Somewhere between Hall & Oates and the Doors lies the rock and soul quintet, Mamas Gun. Fronted by singer and songwriter Andy Platts with bass player Cameron Dawson, keyboardist David Oliver, guitarist Terry Lewis and drummer Jack Pollitt, the UK-based band had an international heritage and a long list of influences on its way to success.
The Hong Kong born Platts played on Corinne Bailey Rae’s debut album and became an in-demand songwriter, working with Rod Temperton (Michael Jackson, Heatwave) and John Oates among others.
Mamas Gun released it debut album, Routes To Riches, in late 2009. The disc won instant praise for its infectious melodies and its combination of soul, rock and pop elements into one of the year’s most innovative and attractive albums. The group was nominated for multiple SoulTracks Readers’ Choice Awards during 2010.
In 2011, Mamas Gun released a great follow-up album, The Life and Soul, which increased their audience and spawned three more hits. In 2014, the band toured with Lisa Stansfield and released its third album, Cheap Hotel. The album introduced bassist Cameron Dawson and reached the Top 30 on the UK independent album chart, while the single “Red Cassette” earned strong BBC Radio attention.
The group’s sound continued to evolve over the next decade, particularly with 2018’s Golden Days, which found Mamas Gun self-producing and recording live to analog tape. That album sharpened the band’s identity around classic soul, warm harmonies and organic musicianship, with drummer Chris Boot joining the lineup alongside Platts, Dawson, Oliver and Lewis.
Mamas Gun returned in 2022 with Cure The Jones, a deeply soulful, socially aware album shaped by the pandemic era and touching on themes of love, loss, loneliness, hope and renewal. The album further established the group as one of the strongest modern keepers of the classic soul tradition. In 2026, the band released its sixth studio album, DIG!. Recorded straight to 16-track analog tape, the album found the band digging even deeper into soul, gospel, jazz-funk and timeless pop, and included a collaboration with legendary Brian Jackson on the title track.
Through lineup changes, side projects and a shifting music industry, Mamas Gun has continued to record and tour, building an international following one soulful release at a time. The result is a band that has grown from promising young soul-rock revivalists into one of the most consistently rewarding modern soul groups around.
By Chris Rizik
