Even voorstellen – Lankum announce new single, a cover of The Specials’ ‘Ghost Town’
LANKUM
video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLLnF4vxaeY
12” vinyl single out in January
Rough Trade Records are excited to announce a new stand-alone single by Lankum. Originally created for an Oona Doherty dance show ‘Specky Clark’ at Sadler’s Well earlier this year, the single is a devastatingly powerful and otherworldly interpretation of The Specials’ 1981 number one ‘Ghost Town’. Watch the stunning video shot in location in County Wicklow spanning 8 mins, made by the renowned director Leonn Ward, with cinematography by Robbie Ryanhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLLnF4vxaeY
‘Ghost Town’ will be released on 12” vinyl format in Jan 2026 featuring an elaborate etching on the b-side. Rough Trade Records are also excited to share the news that Lankum have now extended their contract with the label for multiple future albums and releases.
Lankum explain how the track came about; “Ghost Town came to us through some curious circumstances. Oona Doherty, who we were familiar with through her phenomenal dance work on the video for Gilla Band’s ‘Shoulderblades’, contacted us and told us about a new show she was putting together. It was about her great-great-grandfather being sent to Belfast as a child to live with his aunts and work in an abattoir. She wanted a new piece of music for the show, for a party scene set on Halloween night, and told us she wanted it to start out indistinguishable and woozy, before developing into the very recognisable track by The Specials. At first we were slightly reticent, since a cover of a ska tune wasn’t something we’d usually ever consider, but after a bit of deliberation we decided we’d give it a shot, and the result took us on an incredibly enjoyable journey that had us gleefully playing with synthesisers and drum machines in Hellfire Studios, trying to come up with the scaldiest 90s sounding techno for the outro section of the track.
We’re very excited with the end product and delighted that Oona approached us and challenged us to step out of our comfort zone. It’s an honour to be releasing a version of this iconic tune, and it feels eerily relevant to be referencing yet again themes of urban decay, economic hardship and working class frustration.
Enjoy responsibly.”
Oona Doherty quote: "I was listening to Lankum and it inspired me to write this dance theatre play called ‘Specky Clark’ using a lot of their music. But for one scene which happens on Halloween night Samhain. I asked the band could they make me a cover of ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials. And they bloody did. ‘All the clubs have been closed down’. I think this line still hits hard all these years later and in a dub accent speaks to housing crises, the poverty, the privatization of Ireland. They also managed to make the track rip through this physical plane of existence and dance in the other world…. only Lankum can do that."
Leonn Ward quote: “The first time I heard the track it floored me. Pure emotion and strength. The fractured world we live in today is in plain sight. There’s a weight and uncertainty more than ever, in my lifetime anyway. So it was important to both myself and Lankum to create a piece of work that felt honest; one that didn’t shy away from vulnerability yet carried lightness and perseverance all at once without overpowering it. It’s not about despair, it’s about resilience. The track holds immense power and I wanted to echo that, creating something with a real sense of endurance and resistance, a reflection of how people try to hold on to meaning in a collapsing world. I centred the band in the car as a nod to the iconic original video for ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials. And there was something powerful about these two scenes together; the strength from the band performing in the car merged with the man’s solitary journey, they begin to speak to one another. And though they never meet, there’s a sense that they’re sending each other something; strength, endurance, hope.”
Following the release of their universally acclaimed, Mercury and Ivor Novello Award Nominated fourth studio album ‘False Lankum’, which collected Album Of The Year honours from UNCUT magazine, The Guardian, Loud & Quiet, The Quietus, as well as very high rankings from MOJO, NPR, DIY, Crack, Songlines, Music OMH, The Line Of Best Fit, Louder Than War, The Skinny and numerous other media worldwide. A very special live album, ‘Live in Dublin’ was released in January 2025. Recorded across three sold out nights at Dublin's Vicar Street, the record captured Lankum performing songs from across their catalogue including ‘The Rocky Road to Dublin’, which up until then had never been officially released. Lankum’s music has recently featured in several films and TV shows including the film ‘A Want In Her’ (‘The Wild Rover’) and Netflix’s recent hit series ‘House Of Guinness’ (‘Katie Cruel’ & ‘The Granite Gaze’).
Lankum are Ian Lynch, Daragh Lynch, Radie Peat and Cormac MacDiarmada