Hear Dead Dads Club channel pain into creativity at Rough Trade

At 14, Chilli Jesson lost his father to drug addiction. Jesson buried his trauma he under rebellion and emotional suppression. His escape came through music, as his band Palma Violets skyrocketed to fame, landing on NME covers and topping charts.

But when the band unexpectedly ended in his early 20s, Jesson was left disoriented. He tried to rebuild with a new project, Crewel Intentions, and later ventured into pop songwriting out of financial necessity. Feeling disillusioned and creatively lost, Jesson stopped listening to the music that once defined him—until Fontaines DC invited him on tour. This rekindled his passion for raw and honest music. Inspired, he began crafting his most personal project yet: Dead Dads Club. Written with Rupert Greaves and produced by Fontaines DC’s Carlos O’Connell, the album chronicles Jesson’s grief and survival after his father’s death, from adolescence to the present day. The songs are emotionally candid and musically vibrant, blending gritty riffs with tender reflections. Tracks like Don’t Blame The Son For The Sins Of The Father and Running Out of Gas tackle strained familial relationships, while Need You So Bad and Need This Around reaffirm his commitment to music. Now on the verge of fatherhood himself, Jesson channels past pain into creativity. As Jesson puts it: “Once you’re in the club, you’re in for life.”

Dead Dads Club comes to Rough Trade on Tuesday January 27. Visit roughtrade.com/stores/nottingham for details.