In a surprise announcement, the winners of the 2025 Glastonbury's Emerging Talent Competition are making their way to Rontondes for the Congés Annulés festival.
Like RTL Today Radio host Tom Einarsson, the members of Westside Cowboy are alumni of the University of Manchester. After all playing in separate bands, they got together and decided to name themselves after a historical phenomenon.
The band name, so vocalist and guitarist Jimmy Bradbury told NME, comes from the industrial revolution in New York. When trains were first introduced, people would accidentally walk on the tracks – risking being run over.
To prevent this, men on horseback were hired to ride ahead of trains, warning people to stay away. These were colloquially called Westside Cowboys.
The quartet released their first single, I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You), in 2024 – and have enjoyed a meteoric rise since. A couple more (stellar) singles followed, culminating in their first EP, This Better Be Something Great, releasing on 8 August 2025.
It was around this time – mid-2025 – that the band casually won the Glastonbury's Emerging Talent Competition, netting them a £5000 talent development bursary and a spot on the coveted Woodsies Stage.
But don't just take it from Glasto. Earlier this year, they supported indie super stars Geese on the European leg of their Getting Killed tour. Not only that, certain hosts at RTL Today Radio really dig them, too. If that isn't some rock-solid endorsement!
Check out the full programme for the Congés Annulés festival at Rotondes this summer – running from Friday, 24 July to Thursday, 20 August – and check out the event page for Westside Cowboy, live in Luxembourg, on 3 August.
