WOODEN DOG: "It's a song about being scared to fully give yourself to someone"

With soaring harmonies, heartfelt songwriting and a rapidly growing reputation on the UK live circuit, Birmingham folk-rockers Wooden Dog are quickly proving they're one of the Midlands' most exciting emerging bands. Described by Gigslutz as "heartfelt folk-rock hailing from the Midlands that sounds like California in the midst of summer", the five-piece have spent the past few years building momentum through acclaimed live performances, festival appearances and a string of increasingly confident releases.

Their latest single, Waiting On You, finds the band at their most honest and emotionally resonant. Written by brothers Alfie and George Nicholls, the track explores the tension between personal ambition, responsibility and relationships, wrapped up in the band's trademark blend of uplifting melodies, rich harmonies and anthemic choruses. Released ahead of a packed summer that includes appearances at TRUCK, Isle of Wight, Victorious and Camper Calling festivals, as well as their biggest headline show to date, Waiting On You marks another significant step forward for the rising outfit.

We caught up with the band to discuss the meaning behind the song, songwriting inspiration, fan connection and what it feels like to be entering their biggest year yet.

1. What inspired 'Waiting On You' and what does the song mean to you?

I think at the time of writing the song, we were both putting a lot of pressure on ourselves to be there for people close to us and feeling a lot of guilt because of that. Taking on a dream like music, we are constantly obsessed by it and sometimes it can be hard to balance that with people who rely on you as you have this looming responsibility to yourself to make sure you're putting in the work and the effort which ultimately takes up a lot of your time. At the root of it, it's a song about being scared to fully give yourself to someone and be that person that they can depend on.

2. George described the song as one that "fell out of the sky". Is that usually how songs come together for Wooden Dog?

I wish they were all that easy, but unfortunately not haha. But, it did genuinely feel like this song appeared out of thin air. Usually, when we get an idea for a song we end up leaving it about 75% unfinished, with placeholder lyrics or a chorus/verse missing, but with this song it was entirely different. I remember going back to the song the day after writing it being like 'okay what do I need to change' but I ended up liking what was already there. I think because it just came together in about 2 hours, the structure and lyrics, it had kind of captured the exact emotions we were feeling in that moment and so anything we tried to write after that felt like something different. But yes, I would say that this process was different from a lot of other songs we have written, but I don't think that only the best ones can 'fall out of the sky'. Obviously the famous saying is that the best songs are the ones that come out of nowhere, but we also think that the ones you spend a long time on end up being special too.

3. Your sound has drawn comparisons to artists such as Coldplay, Turin Brakes and The Verve. What is it about those artists that inspires you?

I think being brothers and growing up surrounded by a lot of music from bands, we always wanted to be a part of one. We loved the dynamic and the collectiveness of it and I think that is at the heart of Wooden Dog. I think with the bands that you have mentioned, the songs they write give people a sense of hope or at least they do for me. They have this beautiful way of speaking to people through the music and I think that's because they are so genuine. That's why we try to write about things that we have experienced or feel because that's what we connect with and hopefully people can find that in our music too. So yeah, I would say the humanity of their music is what influences us the most. And the fact that they write bangers haha.

4. Audience participation and those big singalong moments seem to be a huge part of your live shows. How important is that connection with fans?

I would go as far to say it's one of the most important elements when crafting our songs. That's our favourite part of the job performing live, and that feeling is only amplified when it's to a room full of people having a good time and a sing along, so we are always trying to include new ways for fans to be part of the songs too. I think we are very aware of the fact too that the fans are the reason we are anywhere and so it's nice to try and make it special for them too as a way of saying thank you I guess.

5. You've got a huge summer ahead, including major festival appearances and your biggest headline show yet. How does that feel?

It feels so surreal. We are quite literally pinching ourselves about these upcoming gigs and it is just super exciting for us all. It really feels like a big step in the right direction and we cant wait to see what the rest of 2026 has in store for us. The fact that people are connecting with our music and are eager to see us perform are things that we can't quite believe we get to say.