December 2025

BAND FAVOURITES OF 2025

Here’s what listening, reading and watching the band have been enjoying in 2025…(*=podcasts)

ANDY CAIRNS

Listening…

Jonesy- It’s Not How You Fall (soundcloud)
Knives – Glitter
Turnstile – Never Enough
Scowl – Are We All Angels
Militarie Gun – God Save the Gun
DJ Haram- Beside Myself
Maruja – Pain to Power
Dream Nails – Organoid
Burial – Coma Fields
Believe in Nothing – Rot
Lily Allen – West End Girl
Hüsker Dü – The Miracle Year
Slab – Taut
Chalk – Afraid
Mala & Magugu – Militant Don
Home Front – Watch it Die
Plastics-Flesh Circuit
Industry – Industry
No Violet – No Violet
Scott McCloud – Come Round
An Slua – sure look it
Rifle – No King
Wayne Adams – Survival
Klämp – Totaal Techniek
Light of Eternity – Distraction ep
Lankum – Ghost Town
Zero Again – Ever-Changing is the Art of Death
Test and Deafkids – Sem Esperanças
Big Tickle – Dulse & Gabbana
Manic Street Preachers – Critical Thinking
Duke Garwood – Satin Warrior
Die Spitz – Something to Consume
Benefits – Constant Noise
Xeeland – Master Builder
Employed to Serve – Fallen Star
Sabres of Paradise – Sabresonic/Haunted Dancehall reissues
Chelsea Fancast*
Son of Chelsea*
London is Blue*
Straight Outta Cobham*
1905*
The Rest is politics*
The Troubles*
Oh gatekeeper*
Mark Kermode*
100 films*
Origin Story*
Sonic Rituals w/ Jason Stoll*

Reading…

Dan Hiscox – Multitudes
John King – Peekaboo Bosh
Daniel Rachel – This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll
Stuart Bailie – The Song is Nearly Over
Keith Cameron -168 Songs of Hatred and Failure. A History of Manics Street Preachers
Mick Heron -Clown Town
Wendy Erskine – The Benefactors
Chris Voss – Never split the difference
Liz Pelly – Mood Machine
Larissa Wodtke – Dance Punk
Jon King – To Hell With Poverty
Jonathan Kydd – Go Quicker Sound Slower
Steve Diggle – Autonomy
Charlie Harper – An Anarchy of Demons
Various Authors – Hardcore Horror

Watching…

Weapons
Bring Her Back
Frankenstein
A House of Dynamite
Trespasses
Slow Horses
Blue Lights
Down Cemetery Road
The Morning Show
Pluribus
Question Time
Krapp’s Last Tale – York
The 5th Step – London
Chelsea FC, home and away (when possible)

MICHAEL McKEEGAN

Listening…

The Hellacopters-Overdriver
Sarcator-Swarming Angels & Flies
Manic Street Preachers-Critical Thinking
Soul Blind-Red Sky Mourning
Believe In Nothing-Rot

Sha-La-Lees-Hex
Coroner-Dissonance Theory
Home Front-Watch It Die
Thin Lizzy-Nightlife/Fighting
Witch Fever-Fevereaten
Agriculture-The Spiritual Sound
G.A.Z.E.-G.A.Z.E.
Ash-Ad Astra
Beat-Live
Castle Rat-Bestiary
Paradise Lost-Ascension
Big Tickle-Dulse & Gabbana
Bobby Conn-Bobbys Place
DJ Haram-Beside Myself
Kombynat Robotron-Aank
Margarita Witch Cult-Strung Out In Hell
Deadguy-Near Death Travel Services
His Lordship-Bored Animal
The Young Gods-Appear Disappear
Turnstile-Never Enough
Marina-Princess Of Power
Messa-The Spin
Zig Zags-Deadbeat At Dawn
Onslaught-Origins Of Aggression
Care Home-For Nothing
Gallus-Cool To Drive

Reading…

Stuart Neville-Blood Like Mine
Irvine Welsh-Resolution
David E Gelke-The Scott Burns Sessions:A Life in Death Metal
Hans Verbeke & Onno Hesselink-Heavy Sounds In The West
John Boyne-Elements
William Boyd-Gabriel’s Moon/The Predicament
John Banville-The Lock Up/The Drowned
Graeme Thompson-Themes For Great Cities:History Of Simple Minds
Mick Herron-Clown Town
Natasha Brown-Universality
Stephen King-Never Flinch
Adrian McKinty-The Detective Up Late
Wendy Erskine-The Benefactors
Mick Wall-Eagles:Dark Desert Highway
Joseph O’Connor-Ghosts Of Rome
Elly Conway-Argyle
Stuart Turton-The Last Murder At The End Of The World
Colm Tobin-Long Island
Sam Wasson-The Big Goodbye:Chinatown And The Last Years Of Hollywood

Watching…

Dark Matter
Frankenstein
Blackbird
Beast In Me
Severance
Celebrity Traitors

American Manhunt: OJ Simpson
The Jesus Lizard-Limelight, Belfast
The Almighty-Ulster Hall, Belfast

NEIL COOPER

Listening…

Snapped Ankles – Hard Times Furious Dancing
Turnstile – Never Enough
Marie Davidson – City of Clowns
Public Enemy – Black Skies Over The Projects
Richard Spaven & Sandunes – Spaven & Sandunes
Twenty One Children – Scare Tactics
Soulwax – All Systems Are Lying
Stereolab – Melodie is a Wound
deBasement – deBasement EP
Habak – Mil Orquideas en Medio del Desierto

Reading…

James Crossland – Rogue Agent
Anya Bergman – Witches of Vardo
Ken Caillat&Steve Stiefel – Making Rumours
Ottessa Moshfegh – Lapvona
George Orwell – Keep The Aspidistra Flying

Watching…

Weapons
Barbarian
The Substance
Salaryman
Civil War
Longlegs
Slow Horses
Bad Sisters
The Guest
Celebrity Traitors!
Inside No.9 Stage/Fright – Regent Theatre, Stoke
Ministry – Bloodstock, Derbyshire
Cypress Hill – Forestglade Festival, Austria
The Stranglers – Forest Fest, Ireland
Benefits – The Basement, Sydney&Matilda, Sheffield
Kieron Leonard – The Grove, Nottingham
The Utopia Strong – Psychic Dancehall, Derby
Stranger Things: The First Shadow – Phoenix Theatre, London
Machine Head – Bloodstock, Derbyshire

BIRTHDAY BASH shirts now in stock. (limited!)

We have finally got hold of the remainder of the Birthday Bash shirts that we sold at the 229 Club gig in September. Numbers are small and we will not repeat the design! One thing that we must point out is that these being ‘footie style’ tees they are neater than the usual tees we sell being about 5-6 cms narrower (or 2-3 ins) across the chest than the other tees. Something to be aware of when ordering!

And the old favourite ‘red block’ Gemil design is back in stock too…all sizes at minute!

ORDER BLUE (scroll down for the black variant!)

ORDER BLACK

ORDER RED GEMIL

SUMMER FESTIVALS 2026-CONFIRMED!

We are confirmed for both Wacken Open Air and Azkena Rock festival this coming summer 2026! Wacken we’ve played twice before so it’s going to be killer to head back to help them celebrate their 35(!) anniversary! Not only is it our first time at Azkena Rock but it’ll be our first SPanish show (bar Full Metal Holiday in Majorca) for 12 years or so…making it doubly exciting, we will be playing an exclusive “Troublegum” set too!

There will be more to come, update you as we get them confirmed!

18 June 2026 AZKENA ROCK FESTIVAL, ES

30 July 2026 WACKEN OPEN AIR, DE