SQUID ^UK

Angular, abrasive and wonky post-punk from England’s new wunderkids

This Brighton outfit is the kind of band you can never second guess. Their rock approach is direct, weird and fun. They have been called one of England’s “most intriguing, exciting new guitar bands” (NME).

Squid is a ten-armed (five people, right?) band who balances real-life experience and surreal weirdness. Their starting point is semi-arty post-punk, taking on choppy disco rhythms, ambiance, spoken word and shouty songs. The drummer, besides handling the skins, is in charge of the vocals and his manic/mad approach is highly entertaining and infectious (David Byrne fans, come get a taste of this!).

Take a listen to Squid’s signature single “Houseplants” which showcases the best of everything from this band. The song chronicles the struggle to find decent lodging in the English capital. The song has made the band unassuming spokespeople of young frustration.

Squid released their debut EP Town Centre in 2019 which works as a concentrated can-do-all sample of everything they have on offer. That means that they don’t care for genre constrictions but head in any direction they care to. The band’s self-declared goal is to keep things accessible, but still weird.

All previous releases were as promises of something even grander, something even more ambitious. And that promise was fulfilled with Squid's debut album Bright Green Field. The record is crazy, adventurous and surprising with its wonderful hotchpot mix of new wave, krautrock and post-punk. A record that – according to one review – is “rife with the qualities of a classic”. It ended up on numerous best-of-year lists (look here) in 2021.

Look forward to a frenzied show of unpredictability, madness and fun. When Squid plays live, the already vigorous level of intensity goes up a further notch, and the band is straight-out captivating. Just watch out for squid ink!