The raucous garage punk trio kick off 2024 in typically emphatic style
With their abrasive punky flair and uncompromising sense of energy and attitude, London garage trio PLAY DEAD are a band who’s socially conscious lyrics and raucous style have seen them lauded as one of the nation’s most exciting and unpredictable rising outfits.
Their latest single ‘Thameslink’ is one that exemplifies the defiant spirit and immediacy of the outfit, taking barbs at gentrification and the foreboding misery of modern life, especially in London. The performances are sharp and explosive, the vocals are loaded full of bile and disdain, and the overall feel of the track feels exactly as chaotic and brash as you’d hope. A lot of things are shit and have felt that way for a while in the UK, and PLAY DEAD articulate that and bring those feelings to life as well as anybody.
Explaining the frustration with everyday life that embodies ‘Thameslink’, singer Joe Blair reflects on the song’s composition as ‘essentially nailed on after I paid about £7 for a pint at my local pub. So I guess it’s a bit of a diss-track on London – being fed up with the trains, the price of beer and the day-to-day habits of the miserable commuter…”
