Who would have predicted, when Fat White Family first hurled themselves at the music scene in a nihilistic art jihad a decade ago, that, in 2024, the band would not only still be here, but putting out the most sophisticated, vital and flamboyant music of their career? Right from their earliest days, Fat White Family — fronted by singer Lias Saoudi, instinctively grasped the long neglected power of myth in rock’n’roll, the necessity of giving people something (or nothing) to believe in. In a drab monoculture of play-it-safe pop careerists, Fat White Family carried the sacred flame. A band with the power to inspire, they were vehemently punk not in sound but in spirit, and their live shows were the stuff of urban legend — fervid whispers told of raw shamanic force, unbridled ferocity, shocking acts of transgression and self-abasement.

Since 2017, they joined the UK music scene with punk influenced rock n’ roll. In their first year, the band have had multiple festival appearances including TRNSMT’s Jack Rock Stage, Glasgow’s Tenement Trail, Truck Festival and Tramlines, as well as having played with Spector, Starcrawler, Rascalton and other national and international bands. After releasing 4 singles, they released their first EP release in 2018.

Strange Bones come from Blackpool, and Blackpool is Strange Bones. A town in Lancashire but a town not ‘part’ of Lancashire. This is a town of total political autonomy, fiercely independent of mind, body and spirit. Not ‘part’ of anything except itself. Strange Bones could come from nowhere else.

Like the town they hail from Strange Bones have seen a lot in their short history. Brought up with punk rock by a father who not only lived and breathed the world of punk, but filmed the whole thing too. John and Karen Bentham realised in the 80’s that somebody better capture all these bands coming through the North West, so set out with his cine camera to do just that. Filming everybody from the UK Subs to GBH, Black Flag to Throbbing Gristle, they filmed them all.

When their boys came along they spent nights educating these wide-eyed kids to the magic of rock music played loud, fast but above all for a purpose. Do what you want boys, but do it because you believe in it. While you were watching Blue Peter, Strange Bones were watching Black Flag live from Leeds.

With this education and a belief in their talent, in their early teens they formed a punk-band and played nearly 1000 shows together around the world: Japan, US, Australia, Italy, Spain, Germany – played them all. Toured with Rancid, did a Maida Vale session and a Big Weekend for Radio 1. Had a Zane Lowe Hottest Record and won XFM Awards.

Then they stopped.

In 2014, now still only in their early 20’s, Bob, Jack and Will Bentham teamed up with lifelong friend Stuart Newburn and formed Strange Bones. Just mates, playing punk rock music together in this most independent of British towns.

Then they started again.

First came ‘Sick of it All’ (SOIA) a powerful slab of Blackpool Rock, followed by the anthem 'God Save The Teen’, which have both had continuous plays and heavy support by Annie Mac, Dan P Carter, Phil Taggart, and Abbie McCarthy on BBC Radio 1, as well as Julie Adenuga on Beats1, Alex Baker on Kerrang Radio, and Ian Camfield on XS Radio.

The band decamped to LA for two weeks and recorded with Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters at their Studio 606 - using the SoundCity Neve desk, the desk that Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, Fleetwood Mac Rumours, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Cheap Trick and Guns and Roses all recorded on. Dan Lancaster (Blink 182, Bring Me The Horizon, Lower Than Atlantis) then mixed all the tracks.

Strange Bones are a four piece from Blackpool. Bobby Bentham, vocals and guitar. Will Bentham, bass guitar and vocals, Jack Bentham guitar and vocals, and Stuart 'Spud' Newburn, drums and vocals.

They are putting loud music out again, it’s worth listening to because it has a purpose. With a sold out 'Jack Daniels' residency in Blackpool and festivals appearances at Download UK and France, Live at Leeds, The Great Escape, and Reading And Leeds.

Their mum and dad are proud of them.

Formed in May 2017 in Bristol, through friendship, and a desperate need for artistic and sonic self-expression, Heavy Lungs went on a frenetic spree.

From the first packed out show at Crofters Rights, to recording an ep in 3 days, a raucous set at Simple Things last year, to supporting Idles then Metz. They went onto play outside Bristol home turf across the country and are now about to embark on a UK tour with brothers, Idles.

This is the beginning. This is Heavy Lungs.

Summer 2018 has truly been one to remember for St Albans trio Friendly Fires. The band - comprised of Ed Macfarlane, Edd Gibson and Jack Savidge - returned to the recorded music and live arenas this year following a hiatus, to remind us all exactly why we fell in love with them in the first place. First came the anthemic, Mark Ralph-produced, Radio 1 playlisted comeback single 'Love Like Waves', which was met with widespread acclaim. Then launching into a summer of high profile festival appearances (not to mention a sold out headline show at London's legendary, 5000 capacity Brixton Academy), Friendly Fires would go on to headline some of the UK's best loved festivals - including Festival No 6, Lost Village and Truck Festival - in addition to show-stealing performances if front of hundreds of thousands of fans around the world.

Glasgow’s disco-pop duo Free Love (fka Happy Meals and consisting of Suzanne Roden and Lewis Cook) have announced their new EP ‘Luxury Hits’, due for release November 9th and shared a brand new single from the EP, ‘Playing as Punks’, due for released today. The duo have also announced their own run of headline shows in London, Manchester, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow.

Since their seductive Euro disco-flecked single ‘Pushing Too Hard’ came out in late July, the duo have rounded off a busy summer of festival bookings with a live performance at Gottwood, Lovebox, supporting Django Django & Sylvan Esso at Edinburgh International Festival and a live 6 Music session for Vic Galloway (sitting in for Marc Riley) after Tom Ravenscroft made them his 6 Music Recommends. Their credentials as one of the best new live acts continues to go from strength to strength - they will be supporting James Holden and The Animal Spirits on a string of UK tour dates next week, starting at London’s Southbank Centre on 4th October, followed by their own run of headline which was announced today, then finishing off their fruitful year with a New Years Eve performance at the famous Edinburgh’s Hogmanay with Metronomy & Franz Ferdinand.

The duo’s new 8 track EP ‘Luxury Hits’, which features previous underground dance-pop favourites ‘Synchronicity’ and ‘Pushing Too Hard’, is an open-hearted love letter to possible futures. With the political continuing to linger beneath their dance party, the duo describe the EP as a “trans-temporal projection through pop music for dancefloors. The music is about breaking through the limitations of our surroundings, not through escapism but defining a new reality on our own terms and breathing it into existence.” Featuring 6 brand new tracks, the record is a tropical soup of sonic utopias - channeling balearic nightcrawlers, wistful acid drenched production, French vocals and glittering italo and synth-heavy rhythms - served in the mercurial bowl of HERE AND NOW.

Free Love emerged in 2014 as Happy Meals from Glasgow’s renowned musical hub The Green Door Studio (the birthplace of other critically acclaimed DIY acts like LAPS, Golden Teacher, Total Leatherette and more). Their debut album Apéro was shortlisted for Scottish Album Of The Year in 2015, and was followed up by their second album last year, Full Ashram Devotional Ceremony.