically, or aesthetically?
Cam: I think we all draw from different places, but ultimately we all share a concept of what we think UNLUCKY is, even if it’s somewhat esoteric. For me, rhythmically I’m really influenced by the blend of sampled and live funk feels, Beck’s early stuff being a good example. Intricacy intertwined with a weight behind the beats — that’s what I like to bring into the music.
Pat: I think a lot of our music is really about the feeling of a headspace. I’m super interested in the psychology of music listening, and how music can really bend our perception. Lyrically, a lot of what I write about comes from years of dissecting the human condition when I was doing existential therapy, so ideas of existentialism and mortality show up a lot in our music.
Link to Sebright Arms live review
Have you recorded in London yet? If so, which studio or producer did you work with, and what made that environment the right fit for the direction you’re taking?
Pat: So I’ve been working as a music producer professionally for the past six years, having transitioned from session work when COVID closed all the venues. A lot of our music has been recorded in my previous studio, which was located at FOLD in Canning Town. We’re now finishing off the rest in my new space in Aldgate, and I think the acceleration of the record has been significant since I moved here.
Tamsin: Our single No God was recorded across a few different sessions. We tracked at KONK Studios in Crouch End, finished recording at Pat’s previous studio in FOLD, and the final mix was done in the new studio in Aldgate.
When we spoke after the Sebright Arms show, Pat mentioned that his pedalboard was the “current” setup. Has the rig now reached its final form, or are there still tweaks, swaps, or experiments happening behind the scenes?
Pat: My pedalboard is sort of like the Sagrada Família, in that it is never really finished. The current iteration is probably the happiest I’ve been with it, but it’s also the biggest, so our load-ins have definitely become a bit more of a workout!
What’s next for UNLUCKY?
Pat: We’ve been bunkering down in the studio quite a lot this year, but we’re getting very close to finishing the album now. So keep your eyes on us, especially around September… all will be revealed in time.
Let’s do a Come Dine With Me special: if UNLUCKY hosted the perfect dinner party, what would you serve for starter, main course, and dessert — and which bandmate is most likely to cause chaos in the kitchen?
Pat: I’m gonna leave this one to the chefs (Tamsin and Cam are pretty skilled cooks!).
Tamsin: I love to cook all kinds of cuisines, but a few years ago I did a five-course French-themed dinner party paying homage to my grandad, who was a big Francophile and was also born on Bastille Day. It was delicious, and I think about it often.
The starter was pan-fried scallops with cauliflower purée and crispy fried capers. I also made a chicken liver pâté with homemade sourdough (I take cooking way too seriously).
For mains, I don’t think you can beat steak frites with a good peppercorn sauce, to be honest. God-tier food, in my opinion.
Cam's into his desserts and is usually my pastry chef, so I’ll leave that to him. I’m a cheese-over-dessert kind of girl anyway…
Cam: I like tiramisu… Unsophisticated? Perhaps. Delicious? Yes.
Tamsin: I think I might throw Cam out of the kitchen for that answer…
If you could curate your own festival lineup using any acts, dead or alive, who would you choose — and more importantly, why? What does each artist represent to you creatively or emotionally?
Cam: Tough... I’d probably go with Preoccupations, Jeff Buckley, Amerie, obviously… Parquet Courts, Portishead, Sabbath, Dinah Washington, Daft Punk, and maybe The Doors. Oh, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. For a whole host of reasons — mainly because they make me tear up and sometimes make me want to dance.
Pat: The three big headliners would be Boards of Canada, Björk and Blonde Redhead for me. Then I’d probably just leave the rest to lobbying from booking agents.
Tam: Pavement. Sonic Youth. David Bowie. Just them. Deep cuts. Let them play all weekend.
A huge thanks to UNLUCKY for taking the time to chat — their honesty, intensity and sharp creative vision make them one of the most exciting acts moving through London right now. If you’re in the city, you can catch them for free at The Shacklewell Arms, Dalston, on 25th September, a perfect chance to experience the full force of their live sound up close. Don’t miss it.
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