{"id":31214,"date":"2025-09-25T23:02:55","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T22:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/?p=31214"},"modified":"2025-09-26T01:04:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T00:04:07","slug":"retrospective-earls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/retrospective-earls\/","title":{"rendered":"Retrospective &#8211; EARLS"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>THE FOXES IN THE HEN HOUSE I: EARLS WAS &#8216;ERE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Written by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61576821602630\">Thomas Needham<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Photography by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kevin.gaughan.146\">Kevin Gaughan<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Read our interview with EARLS in celebration of their 10th anniversary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/interview-earls\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>You thought going back to university would get rid of me? WRONG.<\/p>\n<p>Welcome to a new series, deep diving into Leicester\u2019s musical lineage: The Foxes in The Hen House. Leicester\u2019s music scene didn\u2019t start with Kasabian and it sure as hell better not end with them. Today\u2019s subject? The boys from the black country: EARLS.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31255\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31255\" style=\"width: 1339px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31255\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/earls13.jpg?resize=1339%2C1327&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1339\" height=\"1327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/earls13.jpg?resize=600%2C595&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/earls13.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/earls13.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31255\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ant (left), George (right) &#8211; Credit pending<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>insert beer can opening sound effect<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Cast your mind back to 2015, way back when I was in nappies. The year of <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/David_Cameron\/status\/595112367358406656?lang=en\">strong and stable government<\/a> and the \u2018whip-whip nae-nae\u2019. Having had the chance to interview the founders of EARLS, Ant and George, it certainly seems the two are doing a whole lot better than Silento, who recently got sent to the slammer for thirty years. And also David Cameron, who will soon meet a similar fate<i>.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p>You can find the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/interview-earls\/\">accompanying interview here<\/a> and at the bottom of this article. Do give it a peruse.<\/p>\n<p>Spawning out of a series of black country-based predecessors such as \u2018Breath\u2019 (aka. \u2018Sugarlumps\u2019 and \u2018Meth\u2019) and a three-piece reggae-punk band called \u201851st State\u2019, \u2018EARLS\u2019 * would be born when Anthony Lamb (singer and guitarist) and George Prosser (drummer) began attending university in Leicester.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Not to be confused with the Bluegrass band \u2018The Earls of Leicester\u2019 who aren\u2019t even from Leicester. Absolute posers. Nashville ain\u2019t got nuffin on ol\u2019 Rat Eyes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31232\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31232\" style=\"width: 1340px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31232\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_4571.jpg?resize=1340%2C869&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1340\" height=\"869\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_4571.jpg?resize=600%2C389&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_4571.jpg?resize=150%2C97&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_4571.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31232\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u2018What were EARLS doing during these heady days?\u2019 I hear you ask. While there\u2019s not a wealth of information from their formative years but I can confirm they were drinking and smoking, oh and they squirted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/2qqzMKLDS-\/\">mustard on some fella&#8217;s head<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While juggling to make ends meet, keep up their studies (in substance abuse) and grow the band, they played a series of gigs during this time, playing with groups like the rockabilly trio Hanzo, noise quartet The Surrealists and melodic death metal group Monachopsis.<\/p>\n<p>Their first EP \u2018SKUM KING\u2019 (later known informally as \u2018the shit ep\u2019) was self-recorded with help from the De Montfort University Recording Society and released later that year in 2017. It\u2019s since been banished to the shadow realm for being \u2018not good\u2019.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-31218\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled31.png?resize=1338%2C446&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1338\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled31.png?resize=600%2C200&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled31.png?resize=150%2C50&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled31.png?resize=1536%2C512&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled31.png?w=1957&amp;ssl=1 1957w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>With only a limited run of physical releases remaining in the wild, it can suitably be dubbed a piece of Leicester lost media. Featuring early renditions of later songs <i>Skum King<\/i> and <i>The Boys (Are Alright)<\/i>, there are two more tracks that were never touched again: <i>Sensate<\/i> (notable for being the only song where Ant shreds on a guitar) and <i>Slog it Out<\/i>, which is the only surviving recording of this EP available online. And yeah, there\u2019s a reason why it\u2019s not more widely available. It pales in comparison to what EARLS would accomplish later on.<\/p>\n<p>The instrumental itself is solid, the direction of travel for their sound with heavy distortions, extensive hammer-ons, manic drumlines and getting straight to the ol\u2019 rough and tumble was clear from the start. Where the song really lacks is in the quality of the vocals. Slightly tinny and occasionally muffled, Ant holds back in a higher register than would become typical. The chorus of \u2018come on then, you want some?\u2019 is already not their best in terms of EARLS\u2019 ever-to-the-point storytelling but especially sung that high, it really strains the belief that you\u2019re well and truly about to get your head kicked in (even though you totally are, Ant is like 7\u20194).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31226\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31226\" style=\"width: 1337px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31226\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_1608.jpg?resize=1337%2C862&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1337\" height=\"862\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_1608.jpg?resize=600%2C387&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_1608.jpg?resize=150%2C97&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_1608.jpg?w=897&amp;ssl=1 897w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31226\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And yet, I love it. Yes, you heard me, despite everything, I really like listening to this song. Obviously there\u2019s a novelty to witnessing a band hone their craft and sound but beyond that it\u2019s really quite catchy despite the mixed tone and the fact that these ideas are better expressed in future work. While bands will always look back on their early work like Kurt Cobain looked at himself, it\u2019s a necessary first step, and without it they wouldn\u2019t have reached the heights they would reach shortly. Free up \u2018SKUM KING\u2019 (2017). If you\u2019ve got a copy, get in contact with me!<\/p>\n<p>The duo\u2019s old secondary school motto, \u2018Ut Filii Lucis Fiatis,&#8217; translates to \u2018That We Shall Become Sons of Light\u2019 but unlike the school where they derived their name, EARLS are void of the pretensions of being the voice for the voiceless and downtrodden. They aren\u2019t seeking to wax lyrical about the state of the world. There is no noblesse, they\u2019re here to get wasted and have a good time. To catalogue the absurdity of our world and to treat the world in kind. That romantic, pious motto is flipped on its head; they shine a beacon of light on the seedy underbelly of Leicester\u2019s nightlife, exposing the world to the chaos of the oft-overlooked flatlands we call home.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31231\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31231\" style=\"width: 1336px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31231 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_4555.jpg?resize=1336%2C879&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1336\" height=\"879\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_4555.jpg?resize=600%2C395&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_4555.jpg?resize=150%2C99&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_4555.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31231\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>EARLS promised 2018 would be a big year for them. They were right when they dropped three singles simultaneously: <i>The End is Nigh<\/i>, <i>We Don\u2019t Want \u2018Em<\/i> and <i>We Are Skum<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-31215\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled3.png?resize=1332%2C444&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1332\" height=\"444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled3.png?resize=600%2C200&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled3.png?resize=150%2C50&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled3.png?resize=1536%2C512&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled3.png?w=1957&amp;ssl=1 1957w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Recorded at Stayfree Music, the leap in quality can\u2019t be overstated. The slightly plodding guitar leaps into a galloping drumline as we hurtle headfirst into certain oblivion. <i>The End is Nigh<\/i> is perhaps most evocative of EARLS\u2019 hard punk roots, taking the literalness of songs like <i>London Calling<\/i> and translating it into the 21st century. Ant well and truly finds his voice and sends it with an aggression that you almost get the impression he\u2019s reveling in prophesying society\u2019s doom, already utterly inundated with \u2018the walking dead\u2019. It\u2019s one of the few times I can think of where background sound effects added in post (in this case, an air raid siren) really fit in the song.<\/p>\n<p><i>We Don\u2019t Want \u2018Em<\/i> is one of EARLS\u2019 heaviest, which, considering their later works, is certainly saying something; when it gets in the groove, you aren\u2019t going to stop the cavalcade. It just suffers from pacing issues that bring the song down to a crawl, the verses aren\u2019t quite enough to tide me over and the hook of \u2018we don\u2019t want \u2018em\u2019 pales in comparison to the band&#8217;s later lyrical efforts. It fits perfectly as one of the band&#8217;s official first singles; it sets up various ideas that the band would better explore later. There\u2019s no solution, there\u2019s no conversation to be had, \u2018we don\u2019t want the shit you\u2019re selling\u2019 and it\u2019s glorious in its bluntness.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31229\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31229\" style=\"width: 1333px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31229 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3069.jpg?resize=1333%2C888&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1333\" height=\"888\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3069.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3069.jpg?resize=150%2C100&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3069.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31229\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>By far the standard of this triple single release is <i>We Are Skum<\/i>, the singular moment when EARLS truly came into their own. This is EARLS flag-bearing banger and would remain a setlist staple for the rest of their time as a band &#8211; and rightly so.<\/p>\n<p>There were mods, rockers, teddyboys, beatniks, romos, skinheads, rudeboys, punks, juggalos, emos, goths, ravers, fraggles, metalheads, grebos- but if there was a catch-all term to describe how all these groups were seen by their betters, it\u2019d have to be \u2018skum\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>A central part of EARLS is reclamation. From reclaiming their lives from societal expectations forcing them to think about anything other than getting absolutely lathered to reclaiming terms used to put down predominantly working-class communities for decades. EARLS plant their claim in the ground and take back what is rightfully theirs. If we\u2019re going to be treated like skum regardless, then why is the onus on you to prove otherwise?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31233\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31233\" style=\"width: 1334px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31233 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_5341.jpg?resize=1334%2C889&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1334\" height=\"889\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_5341.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_5341.jpg?resize=150%2C100&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_5341.jpg?w=965&amp;ssl=1 965w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31233\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s one of the definitive songs to come out of Leicester. Straight from the beginning with that deafening opening, you know you\u2019re in for a rabble rouser of a track. And for four magnificent minutes, EARLS do not let their foot off the gas. With absolutely generational lyrics like,\u2018I\u2019d rather quit eating before I quit smoking,\u2019 you\u2019ll be hard-pressed to find a song that tells you everything you need to know about a band with such flair and poise.<\/p>\n<p>Today, everyone wants to be skum. There are even those who want to wear skum skinsuits without being \u2018skum\u2019 at all. We are skum. And we love it. I also found out if you listen to this song in reverse, it\u2019s actually subliminally telling you to retire early and go Caravanning with the Mrs. Awesome detail on EARLS\u2019 part.<\/p>\n<p>By now they\u2019d played with The Blinders, Savanna Bones, Kynch, Swutchdown, Handwaxx, Acid Cannibals, Boy Azooga, The Vultures, Knice, Life, taken to the stage at Handmade Festival 2018 and finally got signed with Earwig Records alongside Fivehead (who\u2019d later become The People Assembly, whoever they are.)<\/p>\n<p>Their first gig as EARLS was played with Jouska in front of an audience of 10, three short years later they\u2019d be gearing up for the release of their debut album with a headline gig at The Cookie with Smack Jack and Spacetoast.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31224\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31224\" style=\"width: 1342px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31224 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0961.jpg?resize=1342%2C894&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1342\" height=\"894\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0961.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0961.jpg?resize=150%2C100&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0961.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31224\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With a full room-sized cardboard set, Rowan Taylor (of The Societys and The People Assembly) heads up the photoshoot for their full-fledged album \u2018CARDBOARD PALACE\u2019. When offered anything from the local shop as payment for his work, Rowan chose a Kinder Surprise egg.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-31261\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/cardboardpalace.jpg?resize=1343%2C1343&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1343\" height=\"1343\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/cardboardpalace.jpg?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/cardboardpalace.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/cardboardpalace.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>George was stuck to the ceiling as punishment for stealing Neil Cicirega\u2019s viral \u2018Harry Potter Puppet Pals\u2019 video on his childhood YouTube account. Some say he\u2019s still there today.<\/p>\n<p>2019\u2019s \u2018CARDBOARD PALACE\u2019, produced by Joey Whelan, is an ode to the vacuous malaise of modern living. Impulsive, animalistic and raw &#8211; it is the story of life in a tailspin, desperately clutching for the resemblance of control through chaos. Without direction, without opportunities, without hope- it\u2019s a rather roundabout way of saying \u2018yeah, we\u2019re never going to afford to own our own homes\u2019.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-30996\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Untitled6.png?resize=1340%2C259&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1340\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Untitled6.png?resize=600%2C116&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Untitled6.png?resize=150%2C29&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Untitled6.png?resize=1536%2C298&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Untitled6.png?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To the usual naval-gazing types, it\u2019ll be yet more mindless pleasure seeking by young ruffians but if there\u2019s one thing that characterises EARLS to me, it\u2019s about reclaiming your life in whatever way you can. From the job that you hate, the education that doesn\u2019t interest you, the opportunities and people that slip you by, the feeling that everything you do is simply what is expected of you, rather than something you genuinely want to do. And what you really want to do is go out and get rats-arsed.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t bestow upon you some gleaming insight, knowledge or solution but it\u2019s a perfect reflection of the world handed down to us. Do you feel free? You shouldn\u2019t. You should be really f\u2013king angry &#8211; EARLS are at least.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31241\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31241\" style=\"width: 1337px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31241 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_1571.jpg?resize=1337%2C784&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1337\" height=\"784\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_1571.jpg?resize=600%2C352&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_1571.jpg?resize=150%2C88&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_1571.jpg?w=984&amp;ssl=1 984w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31241\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Enter: <i>I\u2019m A Man<\/i>, the perfect opening song and where all new listeners looking to get into EARLS should start. Their music sounds simple but to do what they do, and more importantly, do it right, isn\u2019t easy. The guitars are an oppressive wall of sound, with the bends on the guitar, it\u2019s a cacophony on the verge of complete breakdown. When they aren\u2019t present, the track is stark, with only George\u2019s light percussion to hold you over while Ant lyrically lets rip with a detached but cutting diatribe that\u2019d by now become an EARLS staple.<\/p>\n<p><i>Coming Up<\/i> is at least the second-best song to bear this title, credit where it\u2019s due, few can top McCartney II. One thing EARLS has over Macca is the fact that when EARLS make a song about drugs, they\u2019ll <i>say <\/i>they made a song about drugs. Actually, another thing EARLS has over Macca is when they make a song about drugs, it doesn\u2019t get banned by the Beeb; it gets played on BBC Introducing East Midlands.<\/p>\n<p>Interpolating Whitney Houston\u2019s <i>I Wanna Dance With Somebody<\/i>, the romantic connotations are stripped away by a transactional, carnal desire for another while under the influence of some toot, it\u2019s got the slight Hellish quality to clubbing that\u2019s a necessary evil.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Whatever People Say I Am, That\u2019s What I\u2019m Not\u2019 * is wonderfully jargon-heavy and if you can peak the lyrics through the heavy Yorkshire dialect, you can have a little point of pride to flog to your mates. EARLS, on the other hand, is repetitive, overstated and specifically designed to be learnt by newcomers on a first listen. It\u2019s simple, catchy and ultimately makes complete sense for a band seeking to entice new fans. The barrier to entry is quite literally on the floor. I don\u2019t think I exactly have to explore a song called <i>House Party<\/i> with Freudian analysis or an astrological horoscope to tell you what it\u2019s about. Take a wild bloody guest pal.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tom tries not to mention Arctic Monkeys in every single goddamn article challenge: impossible. (GET OUT OF MY HEAD. GET OUT OF MY HEAD. GET OUT OF MY HEAD.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31227\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31227\" style=\"width: 1338px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31227\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2793.jpg?resize=1338%2C1748&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1338\" height=\"1748\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2793.jpg?resize=600%2C784&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2793.jpg?resize=115%2C150&amp;ssl=1 115w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2793.jpg?w=667&amp;ssl=1 667w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31227\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As Leicester\u2019s response to the wave of overly-verbose poets with a band attached that followed Turner\u2019s example, EARLS remembered one thing that the rest neglected: presentation!<\/p>\n<p>In a live setting there&#8217;s nothing more exhilarating for both the audience and the band than being able to scream the lyrics at each other. And EARLS\u2019 port of call was always going to the stage, the direct interaction, the impromptu introductions to each song, the theatrics of leading into the next song. Whether it\u2019s forcing members of the audience (or Owen) to don makeshift cardboard signs, or stomping out in full slav-squat and animal-skin pimp jacket to the chorus of <i>Vindaloo<\/i> &#8211; EARLS knew how to make an entrance.<\/p>\n<p>The highlight of <i>Entitled<\/i> has to be the absolutely roaring guitar work. I get a real kick when the tone goes all skrungly (technical term), it just makes me wish it was done more. At a time when Lil Dicky brought together his gaggle of rich celebrity friends to bolster his flopping career to churn out potentially one of the worst songs of all time (<i>Earth<\/i>) all under the guise of climate awareness, EARLS bite back. If you went skiing on your \u2018gap yaaar\u2019, avert thine precious eyes now.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31228\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31228\" style=\"width: 1336px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31228\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2800.jpg?resize=1336%2C1214&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1336\" height=\"1214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2800.jpg?resize=600%2C545&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2800.jpg?resize=150%2C136&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2800.jpg?w=734&amp;ssl=1 734w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31228\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ant\u2019s delivery drips with venom while George totally dominates the tracks with some tasteful (as tasteful as EARLS could be) fills. EARLS says it how it is and real must recognise real. In a world where vacuous consumption is akin to protest and the charts plod on as if this is normal or acceptable, EARLS age like fine wine or a particularly potent parmesan when they kick down the door, crack open an alcoholic beverage and plonk cold hard reality on the table.<\/p>\n<p>Now <i>Anger Management<\/i> is easily one of EARLS\u2019 best. A twisting, tumbling carnival-ride of track, it takes the ideas laid out in <i>Slog It Out <\/i>and turns them into gold. Those cavalcading guitars are the soundtrack to the world\u2019s angriest carousal. And we\u2019ve not even gotten onto that finale. As George batters down the hatches with ever-building intensity, Ant delivers one of his most impassioned and persistent vocals of EARLS\u2019 entire tenure. As the entire track comes collapsing in on itself in the most gratifying way. It\u2019s simply a must-listen.<\/p>\n<p>The album\u2019s by no means perfect, the run of <i>Kleptomaniac<\/i>, <i>The Boys (Are Alright)<\/i> and <i>The Weekend<\/i> largely feels like padding. <i>Kleptomaniac <\/i>lacks the \u2018umpf\u2019 (again, a technical term) of prior tracks; like the concepts it sets out remain yet to be fully explored. The main hook of \u2018I know I don\u2019t need it\u2019 doesn\u2019t quite capture me in the same way, say, <i>Coming Up<\/i> does. Maybe it just hits a little close to home with all the random bits and bobs I\u2019ve collected during my music excursions. Anyone interested in half a drumstick?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31230\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31230\" style=\"width: 1336px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31230\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3073.jpg?resize=1336%2C861&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1336\" height=\"861\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3073.jpg?resize=600%2C387&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3073.jpg?resize=150%2C97&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3073.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31230\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><i>The Boys (Are Alright) <\/i>doesn\u2019t have quite the same issue with time but once I found out this was an early cut from their very first EP, it all clicked into place. Both pull the same trick near the end by pulling away all the instrumentation before one final blow-out chorus but you can only pull that trick a few times before it becomes a crutch to try and give the impression of a resolution. For pacing\u2019s sake, I\u2019d cut the minute-longer <i>Kleptomaniac<\/i>, also because that incessant hi-hat is impossible to stop hearing once you notice it &#8211; and it gets old <i>quickly<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not to say there\u2019s nothing of value to be gleaned. One aspect of EARLS I find doesn\u2019t get spoken about enough is just how funny they are. While <i>The Weekend<\/i> is dobbed under similar problems to the prior two songs, the pay-off warrants its inclusion. Gallows humour is a powerful tool and EARLS are always happy to indulge. Ant\u2019s delivery of:<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Monday we do nuffin.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Tuesday we do nuffin.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Wednesday we do nuffffin.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Thursday we do nuffffffffieeeeneh\u2019<\/p>\n<p>is perfect. But the best example of this (and one I\u2019ve purposefully held off exploring as keen eyed EARLS officiandos may have noticed), is <i>House Party<\/i>. Any slander of <i>House Party<\/i> will <i>not <\/i>be tolerated; the shade this song gets thrown at only makes me like it more. The only reason the prior three tracks don\u2019t get the same derision from Ant is because they\u2019re ultimately more forgettable; <i>House Party<\/i> is one of EARLS\u2019 best songs.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31243\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31243\" style=\"width: 1340px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31243\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2807.jpg?resize=1340%2C929&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1340\" height=\"929\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2807.jpg?resize=600%2C416&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2807.jpg?resize=150%2C104&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2807.jpg?w=961&amp;ssl=1 961w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31243\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Few if any bands carry the brass balls to say \u2018we like house parties so now we\u2019re going to write a song about it\u2019, even fewer can pull it off without coming off like total heathens. The story behind this house party in particular involved Ant and George\u2019s windows being broken in by a random bloke looking for \u2018Jimmy\u2019. Little did random bloke know, there genuinely was no Jimmy. At least, not until this song was created in response.<\/p>\n<p>The Jimmy joke pays off threefold and dips; it\u2019s envisioned and executed perfectly. For all intents and purposes, it achieves everything it sets out to do, does so with finesse, doesn\u2019t bore us, gets straight to the chorus and doesn\u2019t outstay its welcome. It\u2019s literally <i>perfect<\/i>. Yes, I will die on this hill; no, there is nothing you can do to change my mind. Also, William Shatner would do a killer cover of this.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of perfect- did you hear that single off-kilter opening chord? No? Well suck it up buttercup- we\u2019re talking about <i>I Can\u2019t Move<\/i>. What a song. I\u2019ve found a new <i>505 <\/i>for all the losers out there. No, I can\u2019t help myself. The low-hanging fruit is literally right there.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31245\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31245\" style=\"width: 1338px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31245\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_5349.jpg?resize=1338%2C925&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1338\" height=\"925\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_5349.jpg?resize=600%2C415&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_5349.jpg?resize=150%2C104&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_5349.jpg?w=930&amp;ssl=1 930w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31245\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>By far the longest track on the album, EARLS know this one\u2019s special and they\u2019ll take their sweet time with it. It\u2019s their only ballad and they pull no punches in its execution. Ant\u2019s delivery is at its best; you feel every twinge of emotion, every gut-punch of confession, every affirmation of self-loathing. The inability to accept that things change and to reckon with the future as it looms over you daily is a formative feeling and one I know hangs over many.<\/p>\n<p>Restraint as emphasis is key to EARLS and every cresting wave of instrumentation is complemented by a quiet, contemplative waltz, lilting gently through a lyrical profession of personal cowardice. \u2018The future\u2019s uncertain \/ and that\u2019s what I\u2019m scared of\u2019, isn\u2019t even the most painful line in the song. For me, the lyric \u2018I don\u2019t want to go outside\u2019, in hindsight, serves as a foreboding epitaph to the world we once knew. 2019 truly was a lifetime ago. Bemoan it as corny, bemoan it as try-hardy &#8211; I\u2019ll bemoan the fact you\u2019ll never be able to create something with a single ounce of sincerity. This song is special; it\u2019s as simple as that.<\/p>\n<p>And EARLS know this is a stand-out, but don\u2019t seem confident enough in having it be the album\u2019s final track. The actual final songs are solid, spoilers sorry, but they suffer from <i>Dizzy Miss Lizzy<\/i> syndrome. The now infamous decision by The Beatles on 1965\u2019s \u2018Help!\u2019 to not use<i> Yesterday <\/i>as the final track, replaced instead by a jaunty 8-bar blues standard. Yes it\u2019s a great song but the album as a piece of art itself suffers because of it. I just can\u2019t help but imagine a world where that single off-kilter opening chord cuts through the chaos of <i>Skum King<\/i>; with the central conceit of the album made clear, only then do you peel back the curtain.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t really matter where you put <i>I Can\u2019t Move<\/i> in this album; it\u2019s entirely unto itself. Nothing on the album leads into it and anything that follows it is going to be equally whiplash-inducing. Ultimately, I\u2019m aware that I am but a man &#8211; I probably wouldn\u2019t be able to resist the temptation to put <i>The End is Nigh<\/i> as the penultimate track either but I just have a little hunch.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31242\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31242\" style=\"width: 1331px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31242\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_1603.jpg?resize=1331%2C801&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1331\" height=\"801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_1603.jpg?resize=600%2C361&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_1603.jpg?resize=150%2C90&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_1603.jpg?w=960&amp;ssl=1 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31242\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Now I\u2019m not quite pretentious enough to claim that CARDBOARD PALACE is a concept album but <i>Skum King<\/i> neatly ties up all the album&#8217;s ideas with a neat little bow. If you try hard enough, I\u2019m sure you could find a lovely little reference both lyrically and musically to most of the album but I want to at least pretend to keep the pretense that I have a life outside of Leicester\u2019s music scene.<\/p>\n<p>That ascending run up the guitar into the second verse with the distortion whacked to 11 is such a great detail, even if the timing slightly stumbles, it\u2019s a worthy sacrifice &#8211; inject that sh-t straight into my veins! CARDBOARD PALACE ends as it started: bluntly. And as the record finishes, you finally get a moment&#8217;s reprieve to collect yourself. Then you start it from track 1 all over again.<\/p>\n<p>CARDBOARD PALACE is one of the best albums to come out of Leicester\u2019s local scene. Finding out about it last January was a revelation about local music for me. I&#8217;m glad to have finally put my thoughts down into writing before I spontaneously combust.<\/p>\n<p>One aspect of local music that gets overlooked during the mad dash to be a reputable and proper recording artist is the fact that local bands thrive live. Without performance, what are you? What makes this album so special in my mind is how it defies the expectation that local music is only at its best live. It stands up on its own through the sheer quality of the music; EARLS will not be treated with the indignity of having anything less than your full attention.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31246\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31246\" style=\"width: 1337px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31246 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_7914.jpg?resize=1337%2C1156&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1337\" height=\"1156\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_7914.jpg?resize=600%2C519&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_7914.jpg?resize=150%2C130&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_7914.jpg?w=771&amp;ssl=1 771w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31246\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Following the album, EARLS would release two cover singles featuring covers of Dizzee Rascal\u2019s <i>Bonkers<\/i> and Underworld\u2019s <i>Born Slippy .NUXX<\/i> respectively. While house, techno and other assorted Mosh-adjacent bangers aren\u2019t usually fertile ground for guitar groups to traverse, EARLS bite the bullet. For years they\u2019d both been sticklers of their live sets and really did deserve to be documented as part of their history. The songs had been made all but their own.<\/p>\n<p>While I don\u2019t think any cover of these songs could supplant the originals, I don\u2019t see that as the intention. They\u2019re more of a salute to the classics of the ol\u2019 Ingurlish night-out- besides, it\u2019s not like they ever attempted <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/92rOA50u7yg?&amp;t=98\"><i>Mr Brightside<\/i><\/a>\u2026 *<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Video found after the above joke was written, now it looks like I have egg on my face. If you\u2019d wish to see more EARLS footage, Rowan Taylor has the most comprehensive collection going &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLyAp6EpQUfiODg4qXKZaQ7PQfoWPUgh3R&amp;si=kTVbgeHl3DGh1iOk\">check it out<\/a>. Videographers don\u2019t get enough credit for the work they do to preserve the scene.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-31217\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled21.png?resize=1336%2C668&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1336\" height=\"668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled21.png?resize=600%2C300&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled21.png?resize=150%2C75&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled21.png?w=1306&amp;ssl=1 1306w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>While these singles don\u2019t stand up quite so well compared to their live renditions and it was a good decision to release them separately from the album, the covers are solid. It\u2019d take a special kind of talent to ruin <i>Born Slippy<\/i>. I really consider these bonus tracks. A little cherry on top of a rather cranky cardboard cake.<\/p>\n<p>2019 would continue to see EARLS on the up, returning to Handmade Festival, they\u2019d make further appearances at Dot to Dot 2019 and a headline show at O2 Academy Leicester alongside Jools. They\u2019d play further shows throughout the summer and into the new year with The Soap Girls, Molars, Wurlitzer, Restless Bear, Graves, Dehyey, Our City Fires until they didn\u2019t. For 16 months. I wonder why.<\/p>\n<p>EARLS would not write, record or release any material during the lockdowns; the only gig they\u2019d play would be a <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/wmvSAjDD1O0\">Soundhouse Session<\/a>. The latter half of both Ant and George\u2019s early 20s would be spent exclusively locked inside and when they finally returned, EARLS was never going to be the same.<\/p>\n<p>Enter their next single: <i>Money 4 Meat<\/i>. It\u2019s by far their most underrated song.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-31216\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled11.png?resize=1335%2C445&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1335\" height=\"445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled11.png?resize=600%2C200&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled11.png?resize=150%2C50&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled11.png?resize=1536%2C512&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled11.png?w=1957&amp;ssl=1 1957w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A dead-cut off between the EARLS of two ramshackle students trying to make ends meet in a new city to two jaded adults still trying to make ends meet in a not-so-new city, COVID served as the hard-cut off between the two.<\/p>\n<p>Their notoriously copious amount of optimism was gone. And this desolate, all-consuming soundscape marks the return of a new EARLS in a new world. The new normal, if you will. No more parties, no more silly business and no more <i>Bonkers<\/i> (literally, they stopped playing it after Dizziee\u2019s arrest for being a rascal), just the crushing weight of responsibility and work. Post-lockdown, Ant would begin managing The Big Difference, having worked as a bartender under its previous incarnation The Cookie.<\/p>\n<p>The band ditches their punk-rock roots for their only industrial song. Sometimes you wake up and want to make a Swans track; EARLS went out and did it and my ears are better for it. With haunting backing vocals, Ant takes to a megaphone to decry the state of the world in an instrument that contorts and mutates into a behemoth of a song. As if the great gears of the EARLS war machine are slowly winding back up, by the end, the message is clear &#8211; they\u2019re back.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31248\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31248\" style=\"width: 1342px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31248 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9450.jpg?resize=1342%2C932&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1342\" height=\"932\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9450.jpg?resize=600%2C417&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9450.jpg?resize=150%2C104&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9450.jpg?w=979&amp;ssl=1 979w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31248\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The nihilistic desolation turned out to be a very appropriate song for that Christmas period when Ant tested positive for COVID, scuppering not only their headlining Christmas Party at Firebug to support the new single but also the surprise announcement EARLS had doubled. Now decked out as a four-piece with Alex Hemley on guitar and Josh Withers on bass, the two 18-year-olds would mark a new era for the band\u2019s final stretch. Without them, I get the impression there was a very real possibility EARLS may have never reformed after COVID.<\/p>\n<p>After a further cancelled gig due to the virus with Joe and The Shitboys, EARLS would finally take to the stage once again alongside bands like DreamCage, Dum Language, Rosaire and The Verinos as well as the relaunch of The Shed with Ohana, Chambers, Scumbag Lion, Oceans Apart and Our City Fires. They\u2019d further return to Handmade Festival 2022 and debut at Glastontree that summer.<\/p>\n<p>The sense of impending doom that followed EARLS grew; their time as an active band was to slowly wind down with a series of funeral shows before entering into oblivion after guitarist Alex Hemley and bassist Josh Withers moved away for university. EARLS haters rejoice until they check how long this article still has left.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31237\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31237\" style=\"width: 1340px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31237\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9437.jpg?resize=1340%2C967&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1340\" height=\"967\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9437.jpg?resize=600%2C433&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9437.jpg?resize=150%2C108&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9437.jpg?w=943&amp;ssl=1 943w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31237\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Somehow EARLS came back with a new single recorded over the Christmas break at the start of 2023: <i>Emotional Labour<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>Opening with a drum kick straight out of a Throbbing Gristle song, with Alex and Josh the sound is bursting at the seams, EARLS shall be subdued no more. Perhaps controversial (me? No, never.) but I never really clicked with this one. The parts are lesser than the whole. Ant\u2019s delivery and lyrics are some of, if not, the best in the band\u2019s entire discography. It\u2019s another<i> Stetson Sorrel<\/i> where the song is positively electric live, Ant\u2019s extended drawl on every \u2018labour\u2019 really brings the song together, to lose that in the single release makes me sad!<\/p>\n<p>George\u2019s drums are so low in the mix, I hear them but I don\u2019t <i>feel<\/i> them, which is a damn shame because that man can sure as hell hit a drum\u2026 Also that sudden gear shift into a cheesy 70s cop movie car chase isn\u2019t really helped by the stock police car siren sound effect. I get it, it\u2019s something a bit new but it kind of sucks me out of the song even as it tries to build up to that final emotional apex. It just detracts from that truly perfect ending; the sheer anger in the delivery of those final few \u2018FUCK YOU. PAY ME.\u2019s caps the song off with one of EARLS\u2019 best bits of advice.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31234\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31234\" style=\"width: 1337px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31234\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_7908.jpg?resize=1337%2C891&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1337\" height=\"891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_7908.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_7908.jpg?resize=150%2C100&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_7908.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31234\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s not a bad song but it could be so much better, which is always the most frustrating kind to me. Those five or six out of tens, just sitting there, on the verge of greatness, <i>mockingly<\/i>. It\u2019s the uncanny valley of music I can\u2019t bear to wallow in. If I ever get to see this song live, I shall rue my big mouth but until that distant day I\u2019m sitting pretty.<\/p>\n<p>While their singles cover were previously: insert picture, black and white filter, black vignette on 70, slam in the title (capitalised), become world-famous rockstars, print money, etcetera &#8211; I\u2019d say that has more charm than dapper AI frog. Although holding a cigarette inside your finger is impressive. It was 2023, different times, different times.<\/p>\n<p>In commemoration of The Society\u2019s 2024 masterpiece \u2018Tars Sadlum\u2019 and their song \u2018goalz\u2019, EARLS United FC would be formed to do battle with The Societys FC. They lost. Embarrassingly. And so it was written at the time; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ffWnDoO5LE8?si=oosgC8O_f3W1QMQW\">\u2018unable to handle their crippling defeat<\/a>, EARLS disbanded shortly after the big game, never to make any worthwhile contributions to music ever again.\u2019<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31221\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31221\" style=\"width: 1336px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31221 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0028.jpg?resize=1336%2C890&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1336\" height=\"890\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0028.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0028.jpg?resize=150%2C100&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0028.jpg?w=1500&amp;ssl=1 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31221\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Well, that was a lie.<\/p>\n<p><i>Blackheath<\/i> was always intended to be the end, a parting gift, if you will\u2026 A parting gift that has a black and white coded album cover, that also features the word \u2018black\u2019, that also, also features sudden changes to the structure? Close enough, welcome back David Bowie.<\/p>\n<p>Named after the small English town of Ant\u2019s birth, according to Wikipedia a notable step forward in the city\u2019s economic history was when a Sainsbury\u2019s opened back in the 90s. It was also part of the Smethwick constituency back in 1964 when a certain slogan involving the word \u2018neighbour\u2019 was used by the challenging Conservative candidate to put down the growing Commonwealth population in the area.<\/p>\n<p>I wouldn\u2019t go so far to say it\u2019s an act of repentance from EARLS, it\u2019s never that easy to pin down, but it\u2019s certainly a meditation on the band and what it represents to those who formed it. An acknowledgement that after nearly a decade since their formation, those involved aren\u2019t the same. Life happens, people change and that\u2019s a good thing. As an individual you either accept that fact or you die &#8211; unfortunately for EARLS, accepting that fact meant the band would die. You\u2019re not nineteen forever (since we\u2019re keeping up the Mosh bangers). The furthest CARDBOARD PALACE era EARLS ever got was the occasional self-effacing acknowledgment that their behaviour and attitudes were \u2018cliche\u2019, <i>Blackheath <\/i>is EARLS taking ownership.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31219\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31219\" style=\"width: 1341px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31219\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0019.jpg?resize=1341%2C894&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1341\" height=\"894\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0019.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0019.jpg?resize=150%2C100&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0019.jpg?w=1500&amp;ssl=1 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31219\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I respect the ability to neatly tie a project together, and more topically, to have the self-awareness to know when to call it a night. \u2018I hope I die before I get old,\u2019 sings 81-year-old Roger Daltrey as he goes about firing drummers all willy-nilly. Money printers go brrrrr.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s heavy. I can\u2019t imagine listening to it regularly but that\u2019s certainly not an indication of its quality. A bit like The People Assembly\u2019s <i>The Soup of Yesterday<\/i> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/single-review-the-people-assembly-the-soup-of-yesterday\/\">review for good soup here<\/a>), it\u2019s less of a song and more of a statement. Notable for what they represent for their respective bands than necessarily a song that you listen to on repeat in the background; each requires your attention and your investment.<\/p>\n<p><i>Blackheath<\/i> is truly EARLS&#8217; crowning glory. Ant\u2019s monologue sure as hell threw me off on the first listen. He may be lucid as ever but never had he truly stepped back and been as cool and collected in his thoughts. There\u2019s an extra level of firmness to his words in just how uncharacteristically calm he is in approach.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the first waltz from their discography since <i>I Can\u2019t Move<\/i> yet it comes from a completely different place. Ant may refer to the former as \u2018a tragic tale of self-indulgence\u2019, with it literally being about one\u2019s inability to continue on but <i>Blackheath <\/i>is about accepting it. It\u2019s not a resolution, at least not for those involved, just an acknowledgment of one\u2019s place and personal responsibility with a promise to be better. To, for lack of a better term, become a son of the light (zing! Always bring back the smoking gun).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31247\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31247\" style=\"width: 1337px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31247\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_7951.jpg?resize=1337%2C853&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1337\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_7951.jpg?resize=600%2C383&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_7951.jpg?resize=150%2C96&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_7951.jpg?w=1000&amp;ssl=1 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31247\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To know that while your past will always remain an innate part of you, it\u2019s your choice to choose whether or not to let it define you. You carry that weight, not because it\u2019s nice, or pleasant, or easy but because you have to. We all carry that weight, everyday. And oftentimes we fail, it\u2019s in getting back up and choosing to live that counts. Pick yourself up, there\u2019s work to do.<\/p>\n<p>Basically, I totally understand why this would be their favourite song from their catalog. I don\u2019t agree, I\u2019m still only 19 years young, guys! House Party! House Party! House\u2026 Party\u2026 Christ, I\u2019m 20 in 3 months\u2026<\/p>\n<p>After playing another string of funeral shows, anyone would think EARLS had nine lives but all things do come to an end eventually and with <i>Blackheath<\/i>, it was time for EARLS. They\u2019d officially disband in 2024 after a run of nearly a decade.<\/p>\n<p>Since then Alex and Josh have formed a Manchester-based outfit called Fruit. Drummer George Prosser has joined GUDNESS and has taken a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DJexpo3MbL2rjtZSUuwlrFY5MF6XTMxrfnE20w0\/?img_index=1\">dachshund called Gravy<\/a> under his wing. Anthony Lamb is working on a new group tentatively dubbed Pumping Station. As The Big Difference leaps from strength to strength, as does Ant\u2019s ever-expanding repertoire of cute cats.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31236\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31236\" style=\"width: 1343px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31236\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9430.jpg?resize=1343%2C824&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1343\" height=\"824\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9430.jpg?resize=600%2C368&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9430.jpg?resize=150%2C92&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_9430.jpg?w=1002&amp;ssl=1 1002w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31236\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo (c) Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>EARLS was \u2018ere. They were born slippy. They lived slippy. They died slippy. For those in the scene while they were around, their memory lingers, for those like me who only have the occasional recording and official release to clutch onto I live knowing I well and truly missed the bus on this one. No band quite so gleefully recounts the raucous dredges of Leicester &#8211; not with that kind of ferocity. There will be no other, EARLS well and truly have their place in Leicester&#8217;s local cannon on lock. All those who knew them in their prime and all those who look back fondly at the legacy they created will join together in their honour: shout it &#8211; larger, larger, larger.<\/p>\n<p>To conclude, this article shall be the last time I ever breathe a word about Alex Turner and his posse of nippy sapiens in writing. I\u2019ve turned a new leaf. I\u2019m going to start huffing paint instead. Cheers.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-31091\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUPPORT1.png?resize=1338%2C319&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1338\" height=\"319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUPPORT1.png?resize=600%2C143&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUPPORT1.png?resize=150%2C36&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUPPORT1.png?resize=1536%2C365&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUPPORT1.png?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u2013<\/p>\n<p>If this article has enticed you to read further about EARLS, check out this article\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/interview-earls\/\">accompanying interview with Ant and George themselves<\/a>. I\u2019d like to take this time to thank them for the time and effort they put into making it a worthwhile read. I\u2019d also like to give a special thank you to Rowan Taylor (chief connoisseur of the EARLS archives) for his help and permission to use his recordings.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you would like to share this review, please help us by using the share buttons below instead of a screen capture. Thank you!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">THE FOXES IN THE HEN HOUSE I: EARLS WAS &#8216;ERE Written by Thomas Needham Photography by Kevin Gaughan Read our interview with EARLS in celebration <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/retrospective-earls\/\" title=\"Retrospective &#8211; EARLS\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":31220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[346,119,170,86,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-346","category-bands","category-bands-history","category-columns","category-music-home-page"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_0024.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p73uhX-87s","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":28010,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/gig-review-oceans-apart-at-the-shed-saturday-2nd-april-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":31214,"position":0},"title":"Gig review &#8211; Oceans Apart at The Shed, Saturday 2nd April 2022","author":"Kevin Gaughan","date":"08\/04\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As I sipped my pint, I reflected that I have been coming to The Shed for twenty years. I could write a whole book about the nights I have had in this venue. The Shed - surviving everything since 1994...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2022&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2022","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/2022\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/IMG_8080.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/IMG_8080.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/IMG_8080.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/IMG_8080.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30126,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/gig-review-earls-at-the-big-difference-friday-28th-july-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":31214,"position":1},"title":"Gig review &#8211; Earls at The Big Difference, Friday 28th July 2023","author":"Kevin Gaughan","date":"17\/08\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"with Dada Women and Leave your body behind Reviewed by Alphonso Butt Earls are Dead, Long live Earls! 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What was the decision behind the name \u2018EARLS\u2019?\" We formed in 2015 after moving to Leicester for University. 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And, at the time of writing, Australia is still burning. Click here for photographs of the devastation.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2020&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2020","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/2020\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/LARA-1.jpg?fit=600%2C404&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/LARA-1.jpg?fit=600%2C404&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/LARA-1.jpg?fit=600%2C404&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15593,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/acid-cannibals-at-the-soundhouse-10th-december-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":31214,"position":4},"title":"Review &#8211; Acid Cannibals at The Soundhouse, 10th December, 2018","author":"Kevin Gaughan","date":"13\/12\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"with Earls and Knice Tonights show was organised by Magic Teapot Presents and The Other Window Reviewed by Aleksandra Brzezicka It was dirty. 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