The Spitfires' first single in three years: Better The Devil You Know
- Desh Kapur
- Apr 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 6
Watford nu-mod survivors, The Spitfires release their first new music in three years, announcing NINE UK & Ireland Tour dates with passionate anti-war single…
Better The Devil You Know
The Spitfires – Better The Devil You Know
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Exclusive 7” Vinyl (limited to 300 - first 150 fully signed)
NINE NEW UK TOUR DATES ON SALE NOW
Bellevue Music Recordings
It’s not over ‘til it’s over for The Spitfires, the eclectic, skanking, punking and popping mod-influenced British four-piece, as they announce their surprise comeback with new single, Better The Devil You Know. Rolling back the stone and returning in rude health following their 2022 split, the refreshed line-up, including smart and snappy songwriting catalyst, Billy Sullivan, returns with band’s first new music in three years.
The single lands digitally, but also on super-limited 7” vinyl of just 300 copies. With first 150 fully signed by the band, the collectible features a physical release-only B-side, A Man Out Of Time (Le SuperHomard Remix).
A story of acutely observant, genre-hopping and aspirational songwriting stretching back to 2015’s hyped debut single, 4am, a springboard into their self-released debut album, Response, in the same year, The Spitfires return both celebrates their five albums of music over a decade and writes the beginning of an exciting new chapter. With NINE new UK & Ireland Tour dates announced, opening on familiar territory at Esquires, Bedford on Fri 18 April 2025 and concluding at Koko in London on Fri 23 May 2025, a palpable sense of occasion follows The Spitfires onto the road and onwards into festival season.
Resilient, restless and divining more music than ever before, three years of prolific writing has accompanied a period of reflection for Sullivan as The Spitfires first line-up fell away following 2022’s Play For Today album and a heady, completely sold-out farewell show at the Electric Ballroom in Camden. Facing the future as a new, unobstructed and open road, Better The Devil You Know’s powerful message and scorching, indie-ska sound shows The Spitfires are way past their crossroads and determinedly fixed a new destination of renewed ambition.
“The song is about the current situation in the Middle East,” explains Sullivan. “But it really relates to all forms of war. Who can believe that, in 2025, we’re still seeing countries torn apart and thousands of people killed, whether due to religion or pure greed? The honest amongst us will recognise who is turning a blind eye to it all, making the choice to put profit before peace. Arms deals and relationships with power take precedence over human life.”
Whilst dropping clear hints that the single sets the band on the path to the release of further new music in 2025, the wait for official news on a long-awaited sixth album from The Spitfires continues. Fairly cultivating a reputation as one of the UK’s unmissable live bands, bringing communal energy to every venue they visit, fans will first get to hear more new music on the road with the band this spring.
All of the confirmed, upcoming UK & Ireland live dates for The Spitfires are as follows:
Fri 18 April: Esquires, Bedford
Sat 19 April: Stockton Calling, Stockton-on-Tees
Sun 20 April: Northampton, Black Prince
Fri 2 May: Liverpool, O2 Academy2
Sat 3 May: Glasgow, Stereo
Sun 4 May: Shrewsbury, Loop Fest
Fri 9 May: Dublin, The Sound House
Sat 10 May: Belfast, Deer’s Head
Fri 23 May: London, Koko
Tickets are on sale now via links to venue booking sites at: https://linktr.ee/thespitfires
Bringing the band up to date and setting dials for the next page in The Spitfires’ illustrious history, the new line-up adds Liam Taylor (guitar), Sam Dimond (bass) and Euan Crawford-McKee (drums) to Sullivan’s showmanship on lead vocals and guitar.
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