Tigercub’s Jamie Hall: The Lyricist’s Library

Tigercub’s music has never been just about volume. From their early work to the new album ‘Nets To Catch The Wind’, a poetic sensibility has shaped their approach, giving their heavy sound a distinct literary weight.

The album’s title itself is a direct lift from a poem by Elinor Wylie, a choice that signals the band’s continued engagement with text. Recorded across nine days at the legendary Rockfield Studios and produced by Tom Dalgety, the sessions aimed for a new level of emotional intricacy. This push is evident in collaborations like the spoken-word feature from Clutch’s Neil Fallon, a move that further blurs the line between rock anthem and verse.

For frontman Jamie Hall, this isn’t a superficial aesthetic. His lyricism is rooted in a genuine engagement with writing. When asked about formative books, he cites John Fante’s ‘Ask the Dust’, a novel celebrated for its raw, desperate first-person narrative. The connection to Tigercub’s own visceral delivery is clear. He also points to the influence of Charles Bukowski, another chronicler of gritty realism, whose unadorned style resonates in Hall’s direct, impactful phrasing.

This literary backbone provides a framework for the album’s force. The music, co-written with figures like Dom Craik of Nothing But Thieves, delivers the band’s signature heavy grooves, but the words demand equal attention. ‘Nets To Catch The Wind’ operates on the belief that rock music can be both physically commanding and intellectually substantive, where a riff and a well-turned line carry similar power.

In an era where rock can often retreat to familiar ground, Tigercub’s commitment to lyrical craft sets them apart. They are not simply setting poetry to music, but building a world where the density of a good book and the catharsis of a loud amplifier are part of the same conversation.