{{Short description|English heavy pop band}} <!--PLEASE NOTE: the references in this article are in a list format, which means the data for the refs is in the References section, not in the body of the article. If you add a new ref, please follow this format. If you delete some text that includes a ref, please preview the whole page and check that you haven't created a ref error in the References section. --> {{Use British English|date=June 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = WU LYF | image = WU LYF.jpg | caption = Midi Festival 2010 | image_size = | landscape = yes | alias = | origin = Manchester, England | instrument = | genre = Indie rock, art rock, post-rock | occupation = | years_active = 2008–2012, 2025–present | label = LYF Recordings | spinoffs = Los Porcos,<ref name=porcos/> LUH.<ref name=luh/> | website = {{URL|worldunite.org}} | current_members = {{Unbulleted list|Ellery Roberts|Evans Kati|Tom McClung|Joe Manning}} }} '''WU LYF''' (pronounced "woo life"; an acronym for '''"World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation"''') are an English rock band from Manchester. Forming in 2008, the band originally became known for creating a mystery about themselves by declining requests for interviews and releasing little information to the press.<ref name="observer"/><ref name="guard2"/><ref name="vienna"/> In the band's initial run, they released one studio album, ''Go Tell Fire to the Mountain''. Following its 2011 release, they disbanded a year later. In 2025, the band reformed; their second album, ''A Wave That Will Never Break'', is slated for release in April 2026. The band has described their music as "heavy pop".<ref name="lifeandtimes"/>
==History== ===Beginnings=== WU LYF formed in the summer of 2008 and consisted of "Jeau" (Joe Manning), "Lung" (Tom McClung), "Elle Jaie" (Ellery Roberts) and "Evnse" (Evans Kati).<ref name="guard2"/> The band started their own record label titled Ridiculous Records.<ref name="pitchfork"/> The band's first gig outside Manchester came in July 2010 at the MIDI Festival on the French Riviera, which NME called "undoubtedly one of the gigs of the year".<ref name="nmemidi"/> Subsequent shows include France's Transmusicales Festival,<ref name="knock"/><ref name="rickard"/> Berlin's Transmediale festival<ref name="intro"/> and headline shows in Glasgow and London. In July 2010 the band announced the formation of the Lucifer Youth Foundation (L Y F), giving new members an illustrated bandit mask and a 12" single featuring the tracks "Concrete Gold" and "Heavy Pop".
The band started recording their debut album in November 2010, using the money generated by the L Y F membership scheme. Deciding against the conventional studio set up, they instead took over Saint Peter's church in Ancoats, Manchester, to record their album. The album is self-produced. The band declined all offers from established record labels and released their debut album, entitled ''Go Tell Fire to the Mountain'',<ref name="ltw"/><ref name="noir"/> themselves on 13 June 2011 through the L Y F recordings imprint.<ref name="NME1"/> In support of the record's release, the band played several dates in the UK to critical acclaim,<ref name="clash"/><ref name="stereo"/> culminating in the curation of the Great Bridgewater Street Tunnel as part of the Manchester International Festival.<ref name="bbc"/>
===''Go Tell Fire to the Mountain''=== The band had the concept for ''Go Tell Fire to the Mountain'' long before the recording process took place. Roberts states that it was written "in a narrative sense and [was approached] as a complete work rather than a bunch of songs thrown together."<ref name="mtvhive"/> When searching for a place to record, the group was dissatisfied with the sound they were getting from traditional studios, leading them to settle on an old abandoned church in Manchester. The amount of open airspace in the church allowed for a healthy dose of reverb, which is a critical part of the album's larger than life sound.<ref name="pitchfork2"/> Despite the media's insistence of the location's relevance to the religious theme of the band, Roberts denies it. Although the church altered the "vibe of the songs", the band asserts that Saint Peter's church sonically fit the album's needs.<ref name="mtvhive"/>
===Breakup=== On 24 November 2012, a video for a new track appeared on YouTube accompanied by a supposed letter from lead singer Ellery Roberts, directed towards his bandmates. It stated: "I am gone. This isn't the end. This is the beginning."(sic) At this moment in time it was unclear as to whether this was the end for WU LYF, however their Facebook page also disappeared around the same time the video surfaced. A new track titled "T R I U M P H" accompanied the letter, in which Roberts announced, "WU LYF is dead to me."<ref name="citr1"/>
===Post-breakup=== Following Roberts' departure, the remaining WU LYF members continued on as Los Porcos, a former side-project, releasing 2 tracks in April 2013.<ref name="NME3"/><ref name="vegan"/> Tom McClung created a solo project called Francis Lung,<ref name="cmj"/> and Evans Kati and Joe Manning formed Dream Lovers,<ref name="truluv"/> debuting their first show at Midi Music Festival in 2015.<ref name="midi"/> Ellery Roberts joined girlfriend Ebony Hoorn to form LUH., which stands for "Lost Under Heaven". LUH.'s debut album, entitled ''Spiritual Songs for Lovers to Sing'', was co-produced by The Haxan Cloak and was released in May 2016 by Mute Records.<ref name=luh/><ref name="PMLUH"/>
===Reunion=== In March 2025, the band's website, [https://worldunite.org worldunite.org], updated to show a countdown timer beneath their white logo on a black background. Selecting the text on the page revealed the hidden message "SOMETHING COMES FROM NOTHING A NEW LIFE IS COMING." The countdown ended on April 1, 2025 with the band releasing their first single in 13 years titled "A New Life Is Coming", the band would also announce 3 shows at The Kings Arms in Salford, and several festival dates in Europe.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mixmag.net/read/wu-lyf-manchester-return-new-track-a-new-life-is-coming-news | title=WU LYF return with new track 'A New Life is Coming' }}</ref>
On April 1, 2026 WU LYF released a new single, "The Fool" ahead of their new album. The version published on Spotify features parody vocals and a message declaring "Slopify is dead" and urging listeners to hear the real song on the band's website.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-04-01 |title=The Fool |url=https://open.spotify.com/album/3aNyeJsL8GbxBNOU7yanV0?si=xl8SjxTSQg6cFtqwIn792A |access-date=2026-04-02 |website=Spotify}}</ref>
==Press coverage== Much of the early press coverage on the band focused on the fact that outlets reporting on them did not know much about the band.<ref name="guard1"/> ''The New York Observer'' described the phenomenon as "carefully designed anonymity".<ref name="observer"/> One critic highlighted their "ability to maintain mystique at a time when everything is out in the open".<ref name="KCRW"/> The ''NME'''s Matt Wilkinson picked the band as one that was likely to define 2011.<ref name="NME2"/> ''Stereogum'' featured WU LYF as a "Band to Watch" in May 2010.<ref name="stereogum"/> They were described as "the cult band of the moment in England" by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in Italy.<ref name="rsi"/> The Dutch magazine ''Kicking the Habit'' described them as sounding like "Tom Waits in a church under the guidance of stoned garage".<ref name="habit"/> The band appeared on BBC2's "Culture Show", showcasing a song off their debut album and conducting a rare interview.<ref name="BBC2"/>
Latter-day press became more concerned with WU LYF's live shows, which were described as "intense" and "cathartic".<ref name="clash2"/> ''Pitchfork'' gave ''Go Tell Fire to the Mountain'' an 8.4 rating and the "Best New Music" accolade, stating, "WU LYF in the manner of Iceage or Odd Future as musicians that have made me genuinely excited about their potential impact on listeners, the same things that make them seem juvenile---the artistic and personal volatility, the semblance of a roving gang more than a band, the invitation to indulge in your most disturbing impulses and yet feel morally superior to an ill-defined majority---are the same things that feel totally galvanizing. And it's easy to imagine ''Go Tell Fire to the Mountain'' giving disaffected listeners the promise of an entry to something beyond themselves in a way that James Blake or Bon Iver can't."<ref name="pitchfork2"/> BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe named "Dirt" the "Hottest Track in the World" in 2011.<ref name="bbc1"/>
This Wikipedia page on the band has been deleted several times, which itself has been covered by the press.<ref name="guard1"/>
==Members== * Ellery James Roberts — lead vocals, organ * Evans Kati — guitar, harmonica, backing vocals * Tom McClung — bass, guitar, backing vocals * Joe Manning — drums, piano
==Discography==
===Albums=== * ''Go Tell Fire to the Mountain'' (CD and vinyl LP, released 13 June 2011)<ref name="NME1"/> (UK chart peak: #98)<ref name="chart"/> * ''A Wave That Will Never Break'' (released 10 April 2026)<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Wave That Will Never Break, by WU LYF |url=https://wulyf.bandcamp.com/album/a-wave-that-will-never-break |access-date=2026-04-14 |website=Bandcamp |language=en}}</ref>
===Singles=== * "Heavy Pop" / "Concrete Gold" (12" single, 31 May 2010)<ref name="discogs"/> * "Dirt" (promo CD only, June 2011)<ref name="discogs2"/> * "We Bros" (12" single, 20 September 2011)<ref name="pitchfork3"/> * "T R I U M P H" (single, 24 November 2012)<ref name="citr1"/> * "A New Life Is Coming" (single, 3 April 2025)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.stereogum.com/2302617/reunited-wu-lyf-share-first-new-song-in-13-years-a-new-life-is-coming/music/ | title=Reunited WU LYF Share First New Song in 13 Years, "A New Life is Coming" | date=April 2025 }}</ref> * "Tib St. Tabernacle" (single, 14 January 2026)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://stereogum.com/2485298/wu-lyf-tib-st-tabernacle/music | title=WU LYF Release New Song "Tib St. Tabernacle": Listen | date=January 2026 }}</ref> * "Love Your Fate" (single, 25 February 2026)
==References== <references> <ref name="observer">{{Cite news | last = Miller | first = Michael H. | title = Avatars of Anonymous Ambition: Heavy Poppers WU LYF Hit Williamsburg | newspaper = The New York Observer | date = 2011-04-05 | url = http://www.observer.com/2011/culture/avatars-anonymous-ambition-heavy-poppers-wu-lyf-hit-williamsburg | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110410022034/http://www.observer.com/2011/culture/avatars-anonymous-ambition-heavy-poppers-wu-lyf-hit-williamsburg | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2011-04-10 | access-date = 2011-05-01}}</ref> <ref name="guard2">{{Cite news | last = Lester | first = Paul | author-link = Paul Lester | title = Wu Lyf (No 743) – This mysterious crew appear to be some kind of strange Manc cult, full of quasi-spiritual fervour and revolutionary intent | newspaper = The Guardian | date = 2010-03-10 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/mar/10/new-band-wu-lyf | access-date = 2011-05-01}}</ref> <ref name="vienna">{{Cite web | title = Donaufestival mit James Blake, Wild Beasts und Owen Pallett gestartet | publisher = | language = de | date = 2010-04-29 | url = http://www.vienna.at/donaufestival-mit-james-blake-wild-beasts-und-owen-pallett-gestartet/news-20110429-12482920 | access-date = 2011-05-09|website=Vienna}}</ref> <ref name="lifeandtimes">{{Cite news | last = Chanda | first = Devin | title = Manchester, United. | newspaper = Life and Times | date = 2011-08-23 | url = http://lifeandtimes.com/manchester-united | access-date = 2011-09-02}}</ref> <ref name="knock">{{Cite news |last = Steenhaut |first = Dirk |title = Wu Lyf @ ABClub |newspaper = Knack Focus |location = France |language = nl |url = http://knackfocus.rnews.be/nl/entertainment/wu-lyf-abclub/article-1194987445808.htm |access-date = 2011-05-03 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> <ref name="rickard">{{Cite web | title = WU LYF: Live aux Transmusicales de Rennes | publisher = Ricard S.A. Live Music | location = France | language = fr | url = http://blog.ricardsa-livemusic.com/2010/12/wu-lyf-live-aux-transmusicales-de-rennes/ | archive-date = 2011-08-12 | url-status = usurped | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110812160512/http://blog.ricardsa-livemusic.com/2010/12/wu-lyf-live-aux-transmusicales-de-rennes/ | access-date = 2021-06-07}}</ref> <ref name="intro">{{Cite web |title = MIT & WU LYF live @ CTM |publisher = intro.de |location = Berlin |language = de |url = http://www.intro.de/news/newsticker/23063062/mit-und-wu-lyf-live-ctm-fotostrecke-fluoreszierende-performances |access-date = 2011-05-03 |archive-date = 9 February 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110209173406/http://www.intro.de/news/newsticker/23063062/mit-und-wu-lyf-live-ctm-fotostrecke-fluoreszierende-performances |url-status = dead }}</ref> <ref name="ltw">{{Cite web | title = Go Tell Fire To The Mountain album review - Louder Than War | date = 9 June 2011 | url = http://louderthanwar.com/featured/wu-lyf-go-tell-fire-to-the-mountain-album-review | access-date = 2011-06-10}}</ref> <ref name="noir">{{Cite web | title = Go Tell Fire To The Mountain album review - Neo Noir | url = http://neo-noir.tumblr.com/post/6359684751/go-tell-fire-to-the-mountain | access-date = 2011-06-10}}</ref> <ref name="NME1">{{Cite news | title = Wu Lyf release first song from 'Go Tell Fire To The Mountain' online – audio | newspaper = NME | date = 2011-03-30 | url = https://www.nme.com/news/wu-lyf/55798 | access-date = 2011-05-01}}</ref> <ref name="NME2">{{Cite news | last = Wilkinson | first = Matt | title = WU LYF Are Fucking Amazing – And Here's The Proof | newspaper = NME | date = 2011-01-06 | url = https://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=10&title=wu_lyf_1&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 | access-date = 2011-05-01}}</ref> <ref name="NME3">{{Cite news | title = Former Wu Lyf members debut new band Los Porcos in London | newspaper = NME | date = 2013-04-26 | url = https://www.nme.com/news/los-porcos/69953 | access-date = 2013-05-06}}</ref> <ref name="vegan">{{Cite news | title = WU LYF carry on without singer as Los Porcos (stream 2 tracks) | newspaper = Brooklyn Vegan | date = 2013-04-25 | url = http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2013/04/wu_lyf_carry_on.html | access-date = 2013-05-06}}</ref> <ref name="clash">{{Cite news | last = Murray | first = Robin | title = WU LYF Add Tour Dates – Manchester band to break cover | newspaper = Clash | date = 2011-04-12 | url = http://www.clashmusic.com/news/wu-lyf-add-tour-dates | access-date = 2011-05-01}}</ref> <ref name="stereo">{{Cite web | last = Stickler | first = Jon | title = WU LYF Reveal Dates For UK Tour & Tickets | publisher = StereoBoard.com | date = 2011-04-13 | url = http://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/164877/9 | access-date = 2011-05-01}}</ref> <ref name="bbc">{{Cite news | title = Wu Lyf top Manchester International Festival's new music | newspaper = BBC News | date = 2011-03-17 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-12777779 | access-date = 2011-05-04}}</ref> <ref name="guard1">{{Cite news | last = Michaels | first = Sean | author-link = Sean Michaels (writer) | title = WU LYF – so good at being a band that nobody's asked about their music yet | newspaper = The Guardian | date = 2011-04-23 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/apr/23/wu-lyf-manchester | access-date = 2011-05-01}}</ref> <ref name="KCRW">{{Cite news | last = Kolitz | first = Daniel | title = Wu Lyf: Playing on Prefix | publisher = KCRW | date = 2011-04-14 | url = http://blogs.kcrw.com/musicnews/2011/04/wu-lyf-playing-on-prefix/ | access-date = 2011-05-01}}</ref> <ref name="stereogum">{{cite web | url = https://stereogum.com/388942/band-to-watch-world-unitelucifer-youth-foundation/franchises/band-to-watch/ | title = Band To Watch: WU LYF | author = Jessica | publisher = Stereogum | date = 2010-05-27 | access-date = 2012-02-20}}</ref> <ref name="rsi">{{Cite news |title = Wu Lyf: il quartetto anarchico di Manchester |newspaper = Rolling Stone |location = Italy |language = it |url = http://www.rollingstonemagazine.it/musica/video/Wu-Lyf-il-quartetto-anarchico-di-Manchester/37013 |access-date = 2011-05-01 |archive-date = 27 July 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110727120749/http://www.rollingstonemagazine.it/musica/video/Wu-Lyf-il-quartetto-anarchico-di-Manchester/37013 |url-status = dead }}</ref> <ref name="habit">{{Cite news | title = Opinie – Festival programmatie anno 2011: Duck Sauce en de rest | newspaper = Kicking the Habit | location = Netherlands | language = nl | date = 2011-04-29 | url = http://kickingthehabit.nl/2011-04-29/duck-sauce-en-de-rest | quote = dat klinkt als Tom Waits in een kerk onder begeleiding van stonede garagerock | access-date = 2011-05-09}}</ref> <ref name="BBC2">{{Cite news | last = Graham-Dixon | first = Andrew | author-link = Sean Michaels (writer) | title = BBC - BBC Two Programmes - The Culture Show, 2011/2012, Episode 5, Wu Lyf | newspaper = BBC | date = 2011-07-12 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00j4xpl | access-date = 2011-07-13}}</ref> <ref name="clash2">{{Cite news | last = Murray | first = Robin | title = Should one day fill stadiums | newspaper = Clash | date = 2011-04-12 | url = http://www.clashmusic.com/live-review/wu-lyf-live | access-date = 2011-05-01}}</ref> <ref name="pitchfork2">{{Cite web | last = Cohen | first = Ian | title = Go Tell Fire to the Mountain | publisher = Pitchfork Media | date = 2011-06-23 | url = https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15567-go-tell-fire-to-the-mountain/ | access-date = 2011-09-02}}</ref> <ref name="bbc1">{{Cite web | last = Lowe | first = Zane | author-link = Zane Lowe | title = Hottest Record - Wu Lyf - Dirt | publisher = BBC Radio 1 | date = 2011-05-25 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/zanelowe/2011/05/hottest_record_-_wu_lyf_-_dirt.html | access-date = 2011-06-07}}</ref> <ref name="citr1">{{Cite news | last = Dalton | first = Josh M. | title = NEWS: WU LYF ANNOUNCE SPLIT? RELEASE FINAL SONG T R I U M P H | date = 24 November 2012 | url = https://www.crackintheroad.com/music/18427-ellery-roberts-wu-lyf-t-r-i-u-m-p-h | access-date = 24 November 2012}}</ref> <ref name="PMLUH">{{cite web | first = Jazz | last = Monroe | title = LUH. (WU LYF's Ellery James Roberts and Ebony Hoorn) team with The Haxan Cloak for "I&I" | website = Pitchfork | url = https://pitchfork.com/news/63148-luh-wu-lyfs-ellery-james-roberts-and-ebony-hoorn-team-with-the-haxan-cloak-for-ii/ |date=26 January 2016 | access-date = 2 April 2016}}</ref> <ref name="pitchfork3">{{Cite web | last = Bevan | first = David | title = New WU LYF: "We Bros (Single Version)" | publisher = Pitchfork Media | date = 2011-09-20 | url = https://pitchfork.com/news/44055-new-wu-lyf-we-bros-single-version/ | access-date = 2011-10-16}}</ref> <ref name="chart">{{Citation | last = Huffington | first = Svetlana | title = Wu Lyf 2012 Australian Tour – St. Jeromes Laneway Sideshows | publisher = musicfeeds.com.au | date = 2010-10-24 | url = http://musicfeeds.com.au/news/wu-lyf-2012-australian-tour-st-jeromes-laneway-sideshows/ | access-date = 2016-04-05}}</ref> <ref name="pitchfork">{{Cite web | last = Domball | first = Ryan | title = WU LYF Talk Mystique, Unintelligible Lyrics | publisher = Pitchfork Media | date = 2011-08-03 | url = https://pitchfork.com/news/43394-wu-lyf-talk-mystique-unintelligible-lyrics/ | access-date = 2014-04-06}}</ref> <ref name="mtvhive">{{Cite web | last = Newman | first = Jason | title = WU LYF Explain The Band Behind The Myth | publisher = MTV | date = 2011-07-27 | url = http://www.mtvhive.com/2011/07/27/qa-wu-lyf-explain-the-myth-of-wu-lyf/ | access-date = 2014-04-06}}</ref> <ref name="porcos">{{Cite web | last = Minsker | first = Evan | title = Listen: WU LYF Former Members Los Porcos: "Sunshine" | publisher = Pitchfork Media | date = 2013-08-12 | url = https://pitchfork.com/news/51855-listen-wu-lyf-former-members-los-porcos-sunshine/ | access-date = 2014-10-17}}</ref> <ref name="luh">{{Cite web | last = Gordon | first = Jeremy | title = WU LYF's Ellery James Roberts Returns With New Project LUH., Shares "Unites" | publisher = Pitchfork Media | date = 2014-10-16 | url = https://pitchfork.com/news/57107-wu-lyfs-ellery-james-roberts-returns-with-new-project-luh-shares-unites/ | access-date = 2014-10-17}}</ref> <ref name="cmj">{{Cite web | title = LISTEN: FRANCIS LUNG'S "AGE LIMITS" | publisher = CMJ | date = 2013-07-26 | url = https://www.cmj.com/listen-francis-lungs-age-limits/ | access-date = 2015-12-26}}</ref> <ref name="truluv">{{Cite web | title = Dream Lovers – Go, Gauguin, Go | publisher = thisistruluv.com | date = 2014-09-11 | url = http://www.thisistruluv.com/dream-lovers-go-gauguin-go/ | access-date = 2015-12-26}}</ref> <ref name="midi">{{Cite web | title = Midi Festival, 2015 | publisher = thisistruluv.com | year = 2015 | url = http://midi-festival.com/?page_id=2018 | access-date = 2015-12-26}}</ref> <ref name="discogs">{{Discogs release | release = 2320055 | name = Wu Lyf – Heavy Pop / Concrete Gold | type = single}}</ref> <ref name="discogs2">{{Discogs release | release = 2934369 | name = Wu Lyf – Dirt | type = single}}</ref> <ref name="nmemidi">{{Cite web | last = Wilkinson | first = Matt | title = Live review: MIDI Festival. Hyeres, France | publisher = NME | date = 2010-08-12 | url = https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-wu-lyf-11488-303863 | access-date = 2023-07-29}}</ref> </references>
==External links== *[http://www.worldunite.org worldunite.org] – Official site #2
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:WU LYF}} Category:Musical groups from Manchester Category:English indie rock groups Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2012