Miles and The Chain Gang release their first track in a year on Friday 30 October. The York band is releasing its cover of  Wishing, written by songwriter Iain Archer. “I first heard it at Greenbelt festival in the 1990s,” says Miles, “and always loved it. It’s a sort of unrequited love song, and has a feel similar to May You Never, the 1970s classic by John Martyn.” Archer has made a name for himself as a songwriter, teaming up with Snow Patrol, Jake Bugg, Niall Horan and more.

By Miles Salter

The song was recorded at Young Thugs Studio in York, with Johnny Hooker presiding as usual. “Johnny’s very good,” says Miles. “Funny, astute and patient. We often agree that ‘less is more’ when we work on a song. It’s something we keep coming back to – don’t overdo it.”

York musicians on the track include Tim Bruce (who has been part of Miles and The Chain Gang since its inception, playing on nearly all the studio sessions), Gary Stewart (acoustic guitar, drums) and Holly Taymar-Bilton (backing vocals). “Gary and Holly are great,” says Miles. “Gary can play a lot of instruments, and Holly brings a purity to the vocals. She’s York’s Karen Carpenter. A virtually flawless voice.” Gary and Holly have recently been teaming up for shows that celebrate Paul Simon and Eva Cassidy.

Miles and The Chain Gang have a new line-up: Tim Bruce (bass), Paul Lewis (keyboards) and Caspar Haslam (drums and percussion). “Everybody plays in other bands,” says Miles. “I’m the only one who’s devoted to this band! But there’s a lot of experience in the room when we meet up. They’re great guys to play with. Caspar’s brought a new energy. It feels strong.”

Will the debut album come out in 2027? “It’s taken years,” says Miles. “Hopefully it will be out soon. The songs sound very good. We’ve worked hard on it. I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I don’t want stuff to go out until I think ‘yep, that’s quality.’” The band is heading to 40,000 plays on Spotify. “Yes, I know Taylor Swift does those sort of numbers in a lunch time, but it’s all relative,” says Miles.

The band has a show coming up at The Mitre in York on 14 November from 8pm onwards. “It’s free entry,” says Miles, “and we’ll be playing some of our own stuff and some covers.”