Exclusive: Harris Rafferty on Rydal’s “introduction to the world”

Burnley artist Harris Rafferty is set to write the latest chapter of his music career this evening as he prepares to support Liam Fender, brother of the stadium-filling phenomenon Sam Fender, at Barnoldswick’s Music & Arts Centre this evening.

The opportunity to support Fender provides a full circle moment for Rafferty, who previously watched Liam perform live at St James’ Park in June 2023 when Sam invited his older brother on stage to perform with him, where they performed a cover of Bruce Springsteen's ‘I'm on Fire’. “I'm planning to use that as the icebreaker,” Rafferty joked when reminiscing about the experience. But how did he secure the opportunity to open for Liam this evening?

“I'm lucky enough to have Pete Barton, who runs the place, and also Jack Herbert. He put a good word in for me and he does a lot for local talent as well. I've got to say a big thanks to him and make sure he gets a mention,” Rafferty said before expressing his admiration for Liam’s artistry.

How the influence of the Fender brothers influenced Rafferty’s songwriting

“He's got some brilliant tunes. One of my favourites is actually a cover that he put out, Love Will Tear Us Apart. It's incredible. He really made it his own and I've had that one for quite a while now. I think his songwriting is incredible. He's a brilliant songwriter. I'm really excited to hear what he's got going on on Wednesday,” Rafferty finished.

Both Fender brothers and Rafferty himself share a deep love of classic songwriting, storytelling and speak honestly about working-class life, something that Rafferty himself noted. “I think that's probably the attraction to him,” Rafferty said when discussing his admiration for the songwriting element in Fender brothers music. “I learned how to play music by learning Sam's songs. I found Sam at a time where I'd been doing a lot of musical theatre growing up and I needed to transition into something different and Sam was the gateway to that. Hearing his songwriting is really inspiring.

“Also, looking over to Liam, who writes about similar topics, about the North East, about working class mentality and reality. It's exciting. I tend to write in the same vein, just write about what's going on around you, just about people, about reality, about life. It's super exciting to be part of someone's gig who very much writes in the same vein,” Rafferty added.

A new musical chapter for Rafferty

Rafferty began his career as a solo artist, releasing singles ‘Burnin’, ‘Eighteen’ and ‘Duck Duck Goose’, with a backing band known as ‘The Yum Yums’. ‘The Yum Yums’ was a temporary name that came about after Rafferty brought in about eight packs of Yum Yums for one of their first rehearsals. The Uncut event, which saw Rafferty, Sky Valley Mistress, The Voy and Zoltar perform at Penny Black Bar in May, was almost unofficially the last act for ‘The Yum Yums’. “I think I'd call it the tester for Rydal, but yeah, you can put the Yum Yum's just to annoy them a bit,” Rafferty said with a laugh.

The members of ‘The Yum Yums’ are a part of Rafferty’s fully-fledged band project - Rydal. The four-piece features Craig Dugdale, Simon Johnson, Sam Bisset and Rafferty, who provided an update on what the band has been up to. “Things have been going really well with the band. We've been writing a lot and we've been recording a lot as well, Rafferty said.

“We managed to head over to Nave Studios in Leeds. It's where Yard Act record (their music) and we managed to do a live session there. At the moment, I'm currently editing that up. I think within the next week, we should have some of that content out, so that'll be our introduction to the world,” he said.

But what will be Rydal’s sound? “Naturally I tend to write a lot of indie rock. However, we're looking at a lot more modern artists and sort of the more grassroot acts that are coming through, such as Keo, Saint Clair, Bleech 9:3 and then definitely bigger acts as well, Fontaines D.C, Wunderhorse, they've been massive inspirations for a while and it's sort of the music that I listen to more now. So trying to lean into that, but it's just a good blend of your Sam Fenders and all of that, “ Rafferty explained before touching on the origins of the band’s name.

“We had a bit of trial and tribulation trying to find a name for a long time and Craig brought up the name Rydal, which is just a town up in Ambleside with some beautiful scenery and caves and stuff. Craig's a big walker, Craig likes getting outdoors and he just mentioned this location and we all agreed that that should be the band name,” Rafferty explained.

You can watch Harris Rafferty and Liam Fender perform at the Music & Arts Centre this evening. Tickets are available at https://www.barnoldswickmusicandartscentre.com/liam-fender-2026