Five Favourites: Downtown Boys

Having been big fans of Rhode Island’s Downtown Boys‘ fierce industrial punk for a number of years now, we’re super excited that they’ll be releasing their new album Public Luxury next week on 26th June via Sub Pop Records. Initially connecting at union meetings while working together at a hotel, founding members Victoria Marie and Joey La Neve DeFrancesco let their political drive and desire for change seep into everything they release as a band, and this is certainly showcased in this resonant and powerful collection, its name alone alluding to the need for services to be available to everyone. Propelled forwards with an empowering drive and seething energy, its themes reflect a bold hope and determination that a better world is possible, whilst simultaneously raging against the horrors that continue to strip the rights of marginalised communities. A resonant retort against the powers that be; a colossal call to arms to unite, resist hopelessness and fight for change.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, ahead of the release of Public Luxury next week, we caught up with each member of the band to find out about the albums that have inspired them the most. Read about their five favourites, and watch the poignant animated video for recent anti-ICE single ‘You’re A Ghost‘ below…

Joey Doubek:

Rage Against the Machine – Evil Empire
When I was 9 I came across ‘Down Rodeo’ on my scan-only radio player walking through Chicago O’Hare airport, and was completely overwhelmed by the intensity of the lyrics and riffs. It took me at least a year to place Rage Against The Machine when I finally heard ‘Bulls on Parade’. Now, 30 years later I still get chills whenever I listen to Evil Empire. I credit this record and RATM for helping shape my world view at such a young age; for the realisation that the people in power in the place I live could inflict so much pain and suffering – “Is all the world jails and churches?”

Joe DeGeorge:

Pharoah Sanders – Journey to the One 
Soft and ferocious, delicate and powerful, technical and fluid, yearning and fulfilling. This record is a beautiful illustration of the breadth of Sanders’ capabilities and expressions. Jazz mythos and legend aside, this record inspires my own playing and performance, existing in the motional space between the freer worlds we imagine, the frustration of the present, and the struggle to move ourselves towards utopia. This role for the saxophone in this space I find well established by Sanders’ work.Pharoah Sanders’ use of saxophone in this evocative and spiritual space are apparent when paired with the declarative idealism of the chorus on ‘You’ve Got to Have Freedom’. Freedom, peace, and love; these are the things we got to have. But with Sanders’ entrance on this song we hear no conventional illustration of peace or harmony. Instead, a heralding ostentato of frustrated harmonics from a muscled embouchure tells me that the work of getting all to have freedom, peace, and love is necessary, physical, hard, strained, and will stretch our ideas of what is possible and what is acceptable. 

Joey La Neve DeFrancesco:

Yasmine Hamdan – I remember I forget 
This was one of my favourite records of 2025 and I wish it got more coverage here. Hamdan succeeds in the extremely difficult task of creating an album that’s both achingly beautiful and so directly in response to the past years of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and now Lebanon. For instance, the gorgeous song ‘Shmaali’ is based on taraweed, a type of traditional Palestinian song sung by women that often uses coded language to secretly pass information without Israeli soldiers understanding. I love the animated video she made for the title track ‘I remember I forget’ and we hired the animator Khalil to make the video for our recent single ‘You’re a Ghost’.

Victoria Marie:

Priests – Tape Two
I know it is not a full length, but I really love Tape Two by Priests. Our band had the pleasure of meeting Katie Alice Greer when she was in Chain and the Gang, and she introduced us to the members of Priests. Tape Two came out on cassette and I remember having a cassette player that my grandma gave me to listen to mixtapes with Spanish and English songs that she’d made me. Tape Two’s ‘USA (Incantations)’ and ‘Lana’ just really really hit, with ‘USA (Incantations)’ managing to highlight the USA’s violent and brutal history with its beautiful use of music, adrenaline, and vocal protest. Also, I really appreciate how much Katie has always used her platform to speak against poignant injustices, from sexism in music to the need to end bombing and war on Gaza and Palestine.

Mary Jane Regalado:

Bad Bunny – DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
Hands down my most listened to album of 2025 & 2026. This album beautifully captures the joy and pain of the Latinx diaspora. Encapsulating the lasting effects of colonialism while highlighting the legacy of resistance in our communities; from the commodification of our people and culture, the heartbreak of witnessing gentrification and displacement, the privatization of lands, and the fight for independence, to the inherent need to shake ass and deeply celebrate and honor love, friendship & family. The way Bad Bunny masterfully merges genres like reggaeton, salsa, bomba, dem bow and plena so seamlessly creates an album that is so exciting and fresh, but ultimately coherent. It blows my mind. It’s the perfect soundtrack to listen to while getting ready for a night out, on a long drive on tour, while cleaning my apartment, or while making protest banners at an art build. A few months ago the governor of Puerto Rico came to DC to promote Puerto Rican statehood – my friend invited me to an art build organized by JUPI (Juventud Unida por la Independencia) to protest and call for the independence of PR. Currently PR is being militarized by US troops – the island is being hit with ICE raids, beaches that are for the people are being privatized and sold to foreign investors. The struggle for anti-imperialist liberation and independence continues in PR, and this album reminds us that as we fight for liberation, it is important to have fun, to be in community with comrades and our loved ones. To celebrate each other, help each other out when in need – chill at the beach and enjoy the sunset, perreo, party, take pictures of our loved ones, hang with abuelo and play dominos all day. Take time to grieve, be present and embrace the short amount of time we have on this earth, and enjoy the small things like coffee in the morning, and a gallon of rum with friends while dancing in the streets.

Huge thanks to Downtown Boys for sharing their Five Favourites with us! We can’t wait for the release of Public Luxury next Friday 26th June via Sub-Pop Records. In the meantime, watch the poignant animated video for recent single ‘You’re A Ghost’ here:

Photo Credit: Naomi Yang

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment

LISTEN: GIHE on Soho Radio (10.06.26)

Tash hosted the GIHE show on Soho Radio solo this month, bringing listeners another eclectic mix of new music tunes from some of their favourite female, non-binary & LGBTQ+ artists. They also focused on the theme of water throughout the show, exploring what the element represents and means to them and indulging in the fluid, soothing vibes of the tracks they specially selected.

Matthew Herbert, Mykki Blanco, james k, Kloyd, Dogviolet, Planningtorock, ALT BLK ERA, Feeo, Trash Kit, Milkweed and many, many more artists are featured on the genre-spanning playlist!

Listen back below:

 

We’ll be back on Soho Radio on Wednesday 8th July from 20:00-22:00
Listen via DAB, the Soho Radio app or www.sohoradio.com

Tracklist
Matthew Herbert, Momoko Gill Herbert – Calm Water
Jessica Pratt – Mother Big River
Milkweed – Tête Brec, The Twinkling Hoard
Aldous Harding – I Ate The Most
Angie McMahon – Exploding
Snail Mail – Let’s Find an Out
Ellie O’Neill – Silent Water
Dogviolet – Daughter
Trash Kit – Horizon
Kat Five – Emergency Start
Smerz – Spring Summer
Vera Ellen – Gayfever
Kloyd – New Love
Planningtorock, Romy – The One
Hercules and Love Affair – I Get High
Vistoso Bosses – Delirious
Mykki Blanco – Little Feet
james k – Doom Bikini
ALT BLK ERA – Our World
Feeo – The Hammer Strikes the Bell
Fred again… ft. Soak – Just Stand There
HNNY – I Let Go

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Guest Blog: Neev

Having been steadily carving out her place in the UK indie-folk scene, known for her intricate storytelling and evocative vocals, Scottish songwriter Neev first charmed our ears with her 2023 debut album, Katherine, before going on to cast her captivating spell once more with last year’s sophomore offering, How Things Tie In Knots.

Now, having called London home for a number of years – grateful for the sense of community and creativity it has allowed her – Neev will be relocating up north later in the year, and, as a farewell to her beloved city, she will be playing a special intimate gig next Wednesday 27th May at SJQ in Dalston. Ahead of the gig, we caught up with Neev to reflect on her mixed feelings about London, its supportive DIY music scene, what it’s offered her and the reasons why it’s time to leave. Have a read and nab tickets to next Wednesday’s gig here.

Being a musician in London in my mid-20s shaped me, but now I’m leaving.

Moving to London wasn’t a dream of mine. I didn’t get the hype. I moved there to study a masters and living in the city was a slow burn. It was too big, I got lost a lot, it was expensive. But, when it hit summer, I started to understand what pulled people there, and once I got curious about the live music scene, I started to understand why people stayed.

In 2019, an ill-suited 9-5 job spurred me to pick up my guitar. I started writing songs I didn’t hate and went to open mics every night. Since that decision, I’ve had the privilege of making life-long friends, attending awe-inspiring gigs, making music, playing with my band and darting around the city most days from studios, to venues, to rehearsal rooms. Being a musician in London in my 20s shaped me, but now I’m leaving.

My decision to leave isn’t ground-breaking. It’s all the reasons you’ve heard before: cost, space, access to nature, the things that every Londoner tolerates until they can’t. But I don’t regret a moment spent in the city cutting my teeth in the music scene. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

It was through the music scene that I met my incredible band. I met musician and singer-songwriter, Alex Cambridge, at my first gig, playing to a handful of friends. My soon-to-be musical right-hand woman, Frankie Morrow – aka Maz McMillian – was also in the crowd that evening. I’ve had the joy of playing with her and Alex in their bands over the years where I’ve learned so much. I’ve managed to convince the busiest musician in London, Greg Sheffield, to still play with me after all these years, which has been a joy, and I met Alex Reed as a newcomer to London – his brilliant bass playing and friendship have been a steady presence throughout my time in the city.

Something I respect about the scene is how democratized it is, there’s something for everyone. The pub corners that pull crowds, the church halls, the quirky book shops that double as venues. This scene is held up by hard working promoters that care about getting good music heard; the Get in Her Ears team being a brilliant example, as is Bark Noise and the Soundsniffer. I feel very lucky to have seen incredible shows. I’ll never forget seeing Bojockey and Glowworms at the Shacklewell Arms, wedged into a spellbound crowd yelling the words. I’ve seen acoustic sets at the Gladstone Arms from Laura Reznek, Frankie Morrow and Ann Lui Cannon. Shows at the Lexington and The Finsbury have felt so special, where people like Cordelia Gartside and Alex Cambridge have played.

But right now in the capital, rent prices continue to soar, the cost of living is at an all time high, and sustaining a music career gets harder. In the current context, watching the musicians around me make it work to keep creating their art is more of an impressive feat than ever. So, what is it about London? You may be reading this thinking of other amazing creative hubs dotted around the UK and beyond. I think Glasgow, my hometown, is one of them, and it’s a cheaper city to live in. I was recently listening to a conversation between the comics Mike Birbiglia and Nish Kumar, who got onto the topic of living as a creative in London. Nish said:

“London will always continue to throw up interesting people and exciting people… Because if you pack a load of creative people into a space where they don’t really have enough room to manoeuvre without bumping into each other, that’s where the cool shit really happens.”

Mike Burbiglia agrees and replies:

“That’s the point, yeah” but adds “it’s basically impossible to live there. Good luck.”

Which sums up my love for London: it’s absolutely packed to the brim with talent, life and creativity. And everybody makes it work, even if it’s basically impossible to live there.


Huge thanks to Neev for sharing her thoughts on being a musician in London with us – catch her at SJQ next Wednesday. Otherwise, she’ll be in Nottingham on 28th May and up in her hometown of Glasgow on 29th May.

Photo Credit: @framesbyfrances

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment

LISTEN: GIHE on Soho Radio x The Great Escape Special & WIDGET (13.05.26)

Tash, Kate and Mari were back on Soho Radio this month with a special playlist celebrating the female, non-binary & LGBTQ+ artists who are playing The Great Escape this year! They dedicated an entire section of the show to the artists who are performing as part of the GIHE showcase at the festival on The Soundwaves Stage on Brighton Beach on Saturday 16th May – so listen out for tracks from Problem Patterns, The Baby Seals, YAKKIE, steel. and Jessie Mac…

The team were also joined in the studio by Ky & Estella from East London queer disco-punk band WIDGET. They spoke about the joys of being in a DIY band, the amazing people they’ve met through their various DIY communities and shared stories about the tracks on their self-released debut album, CLASSY HITS VOL.2. If you can’t make our GIHE showcase at The Great Escape this Saturday 16th May, you should head to The Pie House in Deptford to watch WIDGET play a special fundraiser gig instead! Grab a ticket here.

Listen back below:

 

We’ll be back on Soho Radio on Wednesday 10th June from 20:00-22:00
Listen via the Soho Radio app or www.sohoradio.com

Tracklist
Peaches – Boys Wanna Be Her
Lauren Auder, Celeste – Unseen
Jessie Mac – Trans Is Beautiful
The Baby Seals – Tamoo Trance
YAKKIE – Kill The Cop Inside Your Head
Problem Patterns – I’m Fine and I’m Doing Great
steel. – DFTTM
Ngaiire ft. Nai Palm – Dirty Hercules
Lumi – Once In A Blue Moon
Tanzana – Pulse, Pose, Position
Roomer – Written By
SISTRA – Things I really Mean
ARXX – We Don’t Talk About It Enough
Cowboy Hunters – Money For Drugs
congratulations – This Life
WIDGET – WHAT IF PHONES BUT TOO MUCH
**Interview with Ky & Estella from WIDGET**
Track chosen by WIDGET: Mia Musa – Knew You Before
Not Richard & Her Majesty – A Song About Being A Parasite
Twat Union – Tiny Shorts
Bonnie Trash – Hellmouth
Fraulein (Jonique) – Wait and See
Afternoon Bike Ride – Sunday Sketch
Neve Cariad – Burdens
Yaz – Father Nature
Jamaica Moana – CYA
Meduulla – Vibe Nice
Kimmortal – This Dyke
Tom Rasmussen – There’s A Lot To Be Happy About

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment