Watch: Lankum – ‘Ghost Town’

Rough Trade Records are excited to announce a new stand-alone single by Lankum. Originally created for an Oona Doherty dance show ‘Specky Clark’ at Sadler’s Well earlier this year, the single is a devastatingly powerful and otherworldly interpretation of The Specials’ 1981 number one ‘Ghost Town’. Watch the stunning video shot in location in County Wicklow spanning 8 mins, made by the renowned director Leonn Ward, with cinematography by Robbie Ryan.

‘Ghost Town’ will be released on 12” vinyl format in Jan 2026 featuring an elaborate etching on the b-side. Rough Trade Records are also excited to share the news that Lankum have now extended their contract with the label for multiple future albums and releases.

Lankum explain how the track came about; “Ghost Town came to us through some curious circumstances. Oona Doherty, who we were familiar with through her phenomenal dance work on the video for Gilla Band’s ‘Shoulderblades’, contacted us and told us about a new show she was putting together. It was about her great-great-grandfather being sent to Belfast as a child to live with his aunts and work in an abattoir. She wanted a new piece of music for the show, for a party scene set on Halloween night, and told us she wanted it to start out indistinguishable and woozy, before developing into the very recognisable track by The Specials. At first we were slightly reticent, since a cover of a ska tune wasn’t something we’d usually ever consider, but after a bit of deliberation we decided we’d give it a shot, and the result took us on an incredibly enjoyable journey that had us gleefully playing with synthesisers and drum machines in Hellfire Studios, trying to come up with the scaldiest 90s sounding techno for the outro section of the track.

We’re very excited with the end product and delighted that Oona approached us and challenged us to step out of our comfort zone. It’s an honour to be releasing a version of this iconic tune, and it feels eerily relevant to be referencing yet again themes of urban decay, economic hardship and working class frustration.

Enjoy responsibly.”

Following the release of their universally acclaimed, Mercury and Ivor Novello Award Nominated fourth studio album False Lankum. A very special live album, Live in Dublin was released in January 2025. Recorded across three sold out nights at Dublin’s Vicar Street, the record captured Lankum performing songs from across their catalogue including ‘The Rocky Road to Dublin’, which up until then had never been officially released. Lankum’s music has recently featured in several films and TV shows including the film ‘A Want In Her’ (‘The Wild Rover’) and Netflix’s recent hit series ‘House Of Guinness’ (‘Katie Cruel’ & ‘The Granite Gaze’).

Stream / download ‘Ghost Town’ here.
Stream / download Live In Dublin here.
Stream / download False Lankum here.