Bathing Suits: Freaky, Loud and Ready to Detonate

Bathing Suits are bursting out of the city’s feral DIY party scene with a battering ram of techno-punk chaos and no-wave attitude, the band weld pounding beats to industrial guitars with a grin that screams: "this might be dangerous."

Having already torn up basements and clubs across the UK and Europe (often literally — ask any sound engineer they’ve tackled mid-set), the band’s ethos is proudly shameless: “Always dancey. Always loud. Always sexy.” Their latest single, I Can Be A Freak, flips a 2010s R&B sample into something sticky, sweaty, and gloriously defiant — a bat signal for weirdos everywhere.

We caught up with the band ahead of their headline run and freaky new release to talk club chaos, Ke$ha covers, and their ultimate dream gig (spoiler: it involves smoke guns and cages).

1. “Always dancey. Always loud. Always sexy” — how did that mantra come about, and how does it shape the way you approach writing and performing?

I was tryna think of something short and snappy that summed us up — we are dancey AF, we are loud AF, and I am sexy ASF. But honestly, the way we write and perform shaped that mantra, not the other way around.

2. Your new single ‘I Can Be A Freak’ flips a 2010s R&B anthem into something noisy, sweaty, and defiant — how did that transformation come together, and what does ‘freaky’ mean to you right now?

I was obsessed with Freak by Estelle growing up — it was literally one of my favourite songs ever. I first wrote I Can Be A Freak as an electronic track sampling that line, but then brought it to the band in practice.Right now, freaky means being unapologetically hot and hard to talk to. Either that, or just being a fucking weirdo.

3. You started out throwing DIY parties in basements — how did those wild early nights influence the way Bathing Suits sounds and feels on stage today?

Our first few gigs were literally 20 minutes of noise and a cover of Tik Tok by Ke$ha. And we'd just fight throughout the set. I remember one where Alex pushed me and Elise so hard she knocked her amp over, and I fell onto the sound desk — so I grabbed him by the collar and threw him over the PA. So, yeah. Lowkey, no matter what happens, as long as it’s freaky it’s gonna be sick.

4. There’s a real collision of genres in your music — post-punk, techno, noise, pop — who are the artists or scenes that helped you give yourself permission to go that weird, that loud, that free?

We were all rinsing Harry Pussy, Lydia Lunch, The Birthday Party — that whole 80s no wave scene — and it really shaped how we play. But also loads of electronic stuff: Snow Strippers, Sleigh Bells, M.I.A., Xiu Xiu. We just wanted to sound like all the stuff we love at once and not care if it made sense.

5. You’ve already played in basements, clubs, and across Europe — what’s the dream Bathing Suits live setup? Smoke? Strobe? Sweaty walls? Describe your ultimate gig.

Big dark room. 2AM. Cages with dancers in metallic swimsuits hanging from the ceiling. Blinding white strobe lights. Fog machines blasting while I shoot a giant smoke gun that matches my American Apparel bathing suit. And the wildest indoor smoking area you’ve ever seen — the kind you’ve gotta push through just to get anywhere.

Bathing Suits’ new single ‘I Can Be A Freak’ is out Thursday 7th August.Catch them live and don’t forget: freaky is a state of mind.