Based in Montreal, Québec, Gagnon first caught my attention with the release of Flore Laurentienne’s debut album 'Volume I' in 2019, a collection of beautiful classical pieces to stop you in your tracks.

Taking inspiration from different worlds - from the likes of Johann Sebastian Bach to King Crimson - the music of Flore Laurentienne combines strings with analog synthesizers, the Minimoog being the favoured weapon of choice.

Latest album ‘Volume III’ arrives April 10th 2026 via Secret City Records. We caught up with Mathieu a month ahead of release to talk about the new record, as well as synthesisers, UK prog rock and living and working in nature.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Formed when yours truly was still in short trousers, Hey Colossus have been ripping it for 20+ years, in that time featuring shapeshifting line-ups, at one point even featuring a guest turn from the late Mark Lanegan on their 2020 album ‘Dances / Curses’.

Outside of the band - or rather, parallel to the band - Joe and Chris also run Wrong Speed Records, a truly DIY label that’s put out records from Hey Colossus, alongside the likes of Big Break, Objections and Colossal Squid.

In February 2026, Hey Colossus released their latest album ’Heaven Was Wild’ - Their fifteenth studio album and one which the band have said felt like therapy. We caught up with the pair over Zoom at the start of 2026 to talk about the latest Hey Colossus record, as well as working with Mark Lanegan, comparisons to Billy Idol, being influenced by Glenn Danzig and the DIY ethos that keeps them ticking. We start however, with some technical issues, including an unexpected snippet of Talksport.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We first encountered Jack Ladder supporting Alex Cameron back in 2018, described by Cameron on the night as a “good looking guy – not to be trusted”. Ladder was sporting a pair of giant sunglasses and was crooning his way through a cover of Iggy Pop’s 80s gem, ‘Shades’. We were hooked from the off.

In October 2025, Ladder released his latest album ‘Separation Rock’, a record he’s said to have been waiting his whole life to make. We spoke with Jack over Zoom in October 2025, a few weeks off the release of ‘Separation Rock’, to talk about the record itself, as well as collaborating with the likes of Alex Cameron and Sharon Van Etten and the big bad world of online streaming. There’s also the small matter of starring in a film with Nicolas Cage.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are some pretty standard cliches when it comes to the music industry, particularly when a band have a new record to promote, but for Domenic “Nicky” Palermo, the highs and lows have been legit. From a prison stay in his youth to substance abuse issues, as well as more recent health concerns in the form of essential tremors - a neurological disorder similar to Parkinson’s disease. It’s no joke when the story leading into the release of their new album is the frontman’s introspection. 

Starting out life as a solo bedroom project in Philadelphia in 2010, Nothing have since put out four full length records to much acclaim, with the band subsequently embarking on countless tours that have pushed Palermo to the limit. Late February 2026 sees the release of latest album ‘a short history of decay’, their first on new label, Run For Cover Records - an album that further reflects on a life lived. 

We spoke with Nicky over Zoom a month ahead of release, as he got ready for the Nothing tour of Japan. We spoke about the record itself, as well as boozing and indulging on tour, a love of Wetherspoons, the pressure of dealing with a devoted fanbase and his incarceration.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Principal composer in Dutch Uncles for nearly two decades - a band The Guardian described as “Stockport’s answer to Talking Heads” - Richards is also a composer for his own endeavours, looking to bridge the gap between classical and popular music traditions.

Off the back of a number of releases under his belt as a solo artist, including film scores and public art productions, in September 2025, Richards released his long awaited debut solo album, ‘Taproots’. To mark the occasion, we had Robin visit Birthday Cake For Breakfast HQ (a.k.a. my front room) for an in-person interview ahead of its release. We spoke about the new record, as well as West Didsbury and Chorlton Football Club, the joys of social media, riding the wave of Oasis hype and being big in Budapest. We also got the scoop on the next move from Dutch Uncles, so listen out for that.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cooler than the other side of the pillow, for over a decade, Ulrika Spacek have been hypnotising audiences with their energetic, often dreamlike aural cocktails that combine elements of post-punk, Krautrock and psychedelia.

10 years on from releasing their debut album ‘The Album Paranoia‘, fourth album ‘EXPO’ lands in early February 2026 via their new home of Full Time Hobby. Ahead of its release, we caught up with Rhys and Joe over Zoom in early December 2025 to talk about the record, touring the states and tech-metal, as well as big nasty corporations and the use of AI.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Off the back of releasing ‘UK GRIM’ in 2023, their highest charting record to date in the UK, in January 2026, Sleaford Mods are set to release their latest album ’The Demise of Planet X’ via Rough Trade Records. 

We spoke with Jason over Zoom in late November 2025. ASMR heads will have to forgive the sniffs and general cold related noises, as I somehow caught whatever Jason had halfway through the episode, so we’re both working through sniffles at various points.

The language is blue, as you can imagine, as we spoke of the new record, collaborating with the likes of Aldous Harding, Big Special and Hollywood star Gwendoline Christie, as well as fashion and branching out into film roles. There’s also surprisingly talk of a recent online spat with disgraced right-wing grifter Dapper Laughs. Remember him?

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second MBE recipient to appear on the podcast (as far as we know), Anderson has fronted Jethro Tull for nearly 60 years! It was quite the thrill then to feature an interview with Anderson off the back of Jethro Tull releasing their latest album ‘Curious Ruminant’ in early 2025, some 50+ years on from releasing their debut album ‘This Was’ in 1968.

A fascinating look into the inner workings of touring life and what’s kept Jethro Tull afloat for so long, we caught up over Zoom at the beginning of December 2025 to talk about Christmas, famous son-in-law Andrew Lincoln, avoiding pickpockets abroad and the differences in touring between now and then.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A founding member of the notorious Faith No More, Roddy Bottum went on to form Imperial Teen, Crickets and Man on Man, the latter with his boyfriend Joey. He can also now call himself an author, having just released his riveting new warts and all memoir, 'The Royal We’.

We caught up with Roddy over Zoom in November 2025, the month of release for 'The Royal We’. Touching on everything from his enduring friendship with Courtney Love to the testosterone charged Faith No More tour with Metallica and Guns N' Roses, as well as making it big in stocks and shares, drug addiction, and being one of the only artists early doors to come out as gay in the music industry.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We got into it deep with Greg back in May 2025, catching up over Zoom just after the release of new album, ’Noble and Godlike in Ruin’, released April 2025 via Joyful Noise Recordings. A mere month later, Deerhoof made headlines when they announced their departure from Spotify, pulling their music from the platform in the face of the streaming platform CEO's very open, shady dealings. They've since followed up with canning Facebook and Amazon too for similar reasons, the band never afraid to stand up for what they believe in.

Touching on all they've been through over their three decades together, this interview goes absolutely everywhere and you won't want to miss a single minute!

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

House favourites at Birthday Cake For Breakfast HQ, we find their laid back, retro-tinged vibes are best enjoyed on a sunny Sunday afternoon with a run of coffees. Across four studio albums - plus a collection of covers - Whitney have very much been tickling our fancy, so it was a boon to talk to the pair before the release of their new album ‘Small Talk’.

We caught up with Max and Julien over Zoom in early November 2025, the day before the release of latest album, ‘Small Talk’, with the conversation jumping between weed gummies and hot dogs to a punk band side project and reacting to record reviews. 

With Max and Julien being in different rooms with different wi-fi connections and microphones, they come in a little hot sometimes (with the occasional car horn in the background appearing for good measure). You’ll no doubt settle into it though.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Mancunian in his own right, BC Camplight a.k.a. Brian Christinzio has been up Norf for over a decade, in that time putting out a handful of choice releases under tastemaker label Bella Union. In June 2025, BC Camplight put out his latest opus, ‘A Sober Conversation’, a very personal record that deals with themes of sobriety and child abuse. Having referred to childhood trauma obliquely on past records, the latest release has the subject front and centre.

Rather than conduct the interview over Zoom, it was a pleasure to speak with Brian from his back garden in south Manchester on a lovely summer’s day. Whilst his sweet dog Frank slept soundly on my lap, we got into it pretty deep with Brian - covering the very serious topics of the record, but also his friendship with Badly Drawn Boy, the perils of social media, misogyny in the music industry and working with his partner.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We first interviewed Alpha Male Tea Party in 2013, not long after the creation of Birthday Cake For Breakfast. Fresh faced and stuffed into a hallway during another band’s soundcheck for our first interaction, we’d go on to interview the trio a number of times over the years, yucking it up whenever we caught them for a chat. 

In October 2025, Alpha Male Tea Party released their latest album ‘Reptilian Brain’ (via Big Scary Monsters), the first to feature vocals in the main from this largely instrumental outfit. To celebrate its release, we once again had the chance to interview Alpha Male Tea Party, this time over Zoom from the comfort of our homes rather than in a field after a skinful. We spoke of the new record, being featured in lads mags, gardening and their bond as a unit.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A pandemic discovery for us, we were hooked on Snooper from the off, invigorated by their scrappy debut EP ‘MUSIC FOR SPIES’, which was loaded with their sugar-rush blend of hyper egg-punk. Once restrictions lifted, we’ve managed to catch the nuts Snooper live show a time or two and in 2023, the band put out their debut album proper on Third Man Records (with a press release write-up from Henry Rollins himself!)

In October 2025, Snooper put out their second album, ‘Worldwide’. Ahead of its release, we caught up with vocalist Blair over Zoom to talk about literacy in America, getting punk crowds into puppets, Jack White and their fanbase.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Enlisting the talents of a host of contemporaries, Cooper has crafted the sound of Modern Nature across a number of releases, each one as spellbinding as the next. Taking the name of the band from the diaries of filmmaker Derek Jarman, there’s something of the natural world to Modern Nature, the band creating contemplative pieces that often allow some respite from the day to day. Each release up until their latest album even features wildlife on the artwork.

In August 2025, Modern Nature put out a wonderful set of new songs in the form of ‘The Heat Warps’ (out via tastemakers Bella Union). We caught up with Cooper over Zoom ahead of release to talk all about the new record, as well as the late Andrew Weatherall, friction with an audience, playing live with Andrew Savage and introducing your child to The Beatles - not literally, mind you (though there’s two remaining Beatles - never say never!)

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No slouch on the performance front, Torabi has many, many credits to his name, dividing his time between solo work and mind-altering outfits like Gong, Cardiacs and The Utopia Strong (featuring snooker leg-end and previous podcast guest, Steve Davis)!

Joining your favourite band must be a trip and for Torabi, it’s a trip he’s been on for over two decades, having joined Cardiacs as guitar wizard in the early 2000s (when yours truly was still in secondary school - woof!)  

In September 2025, Cardiacs release ‘LSD’, a seventeen track double-LP that’s some 18 years in the making. With all music written by the late Tim Smith, the new record was pieced together lovingly in his absence by an assorted cast of characters from the Cardiacs universe, with Torabi joined by the likes of Mike Vennart, Rose-Ellen Kemp and Tim’s brother, Jim Smith.

We caught up with Torabi over Zoom a month ahead of release to talk all things Cardiacs. Naturally, he was awaiting my arrival on screen with guitar in hand.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The new Dinosaur Pile-Up album ‘I’ve Felt Better’ has just landed in August 2025, with a UK tour not far behind. Business as usual you’d think? Not quite. Their first record in six years follows a rollercoaster ride of health issues for Bigland, who spent chunks of the intervening years in and out of hospital, suffering rapid weight loss, internal bleeding and at one point his throat almost collapsed in on itself. Fuck-ing-hell!

Whilst Bigland remains on the recovery journey today, things are certainly looking up and health-wise, he’s in a much better place. He was certainly chipper in our interview when we caught up over Zoom at the start of August. We spoke of the new record, married life, the early days of Dinosaur Pile-Up, drinking in the music industry, performance anxiety and those major health issues.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Based out of Berlin, Derya Yıldırım leads the band Grup Şimşek, bringing together players from South Africa, France and Germany, with Derya herself born in Germany to Turkish parents. Self-described as “outernational” rather than international, they promote a sound that’s more inclusive or “beyond borders”, mixing Anatolian folk with psychedelia and pop influences for a delectable cocktail. 

In March 2025, the band put out their third album ‘Yarın Yoksa’ (via Big Crown Records) - a record that instantly grabbed my attention from its terrific artwork alone before I’d even heard a note. Only a few days after its release, we were lucky enough to catch the band at Manchester’s Deaf Institute, completely hypnotised by their - at times - breathtaking performance.

We were delighted to speak with Derya over Zoom a few months back, to talk about the new record, performing live in the UK and the historical significance of some of these songs. 

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Along with bassist Chris Cain, Keith Murray has been co-steering the good ship We Are Scientists for over 20 years now, the pair cementing themselves across nine studio albums (and various assorted releases) as indie rock royalty.

July 2025 saw the release of their latest album ‘Qualifying Miles’, but 2025 also marks a few anniversaries for We Are Scientists, with it being 15 years on from the release of third album ‘Barbara’ and amazingly, 20 years of their debut album ‘With Love and Squalor’!

With celebrations in store for the anniversaries and the new record, we thought it only right to re-connect with Keith, having had the band appear on Birthday Cake For Breakfast in one form or another over the past decade. We caught up with Keith over Zoom on the morning of the new album’s release to talk about thrash metal, the longevity of their friendship (the pair having met at a ‘Dawson’s Creek’ viewing party) and the top 8 band’s of all time.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No stranger to the pages of Birthday Cake For Breakfast, we’ve spoke with Gordon many times about the goings on of Young Legionnaire. Latest outfit The None - featuring players from Cassels, Youth Man and Frauds - are more of a recent endeavour and over the past year have put out three releases, the latest of which is a raging, pretty much sold out everywhere 7”. We thought it only right to have Gordon come on the podcast to tell us all about it.

It’s not just the current though - In 2025, Bloc Party celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their debut album ‘Silent Alarm’ - which means it’s been twenty years since yours truly was sticking the album in his CD walkman on the regular, obsessing over it on bus journeys to college and such. Given the anniversary, we had to drop in the occasional question about it, which he was more than happy to get into.

It started though, as all good podcasts do, with an update on the health of his cat. Keep listening till the very, very end by the way for some bonus snooker waffle about Steve Davis!

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On our radar for a number of years now, CIVIC have put out a handful of choice records since the release of the ‘New Vietnam’ 12 inch in 2018, each packed with snarling punk rippers. But it was their 2023 released album ‘Taken By Force’ that really had us hooked, particularly the anthemic ‘Blood Rushes’, easily a single of the year contender. 

We caught up over Zoom a week ahead of the band releasing their latest album ‘Chrome Dipped’ (out now via ATO Records). CIVIC had just landed in the states ahead of a run of US shows, but were good sports in putting the world to rights, discussing the new record, the Aussie music landscape and musically shedding your skin.

At the time of putting this out the band are in Europe on tour and are well worth seeking out.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 37, we spoke with Andrew Falkous of Mclusky / Future of the Left, another noisy man of note and if you recall, he spoke very fondly of Mr Yow. As we’d already spoken with David a few months prior, it only made sense to put these episodes out back to back.

Trailblazers from the late 80s through to the 90s, The Jesus Lizard put out a number of pivotal records before calling it a day at the end of the decade. After a few reunion specials, the band got back together proper in 2017 and in September 2024, released ‘Rack’ - their first album together in 26 years!

We caught up over Zoom to talk about the record, as well as his friendship with Andy Gill of Gang Of Four, spending some of his childhood in the UK and the desire to record new music somewhere tropical. Stick with it till the end to hear an incredible David Lynch impression too!

But it started as all good interviews do, with a blank screen for 10 minutes, your host worrying that the guest was giving it a miss or - at the very worst - had passed into another realm. Thankfully, David soon appeared to explain his absence and we got onto the pressing matter of what’s good on TV these days.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Formed in Cardiff in the late ‘90s, Mclusky released three critically-acclaimed albums before disbanding in 2005. After some time away - with Falkous taking a side-step in the intervening years to form Future of the Left - Mclusky reformed proper in 2019 with an updated line-up and they've been back at it on the gigging front. 

In May 2025, Mclusky put out their first new album in 20 years (the fourth Mclusky album overall) - ‘the world is still here and so are we’ (font in lowercase, very hip), the record released via their new home of Ipecac Recordings. 

We caught up with a somewhat tired Falkous over Zoom in mid-May after he’d just returned from a run of shows in Europe. As expected, we covered the new Mclusky album, as well as The Jesus Lizard, ear issues, Sting and his tantric sexual endeavours and the pointlessness of a numerical rating.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having had fellow Future-head Ross Millard on for episode 23, it only made sense to interview Barry, particularly as in March 2025, Hyde released a new solo album in ’Miners’ Ballads’ (via Sirenspire Records).

A folk-rock-punk-classical album about the coal mining heritage of the North East of England, it features traditional collier lyrics and observes the dangers, difficulties and bravery that was a part of daily life for the miners.

We also spoke of his tribute EP to the late Ivor Cutler, the joy of working with his fellow Futureheads and the trials of making scotch eggs.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A proper motley crew, Warmduscher have been ripping it for over a decade now, releasing five full lengths that dabble in sleazy funk, raucous post-punk and bleary-eyed disco. 

In early November 2024 - a week ahead of releasing their latest record ’Too Cold To Hold’ (via Strap Originals) - we caught up with the band before a headline show at The Ritz in Manchester, squeezing into a room backstage with Clams Baker Jr. and Ben Romans Hopcraft to talk about the new record, public opinion of Warmduscher and much more. The record features a number of brilliant guest spots - from Irvine Welsh to Lianne La Havas to Confidence Man’s Janet Planet - but we also touched on a few dream collabs that have eluded them, like Grace Jones! Can you imagine?

As is often the case, interviews ahead of shows come with certain challenges - mainly location and time related - and as such, you’ll hear quite a bit of the awesome power from support band Hot Wax, who were sound checking at the time. There’s a healthy amount of random people coughing and doors being opened and closed too, but hey - Ben and Clams were good sports throughout and projected well, but do excuse the extra noise…

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The finest purveyors of doom from the North East, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs have just put out their fifth album of ear-wrecking power - ‘Death Hilarious’ - which arrived in early April via their faithful home of Rocket Recordings. Featuring a star turn from El-P of Run The Jewels, it's a record that was described on Birthday Cake For Breakfast as "...essentially big stinking riffs and bellowing vocals."

We caught up with Baty over Zoom ahead of release to talk about the record, living his WWE dreams and being in the orbit of Keanu Reeves.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Originally appearing on the podcast for Episode 21, Raygun returns for what is a regular feature on Birthday Cake For Breakfast - ‘a/s/l’ - which is basically one of those ‘How much is a pint of milk?’ endeavours you used to find in magazines. Head-scratching questions that are the same every time.

The latest Chat Pile record ‘Cool World’ was released in late 2024 via The Flenser - but we don’t talk about that. Instead it’s cats and dogs, favourite VHS tapes and why cartoon foxes are so cool. Bonus points for Raygun for doing all this while driving!

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your favourite band's favourite band, the incredibly influential Gang Of Four put out the incredibly influential 'Entertainment!' 45 years ago! This year sees their final ever tour and to mark the occasion, founding member, vocalist - and melodica player - Jon King has just released his memoir, ‘To Hell With Poverty!: A Class Act: Inside the Gang of Four’ (out now via Constable)!

We caught up with Jon over Zoom to talk about the new book, Andy Gill, Leeds and the nuclear bomb, Buzzcocks, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Bob Dylan, as well as the Gang Of Four song made for the soundtrack to The Karate Kid.

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Based in Sweden, British-born Nigerian Idehen is a poet and musician of some renown, having collaborated with a number of artists over the years and contributed poems to Mercury-nominated albums from the likes of Sons of Kemet and The Comet Is Coming.

More recently, Idehen has been putting out his own material, along with partner in crime Ludvig Parment, and we were particularly enamoured with the lovely 2023 single ‘Best Kind Of Lost’. In September 2024, Idehen practically blew up with the release of the insane single ‘Mum Does The Washing’, what I’m affectionately calling a modern day, internet-pilled ‘Sunscreen’.

We caught up with Joshua earlier this year over Zoom to talk about the mammoth single and so much more. It’s a real treat this - stay listening to the very end, it gets spicy!

If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Known for her work with BC Camplight’s band, Pidgeon is also the brainchild and leader of art-rock collective Dilettante, putting out their debut album ‘Tantrum’ in late 2022 after a run of early singles. 

This year saw the release of the hotly tipped follow up from Dilettante, new album ‘Life Of The Party’ arriving in late January, the first totally self-produced Dilettante record, said by Pidgeon to be her most personal one yet.

We caught up with Pidgeon over Zoom ahead of the release of the record, catching Francesca moments after she arrived home having cycled back from roller derby practice. Talk naturally turned almost immediately to roller derby, as well as the ‘Cha Cha Slide’, ‘Twin Peaks’ and the film ‘Poor Things’. We did still find time to talk about the new record and the creative process, as well as picking up odd jobs whilst working as a full time musician. Heads up - there’s a few audio issues on this one, but we powered on through.

As ever, If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Described on their very own website as “masters of conceptual pop historiography”, for 15 years Public Service Broadcasting have been crafting conceptual pieces on subjects such as the highest peaks of Everest, societal struggles via Britain’s coal industry and the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union, utilising archived material from NASA, the BFI and more.

Concept records never seem to go out of fashion and over the past decade, the band have had four records in the Official Albums Chart Top 20, three of which landed in the Top 5!

Their latest album ‘The Last Flight’ - released October 2024 via SO Recordings - concerns Amelia Earhart and the final voyage of America’s pioneering female “aviatrix”. Featuring turns from This Is The Kit and Andreya Casablanca, the record came about with the band wanting to do a woman-focused story, given most of the archive material they have access to is overwhelmingly male. 

Ahead of their forthcoming March 2025 tour, we caught up with J. Willgoose, Esq over Zoom to discuss the record and the history of the band, as well as playing and working with the likes of James Dean Bradfield and what goes into the making of a Public Service Broadcasting over the years.

As ever, If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow Birthday Cake For Breakfast on all the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An ear-splitting outfit of note, WAND have been rocking our world ever since we first saw their gnarly KEXP session in 2016 (and subsequently got to experience it all live months later at the Brudenell in Leeds). In July 2024, eight years on from the release of that formative KEXP session, WAND released their latest long player ‘Vertigo’ via the ever dependable Drag City, a really bloody good record.

With WAND in Manchester town to support the new record, we once again found ourselves in the beer garden of YES, one of the cities finest gig venues, to interview the headline act at the venue ahead of time. Because of this, this episode is a trifle loud - the band competing with car horns, piss-heads over the way and trains from above. But don’t sweat it, just try to imagine you’re in a noisy bar with WAND (because that’s pretty much the reality of the recording!)

You never know what you’re going to get when you head into an interview and little did I know that we’d mostly be talking about Matthew Perry’s autobiography, Afroman and Liam Gallagher making tea. Such is the gamble of a live interview.

On a sombre note, we recorded this interview a few days after the passing of Cory’s faithful canine companion. RIP to a real one.

As ever, If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow us on the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cooler than cool, FACS have been on the radar for a number of years now, with each new release better than the next. No strangers to Birthday Cake For Breakfast, we’ve had a back and forth with the trio over the years, so thought it only right to have Brian get involved with the podcast!  

In February 2025, FACS will release their sixth album ‘Wish Defense’ via their longtime home of Trouble In Mind Records. Rather uniquely, the album is the last record engineered by Steve Albini, he who produced records for - oh, you know - the likes of Pixies, Nirvana, The Jesus Lizard and all your other favourite artists.

We spoke of Albini and Electrical Audio when we caught up over Zoom in January, where we also touched on what it’s like having a son’s band signed to Matador, the joy of discovering something new before we had the internet, the scene in Chicago and listening to music whilst walking the dog. 

As ever, If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow us on the socials. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A very busy young man, on top of playing in Toronto punk leg-ends Fucked Up for over 20 years, Falco also fronts the brilliant Jade Hairpins and when he finds any spare time, produces records too. In 2024 alone, Fucked Up released a series of records, including three LPs, Jade Hairpins released their second album, ‘Get Me The Good Stuff’ (via Merge Records) and Falco worked on records from the likes of High Vis, The Chisel and Chubby and the Gang to name a select few. 

A grafter we’ve been hoping to talk to for a good while now, we managed to grab Jonah for a swift chat in mid-November whilst Jade Hairpins were on tour in Germany. Speaking on the phone as he hurtled down the autobahn, we covered all sorts, from playing music with your own mum to living on a narrowboat. 

With it being 2024 at the time, naturally the call dropped out at one point, though we passed through it like a couple of pro’s - as you’ll hear. None of that in 2025, pure network coverage from this point forward.

You should totally kick off the new year as you mean to go on - follow us on your favourite streaming platform, follow us on the socials and give us a rating wherever you can. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For episode twenty six, it’s a treat for us to welcome our final guest of the year, Willem Smit, the creative force behind Dutch outfit Personal Trainer!

A shapeshifting outfit of note, Personal Trainer have been grafting for a few years, building a reputation for having one of the most entertaining live acts going, with a revolving collection of tip-top musicians joining the ranks at one time or another. It’s no surprise they’ve encountered so much love either, as whilst they’ve got the musical chops - and then some - they’re also fronted by the incredibly charming Willem, previously of the influential Canshaker Pi once upon a time.

We caught up with Willem in August of this year off the back of the band releasing their latest album ‘Still Willing’ - their first for Bella Union. Personal Trainer were due to play at the recently opened Rough Trade in Liverpool and we managed to grab a swift chat with Willem ahead of time. On the windiest bloody day in Liverpool, mind you. You can hear the paper with my interview questions on almost blow away and at one point, Willem even stands in the way of the oncoming gust to block out the noise. What a nice fella.

As ever, If you like the episode, let us know - follow us on your favourite streaming platform and follow us on the socials. Make sure to have a pleasant NYE too and I’ll catch you in the new year! Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The duo of David Brewis and Peter Brewis, Field Music are a band we’ve had the pleasure of interviewing a number of times over the years. The eagle-eyed amongst you might’ve noticed we’ve already had Peter Brewis on the podcast for episode 5 and I’m sure this won’t be the last time that we have a Brewis brother on the podcast. Here’s to episode 45! 

Back in October 2024, Field Music released ’Limits of Language’ (Memphis Industries) - their first studio album in four years and ninth overall. That’s Field Music specific mind you, with the pair both putting out solo releases in 2023 and having over 20 credits between them for solo records, collaborations and more.  

We caught up with Field Music in person the week following their album release, recording ahead of an in-store at Piccadilly Records in Manchester. We’d not realised when setting up in the office of their PR that the record label next door would be packing up a load of orders to go out. So much for peace and quiet! You’ll hear the sound of records being packaged in the background and a ringing doorbell, but as we’re in December, maybe you could pretend it’s been recorded in Santa’s workshop and they’re presents being wrapped?

As ever, If you like the episode, let us know. Right - onto Field Music. Enjoy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Debut album ‘Hunger for a Way Out’ arrived via Feel It Records in deepest, darkest Covid times and was a total breath of fresh air, a post-punk gem that soundtracked many a sanctioned walk time whilst I was locked down. Along with a number of discoveries at the time - the likes of Stuck, Snooper and Deeper - the uncertainty of the pandemic had us thinking we might not ever see them live, so I hoovered up everything they’d put out with gusto. 

In mid-2023, the duo released their follow up record ‘Good Living Is Coming For You’, their label debut for Sub Pop and - free from the pandemic - we finally managed to catch them in the flesh when they played Manchester later in the year.

Having bigged them up from the off, it was a no brainer to have them on the podcast and so four years to the day the band released their debut full length, we caught up over Zoom in August of this year for a chat about their recent marriage, halloween, being in a video game and - great news - that they’re working on their third record!

We’re in December now and boy wouldn’t it be a real Christmas treat to rate this podcast on your chosen platform! Why not gift your loved ones too with news of ’60 Minutes or less’ - it’ll cost you nowt! If you like the episode, let us know. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With six albums under their collective belts and over 20 years of playing music together, The Futureheads have been part of my life for - well, 20 years now - and I can still fondly recall picking up their self-titled full length on CD from the holy Telford Town Centre. 15 years on in 2019 and I was again in a buying mood, chuffed up to grab a copy of ‘Powers’, their latest album off the back of a bit of a hiatus.

Cut to 2024 and the quartet have just announced the forthcoming release of ‘Decent Days & Nights: The Singles’, a compilation of all of their singles (so far) in one brand new release. Out late November via Cherry Red Records, it’s an all-killer, no-filler collection from an outfit that never miss.  

Ahead of its release, we caught up with Ross over Zoom as he got himself together for an evening of five-a-side - to talk about the new record, time away from The Futureheads and how much the music industry has changed over the years. 

Hey - It’s Christmas soon, so do us a favour and rate this podcast on your chosen platform and tell your pals, work colleagues - anyone really - all about us. If you like the episode, let us know. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A noise band of note that have been on our radar since almost day dot, off the back of releasing their debut full length ‘Thoughtless Cruelty’ in 2022, this month sees Thank release their latest record ’I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed’ - their label debut for the wunderbar Big Scary Monsters. 

We interviewed Thank - that is vocalist Freddy, bassist Cameron, guitar / synth bod Lewis and drummer Steve - backstage at this year’s ArcTanGent Festival. You’ll realise instantly that it’s at a festival as the background noise is super loud… But not too loud, and you’ll soon get lost in our wandering conversation about Missy Elliott, Tears For Fears, supporting Yard Act where two thirds of the crowd hate your guts and Freddy slowly turning into Jeremy Clarkson. Quite a lot of naughty words in this one.

Be sure to rate this podcast on your chosen platform and do tell your pals all about us. If you like the episode, let us know. Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With nightmarish music videos to compliment their harsh brand of noise rock, Chat Pile have picked up quite a lot of steam in their home country and throughout Europe off the back of releasing their gnarly debut ’God's Country’ in 2022.

In October 2024, Chat Pile released their hotly tipped new album, ‘Cool World’ (via The Flenser), a record described on the pages of Birthday Cake For Breakfast as “really fucking dark and heavy”. Ahead of the release of ‘Cool World’, we spoke with Raygun over Zoom, touching on the new album, horror flicks, gatekeeping in music and visually explaining the meaning of cracking open a tin. Listen out too for an exclusive scoop from Raygun - one for the heads! 

Be sure to rate this podcast on your chosen platform and do tell your pals all about us. If you like the episode, let us know! Find us on the socials and everything else here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in September 2014 - what seems like a lifetime ago - we sat down with drummer Simon Ridley and guitarist and vocalist Shane Parsons backstage at Night and Day Cafe in Manchester off the back of a bit of a whirlwind year for the Aussie pair.

In May 2014, DZ Deathrays released their superb second album ‘Black Rat’ - a big mover for the duo, one that gained them a huge amount of support in the UK and Europe and saw them win big back home at the Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards.

In 2024, DZ Deathrays celebrate ten years of ‘Black Rat’ and have been playing a number of special anniversary shows. In October, the band return to the UK and we thought what better way to mark the occasion than to interview them again, ten years on. With the novelty of time zones, I was on the coffee whilst they were enjoying a Jameson’s.

If you like what you hear, let us know! Find us on the socials and everything else right here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Raised in Switzerland but now based in Berlin, Erhard had been on our radar for a few years off the back of releasing her first two albums - ‘Short Cut’ in 2021 and ‘Campsite’ in 2022. But it was her 2023 single ‘170’ that really had us hooked - a ‘Mellow Gold’ style ripper about an argument Anna had with her friend over who was tallest.

One of many songs cooked up on a fruitful holiday with a friend, these tales can be found on her forthcoming third album ’Botanical Garden’, which is out this week on Radicalis Music. One of our quickest turnarounds yet, we recorded this with Anna over Zoom last week, where we talked - surprisingly - about ‘Fawlty Towers’, as well as songwriting and heaps more.

Her upcoming UK tour dates seem to be selling out swiftly, so be sure to get onboard with Anna Erhard before she becomes the huge act she’s destined to be!

Be sure to rate this podcast on your chosen platform and do tell your pals all about us. If you like the episode, let us know. Right - onto Anna Erhard. Enjoy.

Find us on the socials and much more here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Formed in Newcastle upon Tyne around 15 years ago, Demob Happy have put out three full length records in that time, on top of a handful of singles and other releases. Oh, and they just happened to support Jack White on the UK leg of his world tour in 2018 - hand-picked by the man himself by all accounts. They did all this whilst looking cucumber cool in the process, no doubt - a stylish bunch for sure. 

In May 2023, Demob Happy released their latest album ‘Divine Machines’. Almost a year later, we caught up with the trio ahead of a show at the Arts Club in Liverpool.

If you love background noise, you are gonna get a kick out of this! Finding near enough the only green space just outside of Liverpool city centre, the whole Scouse population seemed to descend upon the area when we sat down to record. With footballs whizzing past, full conversations in earshot and a very friendly dog on the loose, we still managed to take a real deep-dive into what makes up Demob Happy, touching on aesthetics and fashion, toxic masculinity, growing up in the North East and, of course, Alan Shearer.

Be sure to rate this podcast on your chosen platform and do tell your pals all about us. If you like the episode, let us know!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An outfit we’ve been following since nearly day dot - or at least that’s what we thought. This year saw the release of their latest album ‘Our Brand Could Be Yr Life’, a reworking of an album of the same name released almost a decade ago when they were known as Bodega Bay. A concept album about the current corporate mentality of underground and indie rock, as you’ll soon hear, not much has changed since. Hey - it’s like The Stereophonics said - You Gotta Go There To Come Back.

BODEGA ultimately formed off the back of that previous incarnation and would release their debut album ‘Endless Scroll’ in 2018. We’ve been hooked ever since. 

Experts at crafting infectious bops left, right and centre, we are eager beavers for everything they put out and always try to catch them on tour whenever they’re in the UK (which is often). It was during their last runaround when we caught up with guitarist and vocalist Ben in Manchester during the May bank holiday ahead of an all-dayer at Band on the Wall. Heavy on The Beatles chat, it’s a discussion that goes here, there and everywhere, and would end up being one of my personal favourites from our current crop. 

I was gutted we didn’t get the chance to talk with fellow vocalist Nikki Belfiglio also… or did we? You’ll have to listen all the way to the end to find out! Buckle up, buckaroo - it’s a big one!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An award winning independent festival that takes place on the picturesque Fernhill Farm just outside of Bristol, since its first outing in 2013, ArcTanGent has showcased not only a wealth of amazing bands but also how to put on a bloody good knees up, with the vibe forever being top notch (the weather not so much, but it does take place at the end of British summertime…) We’ve been to nearly every one and can’t wait to get stuck in this week!

Ahead of the festival, we’ve grabbed four interviews from the early years of ArcTanGent to get you in the mood, with four beer fuelled, expletive laden backstage chats with Young Legionnaire, Wot Gorilla?, Alpha Male Tea Party and the festival organisers themselves. 

Now be warned - these discussions all took place in a comfortable environment, so the language gets particularly fruity in parts - I’m looking at you, Alpha Male Tea Party! If you like what you hear, be sure to check out ArcTanGent online and join us in the field this week as I believe tickets are still available! Be sure to give the podcast a like, follow and share too!

Festival organisers - Goc O’Callaghan, James Scarlett and Simon Maltas - 1:24

Young Legionnaire - Paul Mullen and Gordon Moakes - 9:56

Wot Gorilla? - Mat Haigh - 20:52

Alpha Male Tea Party - Greg Chapman, Ben Griffiths and Tom Peters - 33:53

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A band we’ve been mildly obsessed with for a good while now, they’re now approaching twenty years of the band, with Niall personally clocking in over a decade! This August, And So I Watch You From Afar release ‘Megafauna’, their seventh album and their first for Berlin based label Pelagic Records.

Their first new release since ‘Jettison’ in 2022, the new record is said to be a tribute to the two places that the quartet call home - Portrush on the Irish North Coast and the beating heart of Belfast.

August will also see And So I Watch You From Afar perform not one but two sets at ArcTanGent Festival, one of which will be a fan voted set! An award winning independent festival just outside of Bristol, over the past ten years it’s become the mecca for punters in favour of math-rock, post-rock and all things heavy! 

Enjoy our latest episode with Niall and be sure to tell us what you think, subscribe and tell your pals!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Together with drummer William Bowerman and bassist Nathan Fairweather, as Brontide the trio put out two all killer, no filler full lengths, as well as a number of standalone singles. In late August 2017, having announced in April of that year that they were knocking it on the head, the band played their final show together.

We were gutted when Brontide called it a day. Gutted until earlier this year when they announced their return to coincide with the ten year anniversary of their second album ‘Artery’, with their live reunion set to take place this year at ArcTanGent Festival! An event close to their hearts - and ours - ArcTanGent is an award winning independent festival that we’ve been to many times over the past ten years (only missing a few of the post-Covid get togethers). ArcTanGent celebrates ten years in 2024 too, so what better way to mark the return of Brontide as they celebrate their own ten year anniversary?

We are chuffed Brontide are back and were delighted to speak with Tim over Zoom in the run up to the festival, my swigging a beer in the early evening at odds with his post-coffee morning in LA. Reflecting on days gone by and bands like Tall Ships and Shapes, find out what they’ve been up to in their time away and what’s in store for their reunion at ArcTanGent Festival this August! 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second professional athlete to appear on the podcast (thank you, Steve Davis), Jimmy Watkins is a former record breaking GB athlete, who left it all behind for rock and roll back in the day, but recently returned to the running world in the last few years. 

Known for his poetic and energetic running reviews, where he takes a record out on the tracks and waxes lyrical about it mid-run, Jimmy takes his reviewing hat off from time to time to put out his own music and later this year he releases his debut album as Joyce (via London label Human Worth).

We caught up over Zoom earlier in the year to talk about the record, as well as sobriety, Greggs and getting back into running after some time away. Be sure to run and tell your friends all about it - enjoy!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Along with husband David Blackwell, Ross makes up the other half of The Lovely Eggs - a two-headed rock and roll monster that’s been ripping it for fifteen plus years, with a handful of records under their collective belts and collaborations over the years with Pigsx7 and living leg-end Iggy Pop.  

Their new album ‘Eggsistentialism’ is out now via their very own Egg Records - a stormer to add to their varied collection, with a number of its singles even bothering the Official UK Charts top 10 in vinyl sales!  

A flying visit for this episode as they were deep into the final promotional push, the interview schedule coincided with their sending of a mammoth amount of records out to their loyal fanbase of egg-heads by hand. We were happy to catch Holly for half an hour over Zoom the week they released the album, to talk about Ivor Cutler, egg-based puns, DIY, soul-searching and their efforts to save The Lancaster Music Co-op. 

If you like what you hear, tell your pals, bring it up to your colleagues at work and don’t forget to share all over the internet. Give it a rating too, i'm sure it helps!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Notorious noise punks with almost twenty years in the game, Pissed Jeans first melted this particular brain over a decade ago with a kooky video for the insanely catchy ‘False Jesii Part 2’, a song that is weirdly a go-to shower song for yours truly.

From their second album ‘King of Jeans’, released in 2009, they’ve since followed it up with another four full length records, their latest - ‘Half Divorced’ - released in March 2024 via notable tastemakers Sub Pop. An invigorating ear-assault, there are songs about helicopter parenting, massive personal debt and finding the cons in every inch of the universe. 

A month after releasing ‘Half Divorced’, we sat down with vocalist Matt Korvette ahead off a sold out show at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds to talk about their new album, sobriety, eating on the road and crossing the Canadian border when your band is called ‘Pissed Jeans’.

Tell your friends, tell your colleagues, piss your jeans - go nuts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We spoke with Jamie mid-week over zoom to discuss his new book, ’Skeletons & Skylines’ - ‘Twenty Five Years of Art, Design and Rock n’ Roll’. Available from the 22nd of May 2024 (via Big Scary Monsters), it acts as a visual showcase of his music-based artwork, both for his own projects - as 1/3 of cult heroes Reuben and then as a solo artist - as well as those created for other outfits.

Someone we’ve spoken to a number of times over the life of Birthday Cake For Breakfast, it’s always a delight to shoot the shit with Lenman and I’m sure you’ll enjoy his hot take on The Beatles, his retirement, Dr Who and his favourite band: Reuben. Enjoy!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I discovered HALO MAUD in 2018 around the release of ‘Du Pouvoir’, her label debut for noted tastemakers Heavenly Recordings. Described by us at the time as a ‘gorgeous, sultry affair’ with a nod to Bjork, we were completely taken in by her brand of cinematic pop and have kept a close eye on her work ever since.

In March 2024, HALO MAUD released her new album ‘Celebrate’, another via Heavenly Recordings, recorded between Paris and LA, with a number of tracks produced by Greg Saunier of Deerhoof.

We recently spoke with HALO MAUD backstage at the New Century Hall in Manchester ahead of her supporting Jane Weaver. Whilst I’ve been hammering Duolingo for over a year, I didn’t quite fancy my chances of parler Francais avec HALO MAUD. Alors… Enjoy the episode and be sure to tell your friends, both local and international! 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Formed in Ontario, Canada, METZ have been wrecking heads for fifteen plus years, with five studio albums now under their collective belts. Their latest, ‘Up On Gravity Hill’ was released just under a fortnight ago in April 2024 via Sub Pop Records. It’s a treat to have a new METZ record in our lives, particularly as we were so enamoured with their previous album, ‘Atlas Vending’ and - well - pretty much everything they put out there.

On top of killer records, the trio are killer merch-men and always have some swish clobber available to wear upon your person. On top of keeping an eye out for new releases from them, we’re always keen beans for whatever rad long sleeve they’ve got coming out. It’s something which we got into when I spoke with Alex over zoom in mid-April, a few days away from releasing their new record. It’s a big chat with a total dude - I think you’ll dig it.

If you like what you hear, rate us five stars, tell your loved ones and share ’60 Minutes or less’ on the internet. You could even print off transcripts and leave them lying about your local library. The choice is yours. Enjoy!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having formed around 2013, we’ve been following USA Nails for pretty much the life of Birthday Cake for Breakfast. I still fondly recall their appearance at ArcTanGent Festival almost a decade ago and a slot on the lineup early on in the day. Their raucous half hour set separated the strong from the weak willed and after a night on the pale ales and who knows what else the night before, some couldn’t hack their full-on noise rock and made a swift exit.

Following a blistering appearance at the festival, we’ve since had the pleasure of interviewing USA Nails a number of times over the years and have caught them live in the flesh whenever possible. Their appearance at the festival was around the time of releasing their second album ‘No Pleasure’ and in March 2024, USA Nails released their latest album ‘Feel Worse’ - their sixth full length release and their first for big boy new label One Little Independent Records, home to Bjork amongst others.

A decade into band-life, USA Nails have a combined rap sheet that includes histories with bands such as Kong, Oceansize, Death Pedals, Silent Front, Wasted Death, The Eurosuite and many, many more. Recorded over zoom, we went deep into the recording process of their new record. I personally can’t get enough of USA Nails and their latest record is yet another winner in their solid back catalogue. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amassing 71 major titles over his playing career, Davis remains one of the world’s best-known snooker players. Not content with such a glittering career though, Davis shifted gears dramatically when he retired, moving into the world of music, first as a DJ and radio host, then as one third of The Utopia Strong, trading in his snooker cue for a modular synth.

As you can imagine, Steve didn’t come on to talk snooker, nor did he come on to talk about his brief appearance on TV show 'The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret', rather The Utopia Strong have just released a new record - ‘The BBC Sessions’. Capturing a live session the trio recorded at Maida Vale for Marc Riley’s BBC Radio 6 Music show in September 2022, the record - with its brilliant old school cover - is out now via tastemakers Rocket Recordings.

I first met Steve on a night out in Manchester with local lot Trojan Horse almost a decade ago, drinking beers of varying percentages. Not long after that night, I somehow soon appeared on his radio show, The Interesting Alternative Show. Regardless of his credentials, it really didn’t seem that big of a deal having him pop round to our flat in Whalley Range in his lovely motor to record the show, because Steve was so affable and down to earth. Something which I’m sure you’ll hear yourself from our most recent chat.

Just a heads up, we had a few audio issues with this one - not the fault of Steve, mind you. Nothing major, but there were some niggles. Such is the joy of recording over Zoom. Anyhoo, enjoy!  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A North East musician of note, alongside brother David, Peter is the other half of the brilliant Field Music. He’s also released a solo record as The Week That Was (which recently celebrated a 15 year anniversary) and collaborative albums with Paul Smith and Sarah Hayes.

In October 2023, Peter released ‘Blowdry Colossus’ - a solo album of mostly-instrumental wonky synth-pop, influenced by the likes of Yellow Magic Orchestra. ‘Blowdry Colossus’ was the first solo outing from Peter since The Week That Was in 2008, though as with that album, brother David played on both records.

The recording of this actually took place back in late 2023 - ahead of a sold out show at The Castle Hotel in Manchester, I caught up with Peter in the glamorous backstage area to talk about his latest solo record and new Field Music material. If you had Peter discussing making a metal album on your podcast bingo card, you’ve won a prize!

As ever, if you like what you hear, give us a rating, tell your loved ones and share on the internet (or maybe even print off transcripts and hand them out in the street). Enjoy!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Art-rockers with a knack for hitting you in the feels one minute and getting you up on your feet dancing the next, alongside Dutch Uncles, Everything Everything have been one of our favourite Northern institutions over the past decade or so, an outfit we’ve been lucky enough to catch live in venues both vast and intimate over the years and whose records we can never get enough of.

Over the course of fifteen plus years together, the band have had five albums reach the Top 10 in the UK charts. At the start of March 2024, Everything Everything release their seventh album, ‘Mountainhead’, featuring the single ‘Cold Reactor’, their biggest radio hit to date. Is a Top 10 position on the cards this time around? I have personally been hammering their new record, so I’d certainly think so.

A week before Everything Everything were due to launch ‘Mountainhead’ at Stockport Plaza, I caught up with Jonathan over zoom to talk about the new record, utilising AI and bothering the charts with Taylor Swift. Full context - the entire chat was recorded whilst Jonathan was wearing a little chef hat emoji atop his head.

Grab a copy of ‘Mountainhead’ this week and be sure to let us know what you think of the pod!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've been hooked on Omni having first caught them in Manchester in early 2017 with much missed local lot DUDS. Mainly a writing partnership between Philip and guitarist Frankie Broyles, Omni have a knack for penning cucumber cool post-punk numbers that are super infectious. The band released their first two records on Trouble In Mind Records - ‘Deluxe’ in 2016 and ‘Multi - Task’ a year later - before signing with Sub Pop in 2019 for the release of their third album, ‘Networker’.

In February 2024, Omni will release ‘Souvenir’, their fourth album and second for Sub Pop. Ahead of its release, I caught up with Philip over zoom on a Friday - morning there, afternoon here - to discuss the record, as well as Nancy and Lee, Jonathan Richman, UK venue highlights and taking on drummer Chris Yonker full time.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alongside brother Steve, Paul was the other famous Hanley in The Fall, one of the many drummer’s in the mix over the years and one half of the band's classic two-drummer lineup. Appearing behind the kit during the fruitful early 80s, you'll hear him on such highly regarded records as ‘Hex Enduction Hour’ and ‘Grotesque (After the Gramme)’. More recently, Hanley has taken to the drums again as part of HOUSE Of ALL, a supergroup of ex-Fall members featuring brother Steve amongst others.

Outside of drumming, Hanley has written a number of brilliant books - ‘Leave The Capital: A History of Manchester Music in 13 Recordings’ and ‘Have A Bleedin Guess: The Story of Hex Enduction Hour’. In April 2024, Route Publishing are set to release a new collection from Paul - 'Sixteen Again: How Pete Shelley & Buzzcocks Changed Manchester Music (and me).’ It’s a book that looks to explore the appeal of Buzzcocks and the influence of Pete Shelley on Manchester music and beyond.

On a frosty morning in early December 2023, I visited Paul at home in Timperley to talk about the Buzzcocks, Frank Sidebottom, gobbing at punk shows and much more.

If you like it, tell us! Follow us, share it and all the rest of that good stuff.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I caught up with Joe in October 2023, ahead of a sold out headline show in Manchester at hipster-hotspot YES. Over a pint of Amstel in a noisy beer garden, the occasional train rumbled overhead and an anxious dog yapped across the way, whilst we spoke of new album ’Formal Growth In The Desert’, having Kelley Deal on loan from The Breeders, life in Detroit, the Brudenell Social Club, WIRE and The Fall, grief and bringing personal matters into lyrics, what sparks creativity, creating their distinctive artwork and disco load-outs.

If you like it, tell us! Follow us and all the rest of that good stuff. More to come soon!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.