The Gritterman

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The former lead singer of the indie rockers is releasing his first solo album, all about fatherhood.

There is sadness and hope and quite a bit humour and all in all, it's a story that feels universal when it comes to life changes, wanted or not. The Gritterman] reminds me of those classic books you find super comforting as a child, but seem kind of sad or sinister when you view them through adult eyes. If the disappointment of this is that he is saying goodbye to what he has known, I wanted him to have a positive outlook.

Hop Up’ is a record that’s lean and concise, with a spacious quality that counters the heavily compressed, brick wall of sound that modern alt-pop can sometimes embody. As Weeks sang lines such as “I’m still your man, I’m still your Gritterman” over tumbling piano chords and aerated guitars, children and parents sat there, rapt. Weeks has already been working on new material, with the aim of “refining” what he’s tapped into on ‘Hop Up’. The Gritterman takes place on our hero’s final night of work — he’s been told that his “services are no longer required” because “the planet’s heating up”. When I knew my grandfather, I felt that he had been a big strong man and now was less of a big strong man.

He comes across rather more like a reticent children’s illustrator than a rock ’n’ roller — but then again, The Maccabees were among the more well-spoken indie bands of the past decade, the kind that played with an anxious intensity yet expressed themselves in bashful double negatives. I felt I could get away with that because the Gritterman is so closed and bareboned in the way he communicates. But when the band took off and became a full-time concern, Weeks struggled to find a way to combine his passions for art, music and storytelling.Although a hymn to loneliness – “I will miss her for her funny ways, I will miss her for her turn of phrase” – as well as a riposte to public service cuts, The Gritterman is by no means depressing. A. Hoffman really created a must-read for the festive season to get absorbed into the Christmas spirit. He’s also drawn inspiration from illustrator Edward Ardizzone and mid-century artist Eric Ravilious, both of whom captured provincial life.