The transatlantic folk duo and acclaimed podcasters, comprised of British songwriter/producer Ben Parker and American songwriter/author David Berkeley, are set to bring their podcast’s mythical fictional world of adventures and hilarity, featuring their “seamless vocal harmonies” (The Observer), to life on stages across the country next month via a brand new November 2025 UK tour. With a new album on the horizon, we caught up with David to learn a little more.

Hi, how are you?

We are good, thanks for asking. We appreciate your time.

It has been six years since your debut album; how do you feel your interim releases have seen you grow?

As some of you may know, we have created a mythic history for our band where we travel the world on a raft that we’ve built with our bare hands. Since our debut album, which we released on the eve of Covid (a not-so-great idea in retrospect), we’ve developed and released a podcast called Madmen Cross the Water, which tells our adventures in great comic detail and reveals new songs. This deep dive into our story has helped the music we’ve been writing ascend to greater emotional heights and has made our stage show far funnier and more interactive.

We hear a new album is on the horizon. Tell us more…

Yes! Of Ghosts and Gods will be released officially in February, but we will have beautiful copies on vinyl and CD available on this upcoming UK tour. We believe these are some of the finest songs we’ve ever written. We hope you’ll agree.

What song are you most excited to share with people?

Probably “Antarctica”, which is a sing-along anthem about journeying to the bottom of the globe and defying all odds in the pursuit of a passion. It’s a timely piece in today’s divided world, as it’s a triumph of hope and togetherness at a time when they seem harder and harder to find.

Your latest single is Mutiny. Tell us a little about it…

Mutiny is a piece about the darker days at sea (or in life more generally), when you've lost sight of what you’re fighting for. Ultimately, it’s a love song, too. As it’s love that pulls us through the lows.

You are also headed out on the road; what can we expect?

We sure are. And we hope you’ll join us. You can expect an immersive theatrical concert unlike any you’ve ever experienced. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll sing along. And if you don’t, we’ll give you your money back.

And what is your key ambition?

We want to move our audiences, to help them escape from the woes of the world, to remind them that there’s still beauty and love out there in the world. We want to help spread joy and the belief that harmony still exists, even between people from two different lands.

We want to get to know a little more about your musical taste. Tell us a song that makes you:

Smile: (Lime In The) Coconut – Harry Nilsson – Harry doing Harry, pure hilarity.

Cry: Kentucky Avenue – Tom Waits – a beautiful song recalling childhood memories – there’s a lyric about wanting to tie wings to the shoulders of his friend in a wheelchair so he can fly. That gets me every time.

Laugh: The Lumberjack Song - Monty Python - The Python’s songwriting talent was incredible. I mean any song with the lyric ‘He cuts down trees, he eats his lunch. He goes to the lavatory’ is as good as it gets.

Feel nostalgic: Joni Mitchell’s – A Case Of You – you feel Joni’s nostalgia seep through this song, but we also defy anyone to not remember when they heard it first and where they were in life. It takes us back instantly to those times.

Dance in the kitchen: Listomania - Phoenix. Infectious groove, incredible anticipation. For some reason it always makes me do the dance from the film Footloose.

Sing in the shower: All I Have To Do Is Dream - The Everly Brothers - old-school crooner-type songs are always good in the shower. This 50s treat is a delight to hear bouncing off the bathroom tiles. Just a shame we have to get in the shower together so we can do the harmonies.

Message a friend immediately: Ben texts his friend Dan immediately when certain Pearl Jam songs come on. For David it’s So Many Roads by the Grateful Dead.



What was the best gig you have ever been to?

I saw David Bowie on his Glass Spider tour in Denver, Colorado. I was only about 13, and I was taken by a very attractive 17-year-old girl. For many reasons, that was one of the greatest nights of my life.

What is the best show you have ever done?

We’ve had the good fortune of playing in some magical spots. But one of the shows that we won’t soon forget was actually on a boat floating down the Rhine River. It was incredible to tell our stories of leaving dry land for unknown lands while actually heading out into the current.

What stage have you not performed on that you dream of?

We’d like to actually play in Antarctica.

Lastly, you can achieve one thing by the end of the year; what is it?

Sailing across the Atlantic on a junk raft we’ve built with our own bare hands.

Sons of Town Hall Reproduced with permission

The full list of newly announced Sons of Town Hall UK live dates is as follows:


8 November Milton Keynes Stables 2

9 November Portsmouth Square Tower

11 November Winchcombe Isbourne Arts

12 November Birmingham Kitchen Garden Cafe

14 November Selby Town Hall

15 November Skipton Town Hall

16 November Edinburgh Leith Arches

17 November Lincoln Guild Sessions

19 November London Kings Place

20 November Cricklade - The Old Stables

21 November Bristol Folk House

22 November Newbury Ace Space

Tickets for all shows are on sale now via https://sonsoftownhall.com/live-and-in-person/