Unplugged | Yes |
Cover band | No |
Members | 4 |
Downloads |
Nov / 2016 | • | The Kings Arms | Salford | |||
Oct / 2016 | • | The Salford Arms, Salford Festival | Salford | |||
Jun / 2016 | • | Live in Barnsley | Barnsley | |||
May / 2016 | • | Mossley Arts & Music Festival | Mossley | |||
Apr / 2016 | • | Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds Official Aftershow Party | Liverpool | |||
Feb / 2016 | • | Standish Live | Standish | |||
Jan / 2016 | • | Rock & Blues Venue | Barnsley | |||
Dec / 2015 | • | Slice of Nice town centre event | Rochdale | |||
Dec / 2015 | • | The Spinning Top | The Spinning Top, Stockport, GB | |||
Sep / 2015 | • | Underground | Barnsley | |||
Aug / 2015 | • | Wigan Live Festival | Wigan | |||
Aug / 2015 | • | Vaultage | Wigan | |||
Jul / 2015 | • | The Chorlton Beer Festival | Chorlton | |||
Jun / 2015 | • | The Salford Carnival | Salford | |||
Jun / 2015 | • | The Spinning Top | The Spinning Top, Stockport, GB | |||
May / 2015 | • | The Sale Beer Festival | Sale | |||
Apr / 2015 | • | The Kings Arms | Salford | |||
Feb / 2015 | • | The Spinning Top | The Spinning Top, Stockport, GB | |||
Jan / 2015 | • | Trafford Sound, Urmston Men's Club | Urmston | |||
Oct / 2014 | • | The Eagle Inn | Salford | |||
Oct / 2014 | • | Allotment Bar, OxJam Manchester Takeover | Manchester | |||
Sep / 2014 | • | The Park, Salford Music Festival | Monton | |||
Aug / 2014 | • | Night & Day | Manchester | |||
Jun / 2014 | • | Carson's Bar | Middleton | |||
May / 2014 | • | Retro Bar | Retro Bar, Manchester, GB | |||
Apr / 2014 | • | The Royal Oak | Chorlton | |||
Feb / 2014 | • | Dry Bar | Manchester | |||
Nov / 2013 | • | Roadhouse | Manchester |
The band’s distinctive sound of cutting guitars, shimmering pianos, soaring harmonies and melodic pop hooks provide the perfect backdrop to vocalist Joe Whelan’s dark, bitter, cynical view of modern day work obsessed, consumer driven Britain.
Their insanely memorable indie gems come from a lineage connecting the dots between The Kinks, Squeeze, Costello, The Smiths, The Fall, Blur and others. Delivering contemporary working-class cultural sketches via the medium of three minute pop tunes. The sound is raw, vibrant and uplifting. The lyrics bleak, witty and intelligent. Whelan sounds as though he’s on the verge of a breakdown as he bemoans bands with ‘dip shit songs’, back stabbing work colleagues and life in the office.
Here, the perplexed, burnt out and wage-enslaved will most certainly relate, as Smashing Lads hold a mirror up to the mundane and offer an uplifting outlet to all those slowly dying inside.
Smashing Lads released their self titled debut album at the end 2018. The album has been well-received by their growing fan base with airplay on both local radio stations and BBC Radio 6 Music.
Smashing Lads:
Joseph Whelan - Guitar/lead vocals
Mark Burke - Bass guitar/backing vocals
Peter Wood - Keyboards/backing vocals
Keith Unwin - Drums/backing vocals