LEAZES STEP FORWARD WITH ‘I’VE BEEN WAITING’, A NEW SINGLE THAT SIGNALS WHAT COMES NEXT
New single announced | Intimate Newcastle thank-you show at Think Tank confirmed
Words: Press
There’s a point where momentum stops feeling accidental. Where a band looks up, realises the rooms are fuller, the songs are landing harder, and the path ahead suddenly feels possible. For Leazes, that moment arrived in 2025, and I’ve Been Waiting is what it sounds like when a band decides not to let it pass them by.
Out now, I’ve Been Waiting is a barnstorming indie epic that runs just past the three-minute mark, following last summer’s Melissa in Action and pushing the Leazes sound into sharper focus. Big-hearted and widescreen without losing its intimacy, the track trades nostalgia for presence, less about telling stories and more about standing inside them.
Frontman Joe King is clear-eyed about how the last year has shifted things. What once felt distant now feels tangible.
“It really has been an insane year for us, and we’re so grateful for all of it,” he says. “I think the release of Sun’s Out was the point where it started to feel like we were making traction. After that and its local virality, opportunities started coming along that we were once only dreaming about.”
That sense of movement is baked into I’ve Been Waiting. Where earlier releases leaned into observation and character, this one turns inward, breaking the fourth wall and letting the listener stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the band.
“It felt like the right song for right now,” King explains. “After such a great year, it’s less about being storytellers and more about stepping into our own psyche. It lets the listener feel part of the band.”
Written as a reflection on the band’s journey so far, and the strange feeling of finally arriving at the door you’ve been knocking on for years, the song captures the push and pull of ambition: excitement edged with disbelief, optimism tempered by realism.
Guitarist Sam Dellow sees it as a marker of growth rather than reinvention.
“Musically, we’ve got to a point where we feel like we’ve really found what the Leazes sound is,” he says. “It’s always evolving, but we’ve got a proper hold on what we do now, and that means we enjoy it so much more.”
That confidence carries through sonically. The band pushed themselves harder in the studio this time, drawing on lessons learned across a relentless year of writing, recording and touring.
“The sound is definitely more mature,” Dellow adds. “We’re not changing what we do. We’re just tightening it up.”
Live, Leazes remain exactly what first drew people in: unfiltered, generous, and entirely themselves. What’s changed is the scale. Over the last 12 months, they’ve moved from near-empty rooms to festival crowds numbering in the thousands, a shift that still hasn’t quite sunk in.
“We haven’t changed who we are live,” says King. “It’s important to stay rooted to that. But the scale of what we’ve done recently has been wild, from playing rooms with more people on stage than in the crowd, to playing in front of thousands.”
That grounding sits at the heart of a second announcement: an intimate hometown headline at Think Tank, Newcastle, taking place on Sunday 5 April. Revealed today as a thank-you to the fans who’ve been part of the journey so far, tickets for the show are on sale now.
The months ahead see Leazes continuing to build momentum on the road, touring throughout March in support of Sheffield’s The Rosadocs, alongside BBC Introducing showcases and a summer run that includes major UK festival appearances.
The tour offers Leazes the chance to step into bigger rooms alongside a band further along the same path. Known for their work rate and connection with audiences, The Rosadocs have built their reputation through constant touring and sharp, direct songwriting. For Leazes, the run of dates represents both an opportunity and a proving ground, learning on the road while continuing to carve out their own space.
There’s more already waiting in the wings. New music is written, recorded and ready, with bigger projects quietly taking shape.
Rooted in Newcastle and shaped by it, Leazes wear their identity openly, not as a badge, but as a foundation.
“It’s the streets that raised us,” King reflects. “Our name comes from places we grew up in. That honesty is everything to us.”
With I’ve Been Waiting, Leazes don’t announce themselves. They don’t need to. They simply sound like a band who know where they are, and where they’re going.
‘I’ve Been Waiting’ is out now on all major streaming platforms.
Tickets for Leazes’ intimate Newcastle headline at Think Tank on Sunday 5 April are on sale now priced at £15.00 plus booking fee via Gigantic.
Out now, I’ve Been Waiting is a barnstorming indie epic that runs just past the three-minute mark, following last summer’s Melissa in Action and pushing the Leazes sound into sharper focus. Big-hearted and widescreen without losing its intimacy, the track trades nostalgia for presence, less about telling stories and more about standing inside them.
Frontman Joe King is clear-eyed about how the last year has shifted things. What once felt distant now feels tangible.
“It really has been an insane year for us, and we’re so grateful for all of it,” he says. “I think the release of Sun’s Out was the point where it started to feel like we were making traction. After that and its local virality, opportunities started coming along that we were once only dreaming about.”
That sense of movement is baked into I’ve Been Waiting. Where earlier releases leaned into observation and character, this one turns inward, breaking the fourth wall and letting the listener stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the band.
“It felt like the right song for right now,” King explains. “After such a great year, it’s less about being storytellers and more about stepping into our own psyche. It lets the listener feel part of the band.”
Written as a reflection on the band’s journey so far, and the strange feeling of finally arriving at the door you’ve been knocking on for years, the song captures the push and pull of ambition: excitement edged with disbelief, optimism tempered by realism.
Guitarist Sam Dellow sees it as a marker of growth rather than reinvention.
“Musically, we’ve got to a point where we feel like we’ve really found what the Leazes sound is,” he says. “It’s always evolving, but we’ve got a proper hold on what we do now, and that means we enjoy it so much more.”
That confidence carries through sonically. The band pushed themselves harder in the studio this time, drawing on lessons learned across a relentless year of writing, recording and touring.
“The sound is definitely more mature,” Dellow adds. “We’re not changing what we do. We’re just tightening it up.”
Live, Leazes remain exactly what first drew people in: unfiltered, generous, and entirely themselves. What’s changed is the scale. Over the last 12 months, they’ve moved from near-empty rooms to festival crowds numbering in the thousands, a shift that still hasn’t quite sunk in.
“We haven’t changed who we are live,” says King. “It’s important to stay rooted to that. But the scale of what we’ve done recently has been wild, from playing rooms with more people on stage than in the crowd, to playing in front of thousands.”
That grounding sits at the heart of a second announcement: an intimate hometown headline at Think Tank, Newcastle, taking place on Sunday 5 April. Revealed today as a thank-you to the fans who’ve been part of the journey so far, tickets for the show are on sale now.
The months ahead see Leazes continuing to build momentum on the road, touring throughout March in support of Sheffield’s The Rosadocs, alongside BBC Introducing showcases and a summer run that includes major UK festival appearances.
The tour offers Leazes the chance to step into bigger rooms alongside a band further along the same path. Known for their work rate and connection with audiences, The Rosadocs have built their reputation through constant touring and sharp, direct songwriting. For Leazes, the run of dates represents both an opportunity and a proving ground, learning on the road while continuing to carve out their own space.
There’s more already waiting in the wings. New music is written, recorded and ready, with bigger projects quietly taking shape.
Rooted in Newcastle and shaped by it, Leazes wear their identity openly, not as a badge, but as a foundation.
“It’s the streets that raised us,” King reflects. “Our name comes from places we grew up in. That honesty is everything to us.”
With I’ve Been Waiting, Leazes don’t announce themselves. They don’t need to. They simply sound like a band who know where they are, and where they’re going.
‘I’ve Been Waiting’ is out now on all major streaming platforms.
Tickets for Leazes’ intimate Newcastle headline at Think Tank on Sunday 5 April are on sale now priced at £15.00 plus booking fee via Gigantic.
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