North London pop group GIFTHORSE unveil debut EP ‘Queens of Highgate’
With Queens of Highgate, GIFTHORSE deliver a debut collection of songs that serve as a microcosmic snapshot of life as a 20-something living in North London in 2026.
5 min read
Credit: @photos.bycharlie 📸
Fresh from the release of their sonically adventurous third single, Love Is a Landslide, North London’s pop group GIFTHORSE are unveiling their debut EP, Queens Of Highgate, on April 17th, the first full entry into their self-coined ‘frazzled English pop’ songbook.
The EP will feature Please Love Me and 13 Going On 30, while introducing new tracks, Silent Disco and Stranger Baby expanding the band’s sonic palette while deepening their signature ‘people-watching pop’ storytelling.
At its core, Queens of Highgate is both a love letter to North London and a coming-of-age document, capturing a formative period of self-discovery and creative beginnings.
These are personal stories with universal themes: the thrill of early romance and shared mundane moments in Please Love Me; the drama of teenage love explored in Love Is a Landslide; the late-night escapism of Silent Disco; the quiet sadness of feeling disconnected from a lover in Stranger Baby; and the disappointment of early adulthood exorcised in 13 Going On 30.
The band’s visual identity, which is a huge part of the GIFTHORSE aesthetic, mirrors this world. The EP artwork, set on Highgate Hill, draws on classic London imagery - from a red post box to a passing bus - grounding their dreamy, slightly frazzled universe in the everyday. Its tone recalls the films that inspired their ‘frazzled English’ aesthetic: quintessentially ’90s London films like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Sliding Doors, as well as the everyday realism of Mike Leigh classics like High Hopes.
Formed by the songwriting partnership of Naomi Mann (lead vocals) / Charlie Butler (guitar, backing vocals), twins Zak (drums) and Iggy (bass) and Hilton (synth), the band have taken a traditional approach to road-testing material as they gallop across the London circuit, while also cultivating a community online through social media.
The first song Mann and Butler wrote that they felt was worth pursuing was their debut single, Please Love Me. It took almost two years of collaboration to reach this point, and, feeling inspired, the bulk of the EP was written in an intensely creative two-week period that coincided with an August heatwave, which saw the pair huddled around a single portable fan, recording vocal takes until the heat became too stifling.
Since then, the group have received praise from BBC 6 Music, Radio X, So Young Magazine and many more as their momentum continues to build.
With Queens of Highgate, GIFTHORSE deliver a debut collection of songs that serve as a microcosmic snapshot of life as a 20-something living in North London in 2026. They feel both nostalgic and forward-looking - shimmering like a disco ball, while carrying the warmth of classic songs you’ve loved forever. It marks the beginning of a distinct and evolving ‘frazzled English pop’ world.
As GIFTHORSE grows, now is the time to catch them on the road:
21/04 London - The Victoria, TMT Tuesdays Money Trench Podcast
04/06 London - Archway Tavern Supporting Sean Trelford For Islington Radio
10/06 London - The Elephant’s Head, Camden - GIFTHORSE Presents ‘Frazzled English Summer’ Residency (Acts TBC)
12/07 London - The Elephant’s Head, Camden - GIFTHORSE Presents ‘Frazzled English Summer’ Residency (Acts TBC)
30/07 Kendal Calling Festival - Tim Peaks Diner Stage
04/09 London Islington Assembly Hall - Altered Images Happy Birthday 40th Anniversary tour support
05/09 Bristol Thekla - Altered Images Happy Birthday 40th Anniversary tour support
07/09 Nottingham Rescue Rooms - Altered Images Happy Birthday 40th Anniversary tour support
15/09 Manchester Band On The Wall - Altered Images Happy Birthday 40th Anniversary tour support
04/10 Middlesbrough - Twisterella Festival
Pre-save Queens of Highgate now.
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