grunge

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New EP! “smalltime” by wormboys

Last month my band wormboys released a new three-track EP, titled “smalltime”. It’s the second wormboys release I play bass on, after our 2022 single “weird“. I’m so impressed by the breadth of my bandmates’ songwriting: by turns sexy, beautiful, haunting, moody, and oppressive. As a self-taught, DIY musician, I was also excited how learning and refining these songs helped push the boundaries of what I can do.


We collectively created a zine as a physical artifact to accompany the digital EP. It contains artwork, lyrics, and advice on building a guitar effects pedal. I also wrote an exclusive new essay, titled “START A BAND”.

Photo of wormboys zine placed upright on a table. In front of it is a small badge and three stickers, all depicting wormboys art.


The zine comes with a download code, stickers, and a badge (which doubles as a circuit board for anyone who fancies following the advice on building a pedal!) You can buy a copy for £5 from our bandcamp page.

Here are some nice things people have said about “smalltime”:

Now Then
“Fuzzy, wistful and authentic”

Beat In My Bones
“Everything about this EP is worthy of your time and attention- the songs are just effortlessly slick, and that lo-fi sound, and that DIY ethic attached to it really comes across.”

Gina Maya
“The three songs that form Smalltime (2023), the new EP by Wormboys, reverberate with the darkened sweat-soaked cellar sound that made their pre-release of the song Tree so attention-grabbing back in 2022.”

Get In Her Ears
“The EP shows off a huge range of skill in just three short tracks, showing off both a mastery of popular styles as well as an undeniable talent for creating altogether new sounds.”

Rockambula
“Questa nuova uscita è una conferma di quanto il il quartetto inglese possieda un ventaglio sonoro piuttosto ampio da cui attingere”

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wormboys wanderings October-November 2022

I’m super excited to say we have a whole bunch of wormboys gigs coming up! We’ll be playing Sheffield and Bristol this weekend, then Dundee, Wakefield, and Leeds in coming weeks.

You can buy tickets for all our gigs from our Linktree.

Since the dreaded rona is back on the rise, please take care of yourself and others if you’re coming to see us – I’d encourage you to wear a mask, and definitely test beforehand.

wormboys tour poster, listing gigs on 7 October at Dina in Sheffield, 8 October at the Exchange in Bristol, 15 October at Rad Apples in Dundee, 3 November at the Establishment in Wakefield, and 18 November at Wharf Chambers in Leeds.
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wormboys gigs in Leeds: Aug and Nov 2022

We have a couple of super awesome upcoming support slots in Leeds!

30 August 2022 – Hyde Park Book Club
Doors 7pm, tickets £10
Supporting the epic Oceanator

18 November 2022 – Wharf Chambers
Doors 7:30pm, tickets £9
Playing with Lande Hekt and Shane

I will, as ever, be bouncing around with a bass. If you live in or near Leeds, you should totally come and see us. If not, watch this space – we have a few other gigs coming up around around the UK, and some new music on the way…

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So much to see! wormboys tour Midlands

I’m playing Leamington, Coventry, and Derby with wormboys this week!

Poster in vibrant yellow and pink, featuring a fancy dog in a sweater. Text reads: So Much To See! All the way from Leeds: WORMBOYS. Jackdaw With Crowbar, RobinPlaysChords, Laserbun. 14th July, Leamington Irish Club. 8pm/£5.
Poster in greyscale with pictures of people in silly outfits and/or pulling faces. Text reads: Rolling Head Promotions present a night of noise and weirdness. Duck Thieves, wormboys, We Are A Community, Septic & The Tanks. Friday 15 July, 7:30pm, The Tin Music and Arts. £5 advance/£7 doors/pay what you can.
Colourful poster with two worms, each with one large eye. Text reads: Outta mind presents... Wormboys, Dusker, Gianatan Scali. Sat 16th July 2022. Doors at 7:30pm - £6. DJ and room for dancing 'til late. Dubrek Studios, 67 Bridge Street.

I kept back posting about this after contracting a nasty bout of covid, but since I am now (mercifully!) better, our mini-tour is going ahead.

The dates are:

14th July – St Patrick’s Irish Club, Leamington. Doors 8pm.
15th July – Tin Music and Arts, Coventry. Doors 7:30pm. Advance tickets here.
16th July – Dubrek Studios, Derby.

We’d love it if you came to share the joy of noisy pop music with us! However, there is still a global pandemic on (no matter what the assorted mess of Conservative leadership candidates might like us to think) – so if you’re coming, please look after each other by testing before the gig and wearing a mask.

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New single! “weird” by wormboys

I’m dead excited today that my band wormboys have a new song out. If you fancy a bit more grungy noise-pop in your life – and let’s be fair, you do – you can listen to and/or buy “weird” on all the good streaming platforms (and all the bad ones). I play bass guitar on the record.

You can also watch the video we made for all your terrifying agro-industrial needs.

This is our first release since the start of the pandemic, but never fear, there’s more on the way – we are planning to return to the studio later this month to work on a new collection of tunes.

Four people stand and sit around a music practice room with guitars, a drumkit, and amplifiers.
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New band – wormboys!

Over the past couple of years or so, this website has been host to a series of Increasingly Serious Academic Posts. So it’s time to interrupt this trend to share some exciting personal news – I’ve joined a new band! I am now playing bass in super cool Leeds-based fuzzy noise-pop group wormboys.

Line drawing of the band wormboys

 

I’m using the word “new” in a relative sense here. wormboys have been around a few years now – I first met my future bandmates when they shared a lineup with my other band Dispute Settlement Mechanism back in 2018. And I’ve actually been playing with them since the summer – but better late than never when announcing these things, huh?

 

Anyway, you should totally come and see us play sometime! We play pretty regularly, and our next confirmed gig is at Gullivers, Manchester on 29th March, supporting Muncie Girls.

You can follow wormboys on Bandcamp, Instagram, and Facebook. We also have a super-cool EP out, called eartime (recorded before I joined the band) and will be back in the studio again soon.