BIG SPECIAL release debut album 'POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES'

Praise for BIG SPECIAL

“Music that stands it’s ground and looks you right in the eye”
Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 6 Music

“A vital, gripping debut album” - Clash ★★★★

“A dizzying mix of hard and delicate” – DIY ★★★★½

“a real piece of art; sheer brilliance from start to finish” - Dork ★★★★★

"an album that is distinctively mystical, and ageless, comfortably propelling itself between soul, hip hop, and rock" - The Line of Best Fit ★★★★½

Album of The Week - Louder Than War ★★★★★

"A glorious post-punk racket" - Daily Mirror

“a heady dose of heart and reality” – NME ★★★★

"a cocktail of barbed post-punk and ferociously soulful crooning" - Notion

“a stellar debut with enough conviction to keep us all dancing through the darkness.” - Rolling Stone UK

"a thrilling mix of punk, blues and soul" - Scottish Daily Express ★★★★

"One of the most exciting bands in Britain" - The Telegraph

“A highly engaging, emotionally rich debut” - Uncut ★★★★

BIG SPECIAL have released their highly-anticipated debut album POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES.

Listen to the album in full HERE.

A run of blistering and dynamic single releases in recent months finally sees the release of BIG SPECIAL's debut album via SO Recordings. Their 2024 singles 'DUST OFF / START AGAIN', 'BUTCHER'S BIN' and 'BLACK DOG / WHITE HORSE' have each shown a different side to the many talents the duo have at their disposal. Traversing sounds that walk a tightrope from the abrasive to the soulful, they've picked at the fabric of what it is to be human in the modern world: inspiring resistance and openness in the face of decay.

Lead singer Joe Hicklin says about the album: “POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES is an album about depression. It's about the different shapes it takes; personal, social, generational... and it's about coming face to face with those ghosts and what we do or how we feel when that happens.

The album offers no answers, it is just an honest expression of a working-class experience in modern England through the eyes of ill mental health, a pursuit of art and political disenchantment; a story of rumination, realisation and reaction.

POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES is about learning that we are connected by our common struggles and though dark and rageful, the album holds a quiet sentiment of love and hope. It's about laughing at the face of the void, recognising its oppressive weight, holding hands and moving forward.”

The band now looks forward to a run of UK headline shows, a huge summer of UK and European festivals, as well as tour dates with PIXIES in August. Full dates below.

BIG SPECIAL UK INSTORE PERFORMANCES

14 May - Rough Trade, Nottingham (6pm) - Tickets here
15 May - Banquet, Kingston upon Thames, London (6pm) - Tickets here

BIG SPECIAL 2024 TOUR DATES

Tickets on sale now here.

16 May – Jazz Café, London, UK - SOLD OUT
17 May – Horatio’s, Brighton, UK (The Great Escape 2024)
18 May – Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK
20 May – Kasbah Club, Limerick, Ireland
21 May – Workman’s Cellar, Dublin, Ireland
22 May – Ulster Sports Bar, Belfast, Norther Ireland
24 May - Netherlands, Den Haag, Zwarte Ruiter (Sniester Festival)
26 May – Bearded Theory Festival, Derbyshire, UK
27 May – Paradiso Upstairs, Amsterdam, Netherlands
28 May – Effenaar, Eindhoven, Netherlands
30 May – Block Party Festival, Paris, France
31 May – Vestrock, Hulst, Netherlands
01 Jun - Dauwpop Festival, Hellendoorn, Netherlands
28 Jun - Glastonbury Festival, UK
11 Jul - Jardin Sonore, Vitrolles, FR
19 Jul - Deichbrand, Cuxhaven, DE
26 Jul – Low Festival, Benidorm, Spain
27 Jul - Secret Garden Party, Huntingdon, UK
28 Jul – Latitude Festival, Suffolk, UK
07 Aug - Den Atelier, Luxembourg (w / Pixies)
10 Aug - Forum Karlin, Prague (w / Pixies)
13 Aug - House of Culture, Helsinki (w/ Pixies)
14 Aug - House of Culture, Helsinki (w/ Pixies)
17 Aug - Cinzella Festival, Brindisi, IT
18 Aug - Green Man Festival, Bannau Brycheiniog, UK
23 Aug – Reading Festival, Reading, UK
24 Aug – Leeds Festival, Leeds, UK
29 Aug - Rock N Roll Circus, Sheffield (w/ Richard Hawley)
31 Aug - End Of The Road Festival, Dorset, UK
07 Sep - Surfana Festival, Bloemendaal aan Zee, NL
08 Sep - Misty Fields Festival, NL
15 Nov - Rolling Stone Beach Festival, DE
30 Nov - O2 Forum, Kentish Town, London, UK

BIG SPECIAL - POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES tracklisting

1. BLACK COUNTRY GOTHIC
2. I MOCK JOGGERS
3. DESPERATE BREAKFAST
4. SHITHOUSE
5. THIS HERE AIN’T WATER
6. MY SHAPE (BLOCKING THE LIGHT)
7. BLACK DOG / WHITE HORSE
8. BROADCAST: TIME AWAY
9. iLL.
10. MONGREL
11. BUTCHER’S BIN
12. DUST OFF / START AGAIN
13. TREES
14. FOR THE BIRDS
15. DiG!

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