Bright Light Bright Light shares star-studded new EP ahead of Welsh tour date

Stephen Price

Bright Light Bright Light, the long-running pop project of Welsh singer, songwriter and producer Rod Thomas, has shared his eagerly-anticipated collaborative EP, ‘Duets’

The EP, which also coincides with a new tour, marks 15 years of Bright Light Bright Light as a fiercely independent artist, revisiting and re-presenting key songs from across his catalogue through collaboration, storytelling and shared history.

Rather than a traditional features project, ‘Duets’ reframes songs originally released between 2012 and 2024, placing chosen family, creative trust and long-standing friendships at the centre.

Developed over the past two years at New York’s iconic Joe’s Pub, Not Like All The Other Boys is a humorous, cabaret-leaning retrospective that revisits 12–14 songs from across the Bright Light Bright Light catalogue.

Part pop performance, part storytelling, the show offers a warm, conversational look at the moments, collaborations and cultural touchstones behind the music: somewhere between a greatest hits show and an Edinburgh Fringe-style confessional, with visuals, shifting setlists and self-aware humour.

Releasing just ahead of, and as a companion to the tour, ‘Duets’ brings together collaborators Thomas has worked with across different eras of his career, including Ana Matronic, Minute Taker, Tom Aspaul, Ariana and the Rose, Kim David Smith and Xavier Smith.

The EP’s focus track, ‘Next To You’, sees the song originally released on Fun City (2020), reimagined as a dramatic cabaret-inflected duet with New York-based performer Kim David Smith. The new version draws on the pair’s long-standing creative friendship and their frequent performances together at Joe’s Pub.

Kim David Smith rewrote the spoken-word section, originally delivered by Mark Gatiss, in French, adding a new layer of melodrama and emotional intensity that reflects his Weimar-era cabaret influences.

Rod shared: “Kim and I sing with each other all the time at Joe’s Pub, and that energy really shaped this version.

“His shows sit somewhere between Marlene Dietrich and Kylie Minogue, and I always felt this song suited his voice and theatrical delivery.

“When he suggested rewriting the spoken word part in French, it added a playfulness that’s both funny and tragic – it suddenly became this beautifully melodramatic torch-song duet, and I loved that.”

Tracklist and highlights

‘Cold Sweat, Hot Boys’ with Ana Matronic

Originally released as a bonus track on Enjoy Youth – Enjoy More (Deluxe, 2024), the song has been fully re-imagined as a duet inspired by one of Ana Matronic’s DJ sets at Wet Noise in New York.

Reworked production allows Ana’s vocals to sizzle over the track, transforming it into a celebration of queer dancefloor euphoria and creative kinship. A second remix, Cold Sweat, Hot Boys (Thomas CW Move A Little Mix), also appears on the EP.

‘Return To Me (Thomas CW Return To The Dance Mix)’ with Megan Vice

Originally released on Enjoy Youth – Enjoy More (Deluxe, 2024), this remix was first created as a surprise for the Enjoy Youth launch party in New York.

Loved immediately by Thomas, it finds a natural home on Duets as a joyful re-contextualisation of an earlier collaboration.

‘I Don’t Know What I’m Gonna Do’ with Minute Taker

Originally from Enjoy Youth (2024), the song was chosen by Minute Taker himself.

Rod reshaped the production with added 80s-leaning guitars to bring Minute Taker’s sonic world into the track, allowing their voices to blend into a dramatic, emotionally charged duet.

‘Next To You’ with Kim David Smith

Originally released on Fun City (2020), this theatrical reworking draws on the pair’s regular performances together at Joe’s Pub.

Kim David Smith rewrote the spoken-word section, originally voiced by Mark Gatiss, in French, pushing the song into a more melodramatic, torch-song space influenced by cabaret and Weimar-era performance.

‘Cry At Films’ with Xavier Smith

Originally released on Make Me Believe in Hope (2012), this is the only track on Duets that was already a duet in its original form.

A stripped-back version grew out of a live performance at Joe’s Pub, reflecting over a decade of shared performances and collaboration in New York.

‘Uh Huh! (Black Country Disco Mix)’ with Tom Aspaul

Originally from So Gay. So Dramatic. (2021), this disco-leaning rework was selected by Tom Aspaul, who added layers of harmonies and duet vocals.

The result is a euphoric meeting of two artists rooted in pop’s emotional and queer lineage.

‘Running Back To You’ with Ariana and the Rose

Originally released on Choreography (2016), where it appeared as a duet with Elton John, the song is re-imagined here with Ariana and the Rose.

Rather than alternating verses, her voice joins Rod’s in the second verse, intensifying the song’s sense of longing and emotional connection.

Not Like All The Other Boys UK dates

March 12 – Neath – Gwyn Hall
March 13 – London – Royal Vauxhall Tavern
March 15 – Brighton – Komedia
March 16 – Birmingham – Hare & Hounds
March 17 – Manchester – Night & Day Café
March 18 – Glasgow – Stereo

Tickets available from www.brightlightx2.com/live

Keep up to date with Bright Light Light on his socials: Website | Instagram | X | Facebook | Youtube | Spotify