This article was published in 2003.

Embrace played their first live dates in over 18 months last weekend when they performed three secret, sold-out gigs as "The Good Good People" at the Cockpit.

The band used these gigs as an opportunity to "road test" new material before recording begins on their fourth album (and first since signing to Independiente) in the New Year with producer Youth, who has worked previously with the likes of U2, The Verve, Beth Orton and Dido. Each night the main set consisted entirely of new material followed by an encore of hits and live favourites.

The bands' singer Danny McNamara said in a message on the band's website, "We've spent the last two years doing nothing but writing songs. Even on my birthday which was New Years Eve I was at home all night writing. The bars been raised to a level that's so high you can't see it from the ground. Now at last we've got 10 songs that clear the bar. Everyone seems to be saying that we've got something back that we lost along the way. For me each album has got progressively more honest. The difference with this one is that the big tunes are back. We want to write songs that makes people stick out their arms in a t shape and shout TUNE".

The band previously worked with Youth on their Number One platinum selling debut album The Good Will Out. The band are looking forward to working with him again according to McNamara.

The album is due out on Independiente in 2004.