We spoke to BULLYACHE, the London-based duo and dance company comprising Courtney Deyn and Jacob Samuel, about their debut single and video “Never let.” This track, featured in their acclaimed dance-theatre art piece “Tom,” encapsulates the doom-pop energy and emotional intensity BULLYACHE is known for. They shared how “Never let” represents the tipping point in “Tom,” delving into corrosive emotional dynamics and ambiguous feelings. Filmed in a modest setting, the video gained life as dancers spontaneously moved to it, making it a team-driven masterpiece. BULLYACHE launched “Tom” to five sold-out nights at London’s Yard Theatre and has toured prestigious venues across the UK and Europe. Their genre-blending work, rich in working-class and queer expression, has seen acoustic renditions performed at Abbey Road Studios ahead of upcoming releases.
KALTBLUT: Congratulations on your debut single ‘Never Let’! Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the song?
I guess the song is about someone you have sex with and then they ghost you, and the rejection makes you obsessed because you have no self-esteem, I think that’s what all our songs are about lol. Maybe there is an overarching theme but you don’t want to look too deeply into that because then it’s therapy and that costs money etc
The song is about how we started working together. J made a beat in the pandemic and C sang over it while on a weird residency in the Cayman Islands. It had nice connotations at first then went somewhere more pleading, like Usher not being able to pay back Wonga’s loans and living on his ex’s sofa. It was a guitar ballad then a harsh noise piece then a loop. I’m not sure how we ended with a pop song that was released. It’s funny.
KALTBLUT: ’Never Let’ is a tipping point in your critically acclaimed piece ‘Tom’. How does the song influence the overall narrative and flow of the performance?
This is the section in the show that becomes a durational exhaustive thing. We do a full cardio dance routine with 15 minutes of intense repetitive movement. Never Let goes for about 15 minutes, stretched, slowed, sped up, reversed, and the movement is a repetitive pop moment that turns into this dead-eyed stare body sculpture. You see the fatigue. Jacob decides how long the music goes on and we’re all looking up at the sound desk begging him to cut the music until he does. I’ve read Lewis’ lips saying ‘fuck you’ a few times
KALTBLUT: The music video for ‘Never Let’ has a unique origin story. Can you describe the process of creating it and how the final product came to be?
The video goes way back to before we decided on the name BULLYACHE, around 2021. The original song was about a third slower and the rhythm was completely different. Luckily we sort of felt it was probably going to change so we just shot as much as possible then at the end of the day said fuck it put on the strobes. Lewis Walker did an incredible job with the edit. It was the start of working with a lot of people that we still do and a lot that was generated for it ended up in TOM.
We wrote the music and finished it the night before Abbey Road because it was always an improvised live thing. Like Iggy Azalea gibberish. If we didn’t have any deadlines we probably couldn’t finish anything. The shows develop quite organically, you learn from the venues and audiences what certain things mean and respond. Music you have to freeze eventually if you’re putting it out.
KALTBLUT: You mentioned that the song resonated so strongly that the dancers moved to it without prompting. How did that moment shape the rest of your creative process?
When dancers like a song they all just start instinctually moving. But dancers have questionable taste at times so you have to be careful.
KALTBLUT: ’Tom’ launched with five sold-out nights at the Yard Theatre and has since toured extensively. What has been the most memorable experience from your tours across the UK and Europe?
There have been incredible moments and some terrible ones.
Performing TOM in Oslo stands out. The director of the theatre said they had never had an audience like ours come through their door so it was inspiring to see that we were reaching people in countries we hadn’t been to. The work spoke to them.
TOM was made when we were on unemployment benefits and the set for the show was designed with references to the offices we went to. It was also opposite the Norwegian DWP so that was pretty funny.
KALTBLUT: Your performances have graced prestigious venues like the Barbican and Edinburgh Fringe. How do you adapt your shows to suit different locations and audiences?
We don’t really. Sometimes in more classical venues, it can feel strange because you get this vibe that people hate you but they have to engage with it. They have to watch all these greasy sweaty bodies for an hour. And then they love it.
When it’s in London it’s our friends and they will just scream at anything.
KALTBLUT: The show ‘Who Hurt You’ and its orchestral version received great acclaim. How does incorporating orchestral elements affect the emotional impact of your performances?
Singing with 15 string musicians gives you an extra buzz. It was magical. We got to work with students who only play classical repertoire and it was surprising how much people were inspired like ‘Ah you can be talentless weirdos in makeup and Swarovski underwear over tracksuits and still play music in concert halls, imagine what you could do with actual talent.’
KALTBLUT: Looking forward, what are your plans for the future? Can we expect more singles or new performances from BULLYACHE soon?
Both. We have loads of music just figuring it out. We make all the music for the theatre works so it’s figuring out how you translate that to people without a bunch of people spinning about.
More performances in 2025 of WHO HURT YOU? And two new things are brewing, a bit larger, scale for 2026 and 2027. So far away. Older and older.
KALTBLUT: Your work makes strong emotional connections with your audiences. Can you share stories of any particularly impactful audience reactions to ‘Tom’ or ‘Never Let’?
People trauma dump, which we may invite with the kind of work we do… We are responsible for the things people say to us
KALTBLUT: What advice would you give to aspiring artists who wish to explore unique forms of performance art similar to what BULLYACHE creates?
Make money instead then do what you want when you’re older. You know when your auntie says to study finance, she’s right. Plumbing pays really good hourly wages. We are only doing this because we don’t know how to do anything else. We have worked every job and got fired so we’re incredibly lucky that this has stuck and we’re good at it.
Follow
@bullyache_
Photos by @zhuoo_
Never Let and Never Let (Happa Remix) is out now
