“We were asked to do Glastonbury. I had no intention, but I was outvoted… If I’d been told first instead of the band, I might ‘not have remembered’ to say!”: John Lees’ on playing live again and the new Barclay James Harvest album, Relativity...

John Lees’ Barclay James Harvest in 2025.

Barclay James Harvest co-founding singer and guitarist John Lees has been leading his iteration of the prog overlords since the band split into two in 1998. After launching Relativity, his first album in 12 years, Lees reflects on his legacy, why he’s cautious of playing live, and the possibility of a reunion with Les Holroyd.

“I’ve got no expectations,” says John Lees of Relativity, the first album by his incarnation of Barclay James Harvest since 2013. “It’s just nice to look back now and think, ‘Wow, we’ve created this!’”