Big Red, the solo writing vehicle of Joseph Scarisbrick, introduce themselves with their immediate and tense debut single ‘Isn’t He Funny?’. Originally conceived as a home for songs that sat outside the world of his other project, The Orchestra (For Now), the band has evolved into a three-piece alongside drummer Charlie Hancock and bassist/vocalist Millie Kirby.
Written between London, UK and Santa Cruz, California during the first months of 2025 and recorded live in Devon that April, the single toes an uneasy balance between comedy and collapse. Opening with the wry declaration, “I’m gonna leave the band / Hope you notice,” the song gradually descends into a portrait of paranoia and self-invention. Scarisbrick ricochets between bitter punchlines, imagined acts of violence and increasingly unstable attempts to control how others see him. This is mirrored in the tracks volatile instrumentation, made up of beguiling rolling guitar lines that explode into distorted breakouts and mercurial drumming. Throughout, the repeated question, “Isn’t he funny?”, shifts from joke to accusation to cry for help.
Speaking on the track Scarisbrick shares:
“I was playing a few shows with just a drummer and with this song I was improvising the lyrics on stage. The only line that stayed the same each time was ‘Isn’t He Funny?’.
Afterwards I went home, wrote down the bits that I liked, and gradually pieced it together from all these different versions. I like that the song can’t quite decide whether it’s joking or breaking down. There’s all these threats and pull backs, small jabs and unease. It’s about trying to maintain control of how others see you while simultaneously losing control of yourself, and how actually it is best to not perform because you will go insane.”
With more music to be announced this year, the new single marks something of a new chapter for Scarisbrick. Where his previous work frequently relied on dense references and literary allusion across The Orchestra (For Now)’s “Plan 75” and “Plan 76“, this new endeavour takes a more direct approach. The writing is confessional and brutally honest, the music stripped back and candid; a band playing together in real time.
Big Red Live Dates
July
23 – London, Blue Basement (Third Man Records)
September
5 – End Of The Road Festival
Fore more information on Big Red please check their instagram and bandcamp.