Joe Webb - 'Hamstrings & Hurricanes' • DIY Magazine

While it’d be easy to assume that the influences of pianist Joe Webb lie mostly within the world of jazz, he and his Joe Webb Trio are proof that you really should never judge a book by its cover. Inspired by everything from classic jazz greats such as Oscar Peterson and Fats Waller through to ‘90s Britpop and footballing legend Lionel Messi, Joe’s debut album ‘Hamstrings & Hurricanes’ is a glorious exploration of the pianist’s Welsh identity through the lens of his evocative and idiosyncratic approach.

Having been tipped by the likes of Jools Holland, Jamie Cullum and Giles Peterson along the way, it’s clear that the Joe Webb Trio really are reshaping the landscape for modern jazz. Fresh from being shortlisted for the 2025 Mercury Prize, we caught up with Joe and his bandmates - drummer Sam Jesson and double bassist Will Sach - to find out a little more about the album.

The Mercury Prize has always been focussed on celebrating the art of the album, and encouraging people to experience albums as a whole, holistic experience. With that in mind, how does it feel to have been shortlisted for the 2025 Mercury Prize?
Joe Webb: I feel overwhelmed. When we first went into the studio and started to record all of this music, we would never have believed we’d be in this position here.
Sam Jesson: Listening to whole albums is a bit of a dying thing. I listen to albums all the time so it’s been nice to put together an album which is kind of like a mixtape of us playing live, and us in the studio, and to put it together in a way which means people might listen to it the whole way through.
Will Sach: It means a lot because we spent four days putting it together and you just do it for fun, and don’t expect anyone to even hear it, so to be recognised [in this way] is a treat.

“Our influences are super eclectic, so [we were] trying to get them all on the same page.”

Did you have special memories from recording ‘Hamstrings & Hurricanes’?
Joe: The actual studio itself had a great, big live room down below, and we’d sleep upstairs, so we lived basically as a family during that time; it was like being at home, but you lived in a recording studio.

Were there any friendly rivalries, being in such close quarters with one another?!
Joe: To be honest, we actually started playing together in a wine bar in Marylebone, just playing background music, so we’d already spent hundreds of hours together by then.
Sam: It was pretty close - too close, sometimes!
Joe: What’re you trying to say, mate?!

The final track on the album, ‘Hiraeth’, was in part inspired by Oasis’s ‘Shakermaker’; how did that come about?
Joe: So, the drum part is actually a more chilled version of the drum part from [Oasis song] ‘Shakermaker’, but blended with some [Claude] Debussy, some [Franz] Liszt, and some classical elements. Our influences are super eclectic, so [we were] trying to get them all on the same page.
Sam: Songs would often start as one thing and end up as another thing by the time you recorded it.

DIY has teamed up with LNER - the Official Travel Partner of the 2025 Mercury Prize Newcastle - to celebrate the power of journeys, both musical and literal. Read our full 2025 Mercury Prize Newcastle special edition below.

Tags: Features, Joe Webb