Nobody asked — and IRKED absolutely do not care. The Newcastle DIY punk outfit are gearing up for the release of their debut album ‘The Grievance’ on 1st May via Wrong Speed Records, and lead single Who Asked? is exactly the kind of chaotic, catchy gut-punch you’d hope for from a band slotting somewhere between modern garage punk, ’80s hardcore and eggy post-punk.
The accompanying music video leans right into the band’s no-frills, everything-on-the-table energy — the kind of DIY visual that feels like it was made by people who’ve been mates for 15-odd years and have absolutely nothing left to prove. Spoiler: they haven’t.
IRKED are Zach and Hells, who’ve been playing together for over a decade, plus the rest of the gang — a group who’ve spent recent years touring extensively while collectively navigating unemployment, break-ups, grief, parenting, and the general slow-motion dumpster fire of the world. You know, the totally punk things middle-aged punk bands deal with.
‘The Grievance’ was recorded in their now-hometown of Newcastle with producer Sam Grant (Pigs×7, Witch Fever, Richard Dawson) and mastered by Jason Sanderson (Rolo Tomassi, 65daysofstatic, Ginger Wildheart) — a lineup that tells you exactly what kind of record this is: serious craft dressed up in beautiful noise.
Early support has already rolled in from Maximum Rocknroll, The Quietus, Louder than War, BBC Radio 1, 6Music, and XFM, and they’ve been tipped as BBC Introducing Ones to Watch. They also sold out the Star and Shadow Cinema for their full album preview — no mean feat for a band doing all their own press.
Shy bairns get nowt, as they say up north. IRKED clearly got the memo.
Who Asked? is out now. ‘The Grievance’ drops 1st May on Wrong Speed Records. Check the video below and find out more at irkedband.com.
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