I’ve always had quite a wide music taste, crossing many genres and styles. However, punk is where my heart has always been, due to both the fast riffs of the style and the politics that tends to accompany it. The underground punk scene is growing larger and larger, both in the UK and around the world, so I decided it was high time we showcased some of the very best underground punk acts in the business right now…
Review by Jane Howkins, Photo by Pray Silence
Metagirl & the Earth Passengers – Fire It Up
One of the more overlooked punk sub-genres tends to be ska, which I’ve always thought is a real shame. Thankfully, we have amazing acts like Metagirl & the Earth Passengers unleashing fantastic ska punk bangers like Fire It Up on the world. The beat and bass are exactly what you might expect from this sort of song, with some understated guitar chords playing in the background, against the catchy lyrics that will have you singing along in no time. Despite the catchy sound of Fire It Up, it’s clear that the band still has a defiant punk spark, which is right up my alley!
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Moose Wrench – Dead Stars
We’ve featured Moose Wrench a fair few times over the years – now they return with a brand new single titled Dead Stars. Technically, it’s actually a remake of a previous Moose Wrench tune, but as I’m sure you’ll agree, this is the definitive version. The track is actually pretty unique and includes a few different styles in there, but I still felt there was a punk rock edge to proceedings – the guitar licks are really immense and fit the fast beat well. It’s certainly different from the genre norms, but Dead Stars is still well worth checking out regardless!
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9 o’clock Nasty – 5 foot 2
Regular readers of these pages should be well aware of 9 o’clock Nasty by now, as we’ve shared their music numerous times over the years. They’ve just released a brand new single called 5 foot 2 – it might not sound like a typical punk song at first, due to it’s more hip-hop sound, but the band have always had an extremely DIY punk background, producing music from numerous styles (including punk). The bass has a proper throb to it which fits the beat and the repeated chorus vocals really well, making it irresistible to avoid dancing along to the tune.
Social media: Website, Facebook, X, Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok
Pray Silence – Kill Room
Finally, we have Pray Silence with their epic banger Kill Room, which is another punk-infused tune that also includes a few other genres and styles thrown in there for good measure. The track starts out with an immense wall of sound, before the funky verse guitar licks kick in. Pray Silence seem to specialise in huge guitar riffs, anthemic vocals and some really biting lyrics, which I’m certainly on board for! The vocals switch between singing and screaming at times too, showing some real passion on offer on Kill Room.
Social media: Facebook, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok
The DIY Punk Underground – playlist by York Calling | Spotify