Scientists of Sound

Thursday, 24 September 2026

Simple Things completes 2026 line-up with four guest-curated takeovers

Returning for its 12th year, Simple Things has completed the line-up for its 2026 edition revealing, for the first time, four guest-curated programmes alongside the festival’s final artist additions.

Taking place across Bristol on 7 November, this year’s festival will see Cobrah, Squid, Shabaka and Jeremy Deller each take over a different part of the programme, bringing their own selections of artists spanning club, post-punk, experimental jazz, folk and rave culture.

Cobrah’s electronic-focused takeover includes MUCHAS PROBLEMAS, DJ Latex, Only Fire and COUCOU CHLOE, while Squid’s selection at The Island features Anton Pearson, Minor Conflict, 13 Year Cicada and Comfort.

Elsewhere, Shabaka’s avant-garde jazz and percussion-led programme brings together Joy Guidry, Arsenal Mikebe and Sarathy Korwar, while Jeremy Deller’s showcase includes the return of his Acid Brass project performed by The Listening Project , alongside Circle Dance, Mermaid Chunky and Grubby Mitts.

The final additions also include Bristol experimental collective MONOSUM, Belfast indie-jazz outfit Esmeralda Road and club artist PIXY. Local promoters Temple Cloud will additionally take over The Cellars with a programme of high-energy club and electronic acts. They join an already stacked bill featuring The Avalanches, Panda Bear & Sonic Boom, Moor Mother, Olof Dreijer, Cloud Nothings and Alewya across venues including Bristol Beacon, Strange Brew, Rough Trade and The Island.

i: https://www.instagram.com/simplethingsuk

A full lfffdsfs

Wednesday, 23 September 2026

The Slow Country - Through Your Teeth

Photo Credit: heartsh6kr

London/Manchester outfit The Slow Country have today returned with the reveal of their dazzling new effort, Through Your Teeth. Working with Bill Ryder-Jones once again, the seven-piece venture into ambitious territory with a sprawling six-minute journey through ambling strings, rousing guitar riffs and a cathartic vocal refrain. Premiered by Craig Charles on BBC 6music, speaking more about the single, vocalist/guitarist Charlie Smith says: “Through Your Teeth is an exorcism, about the irrational feeling of someone or something getting under your skin in an instant. The song is an attempt to regain control of those feelings, to drive away the ghosts that linger.” Take a listen below.

The Slow Country are: Joe Darley - Vocalist and Guitarist, Charlie Smith - Vocalist and Guitarist, Gina Edwards - Keys and Backing Vocals, Finnbar Simmonds - Bass, James Darley - Guitar, Miren Summers - Violin, Ben Court - Drums and Backing Vocal

Live dates:
24 SEPT // Leeds, The Brudenell Social Club*
25 SEPT // Manchester, YES*
26 SEPT // Glasgow, McChuills*
30 SEPT // Nottingham, Bodega*
1 OCT // Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach*
2 OCT // London, Moth Club*
3 OCT // Middlesbrough, Twisterella Festival
22 OCT // Paris, Supersonic
23-24 OCT // Rotterdam, Left of The Dial festival
2 NOV // Norwich, Norwich Arts Centre^
4 NOV // Sheffield, Sidney & Matilda^
5 NOV // Birmingham, Hare & Hounds V2^
8 NOV // Glasgow, The Rum Shack^
12 NOV // Manchester, YES^
14 NOV // Bristol, The Louisiana^
21 NOV // Manchester, Night & Day (Boot Magazine Festival)
18 DEC // Manchester, Rat & Pigeon

*supporting Swim Deep
^ Supporting Gently Tender

i: https://www.instagram.com/theslowcountryband

Burglar - Cappadocia

Photo Credit: Jack Adams

Irish duo Burglar have today shared their third single, ‘Cappadocia’, out now via TULLE. Swinging guitar lines and smooth percussion drive its infectious momentum, offering another striking glimpse of what’s to come from the pair. Speaking about the track’s origins, Eduardo Pinheiro explained: “’Cappadocia’ is my happy place. It’s somewhere to escape to and fly over the mountains in an air balloon, and I’ve always thought of it as the perfect honeymoon trip. It’s a romantic thing to do with the person you love. It’s also an exaggeration of a dream and an abstraction of what it might mean to reach the ‘other side’ and finally find happiness. I’ve come to realise that I was the only one who saw this place. Some people will never see Cappadocia and that’s what I’m mourning in the song. All that time, I’d wanted someone special to acknowledge it, but I just needed to get there by myself." Take a listen below.

Live Dates
26 SEP - Other Voices, Derry (UK)
01 OCT - Ireland Music Week, Dublin (IE)
09 OCT - The Talleyrand, March (UK)
10 OCT - Tenement Trail, Glasgow (UK)
11 OCT - Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh (UK)
13 OCT - The Croft, Bristol (UK)
14 OCT - The Hope & Ruin, Brighton (UK)
17 OCT - The Waiting Room, London (UK)
23-24 OCT - Left Of The Dial, Rotterdam (NL)
28 OCT - They’re Gonna Be Big, Paris (FR)

i: https://www.instagram.com/burglar.band

The Family Battenberg - Brand New Boy

Photo: Ren Faulkner

Following last month's return announcement with Bed Bugs, Cardiff's The Family Battenberg have today revealed Brand New Boy, taken from their forthcoming debut album Super Deluxe - due out 20th November via Stolen Body records. Led by razor-sharp guitars and their distinct, charged-up angst, the band’s latest offering provides another exhilarating glimpse of what lies ahead. Speaking more about the song’s conceptual lyric, guitarist/vocalist Ethan Duck says: “Brand New Boy is a tongue-in-cheek poke at how weird it is that we need to constantly seek validation from other people. The track imagines absurd lengths one might go to be accepted, here taken to points of extreme bodily harm. The version you hear is the first version we wrote, played exactly how we would live - one guitar, no edits, improvisations in the studio all kept in.” Take a listen for yourselves below along with a list up newly announced live dates.

UK Headline tour dates:
2 DEC // London, The George Tavern
3 DEC // Southampton, The Joiners
4 DEC // Carmarthen, CWRW
5 DEC // Liverpool, The Jacaranda
8 DEC // Birmingham, The Sunflower Lounge
9 DEC // Leeds, Oporto
10 DEC // Sheffield, Hallamshire Hotel
11 DEC // Newport, Le Pub
12 DEC // Manchester, The Abbey

i: https://www.instagram.com/thefamilybattenberg

Tuesday, 22 September 2026

néomí - I Wish I Never Met You

Surinamese-Dutch singer-songwriter néomí recently unveiled her new EP, Crunchy, Sad and Strangely Happy, released September 18 via Nettwerk. Arriving alongside the project is previously unheard track “I Wish I’d Never Met You”, which explores the aftermath of a toxic relationship while offering another glimpse into the breadth and emotional depth of néomí’s songwriting. Sharing further detail, she explains, “It’s about that one person you wish you’d never met, not necessarily because you dislike them, but because you dislike who you became with them, how you treated them, or how they treated you. It’s a question mark aimed at love itself and why it always gets so complicated. Nobody wanted to hurt anyone, but what’s done is done. So you try to move on and sometimes still wish you’d never met them :)” Take a listen below.

Live Dates
17.09.26 – Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg
03.10.26 – De Vegafabriek, Nijeveen
08.10.26 – Patronaat, Haarlem
10.10.26 – EKKO, Utrecht
16.10.26 – Hall of Fame, Tilburg
17.10.26 – Rotown, Rotterdam
18.10.26 – Doornroosje, Nijmegen
22.10.26 – Trix, Antwerp
24.10.26 – Prachtwerk, Berlin

i: https://www.instagram.com/neomi.music/

Wednesday, 16 September 2026

Dutch Mustard - Hear Me Out

Photo Credit: Dimitri Lerouzo

Dutch Mustard has this week revealed her brilliant new single Hear Me Out. Rattling out the gates with an immediate urgency, the track wastes no time unveiling its darkened pop nuances and gripping vocals. “This song is one of those moments, where it just falls out of the sky.” explains SJ; and elaborating on its universal themes that are likely to resonate wide: “Lyrically it talks about wanting to be seen and heard by a loved one. Not only because we should all be heard in a relationship (of any kind), but because it can save the relationship. Hear Me Out sonically travels through more stripped back moments, at the start of the song, then builds into a whirlwind wind of emotion and chaos. Ending in calm intimacy. This is a song for those who deserve to be heard.” Take a listen below. ‘Hear Me Out’ was self-produced by SJ and arrirves via her own label DM Records.

i: https://www.instagram.com/dutchmustard_

ladylike - Borrowed Time

Photo credit: Vendy Palkovičová

Brighton alt-folk outfit ladylike have returned this week with their endearing new single Borrowed Time, released via Heist or Hit (Her’s, Westside Cowboy, The Slow Country, Makeshift Art Bar). Recorded live together in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with producer Balázs Altsach, the track explores new sonic ground, slowly unfurling from its softer edges before erupting into blistering energy. Speaking more about the track, vocalist/guitarist Georgia Butler says: “This track is loosely about losing contact with someone and how time goes by, your lives are separate and you never quite get back to the same place at the same time.” Take a listen below.

Upcoming Live Dates:
30 SEPT // Bournemouth, The Wight Bear
1 OCT // Southampton, Heartbreakers, Southampton
2 OCT // Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
7 OCT // Edinburgh, Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
8 OCT // Liverpool, The Quarry, Liverpool
9 OCT // Birmingham, Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham
10 OCT // Sheffield, Hallamshire Hotel, Sheffield
29 OCT // London, Club Cheek (Supporting Shaking Hand)
6 NOV // Manchester, The White Hotel (Supporting Shaking Hand)

i: https://www.instagram.com/ladylike.band

WRKHOUSE - Slow Burn

Photo Credit: Rhys Grail

WRKHOUSE return this week with their scintillating new single Slow Burn. Pieced together bit by bit over multiple collaborative sessions in Cardiff, the track's focus soon came to light as distorted guitars and sharp percussive stabs unveil its restless, atmospheric edge. Vocalist Lewys Meredydd Siencyn shared, “I’ve found myself being able to resonate with and enjoy my lyrics a lot more as of late, and much of that stems from the 4 of us slowly finding our footing in our respective musical circles, and learning to spend time and experience things as four friends first and foremost, as opposed to four band members.” The result - a song that captures that shift perfectly, pairing introspective songwriting with a production that feels expansive, textured and constantly in motion. Gethin, bassist and keys, added, “The song pulls from that electronic, industrial side of bands like PVA, but we’ve always been really drawn to the vocal stacking of Jungle and the more airy, nonchalant delivery you get from The 1975 or beabadoobee. That contrast felt right for the song, there’s a lot of weight in what it’s about, but it still feels quite effortless.” Take a listen below.

WRKHOUSE have recently announced a special night showcasing music from the next chapter at Paper Dress Vintage, London on Wednesday 23rd September, with support from Cyn Cwsg and Bonnie Kemplay (tickets here) after playing their first European show at Reeperbahn Festival.

17.09.26 - Hamburg - Reeperbahn Festival
23.09.26 - London - Paper Dress Vintage
10.10.26 - Carmarthen - CWRW
16.10.26 - Cardiff - Swn Festival

+More to be announced soon

i: https://www.instagram.com/wrkhousewrkhouse

BABYRAT - Roses

Photo credit / Celeste Burdon

Cork based four-piece BABYRAT have today unveiled their blistering first offering, Roses. Growing their reputation on the live circuit, which has already seen them share a stage with Jack White in Ireland, the band bring things together for a scintillating debut. Capturing their sharp guitar work and soaring synth melodies, the track leads with the band’s punk power-pop sound, showcasing them at their most immediate. On the new single, the band say - "Roses is about love turning to spite in a coming-of-age setting. The reason it's the opening song in every set is the same reason why it is our first release, it's the perfect introduction to us and sets the tone for what we are and what's to come.” Take a listen below.

Live Dates
20th Sep — Sunday Sessiún, London Irish Centre, London

i: https://www.instagram.com/babyratband

Tuesday, 15 September 2026

Editors - Seriously

Credit: Rahi Rezvani

Ahead of their eighth studio album, Surface, Echo & Sound, set for release via Play It Again Sam on 30th October, Editors have today shared their new single Seriously. With a fervent delivery, it leads a fresh new chapter for the band as soaring synth notes light up a backdrop of chiming guitars and uplifting vocals. Lyrically it’s about finding a way forward in times when life darkens, with Smith adding, “So much of the stuff that has been written about us in the past focused on a darkness or a bleakness. But every time someone wants to talk to me about our band or shows me a tattoo they have of one of our lyrics or wants me to write some lyrics down for them, it’s always lyrics that have love and warmth and hope in them. If you remove them from their setting, or perhaps the way I’ve sung them, they’re not dark at all.” Speaking about the record and how it came together, he continues, “It was a very productive summer,” says Smith. “The sun was out for the most part, we were in greenest Gloucestershire, not far from where I live, on this innocuous little industrial estate – it was pretty much the opposite of being in Berghain!” Take a listen to Seriously below.

UK and Ireland
28th Feb - Vicar St, Dublin
1st March - Ulster Hall, Belfast
2nd March - o2 Academy, Glasgow
4th March - o2 City Hall, Newcastle
5th March - o2 Apollo, Manchester
7th March - o2 Academy, Leeds
8th March - Rock City, Nottingham
9th March - Prospect Building, Bristol
11th March - o2 Academy Brixton, London
12th March - o2 Guildhall, Southampton

EU
26th Jan - Le 106, Rouen, France
27th Jan - Le Cigale, Paris, France
29th Jan - La Riviera, Madrid, Spain
30th Jan - Auditorio Roig Arena, Valencia, Spain
31st Jan - Razzmatazz, Barcelona, Spain
2nd Feb - X-Tra, Zurich, Switzerland
3rd Feb - Alcatraz, Milan, Italy
4th Feb - Borcarski Dom, Zagreb, Croatia
6th Feb - SaSaZu, Prague, Czech Republic
7th Feb - Zenith, Munich, Germany
8th Feb - Gasometer, Vienna, Austria
10th Feb - Stodola, Warsaw, Poland
11th Feb - Columbiahalle, Berlin, Germany
12th Feb - The Grey Hall, Copenhagen, Denmark
14th Feb - Palladium, Cologne, Germany
15th Feb - Rockhal, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
16th Feb - Haus Auensee, Leipzig, Germany
18th Feb - Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, Netherlands
19th Feb - AFAS Dome, Antwerp, Belgium
20th Feb - Inselpark Arena, Hamburg, Germany

i: https://www.instagram.com/editorsofficial

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