Fast Blood: Newcastle’s Indie Punk Powerhouse Taking the Scene by Storm

Meet Fast Blood, the Newcastle-based indie-punk outfit that’s making waves with their raw energy and electrifying sound. Frequently compared to genre heavyweights like Amyl and the Sniffers, White Lung, and Hot Snakes, this band is carving their own path with unapologetically gritty tracks and a relentless drive.

Their debut album Sunny Blunts has been making noise across the indie and punk scenes, earning accolades from respected outlets like Louder Than War, NARC Magazine, and The Punk Site. But Fast Blood isn’t stopping there—they’re on a mission to give the record the recognition it deserves.

Fresh off a high-profile stint supporting hardcore legends Fucked Up on their UK tour, the band is proving they belong on the big stage. With a sound that’s equal parts ferocious and heartfelt, Fast Blood is a name you won’t want to forget.

Let’s dive into what makes this rising act one of the most exciting bands to watch right now.

Dave H (guitars): White Lung – ‘Drown With the Monster’

I love this band immensely. They provide the perfect mix of pretty much everything I want in a punk band, and everything I like to incorporate into the music I write in Fast Blood – pure intensity, power, raw punk rock swagger, but with heaps of melody pouring through. White Lung aren’t well known for subtleties in their music, but there are moments of calm and introspection when appropriate. I think the same could be said when considering our album,  Sunny Blunts. Kenny William is an unbelievable guitarist, and has so many interesting, eccentric ideas for riffs, which buzz through every song – we’re talking  fast, urgent, technical punk rock played through some kind of post-punk/garage rock filter or something? There is something very original about his playing which is unmistakenly, him. I’ve always loved tech punk rock bands, with guitar players bringing something new to the table since discovering bands like Propagandhi in my teens. Kenny just blows me away. He’s one of my favourite guitarists of all time. I think the White Lung influence in my guitar-playing is most evident in our song ‘Gone For Good’.

Abi (vocals/lyrics): Samiam – ‘Capsized’

Clumsy is one of my favourite albums ever, and a huge source of inspiration to me both as a singer and lyricist. I love it all, from start to finish, with all its changes of pace and intensity from one song to the next. I listened to this album a lot whilst working on Sunny Blunts. The honesty in Jason’s lyrics, and the raw emotion in his delivery resonate with me strongly and were  definitely influential to my contribution to our record.

Kris (bass): Press Club – ‘Endless Motion’

Since the formation of Fast Blood, I’ve always looked at Press Club as something of an aspirational band.  Not only musically, but also in their live performances. They have this fucking effortless cool vibe on stage, and manage to blend intensity and melody perfectly every time, whilst offering up something unique and refreshing in the process. The album’s title track ‘Endless Motion’ is a great representation of this. Whilst Fast Blood’s music might bear little resemblance to Press Club’s sound, For Sunny Blunts, I really wanted to capture and emulate some of ‘Endless Motion’s dynamics, peaks and troughs.

Dave A (drums): Hot Snakes – ‘I Shall Be Free’

No new band has mattered as much to me over the past twenty years as Hot Snakes. Over their four LPs and the countless times I’ve seen them play, I’ve never found any other band as impressive, inspirational, or just anywhere near as fucking cool as they were. Me and my buddies used to travel far and wide to see them when they would tour back in the day, and I was lucky enough to see them at the Riot Fest afterparty a few years back. I also played with them once or twice with my older bands, and they were always lovely, welcoming, and funny folks. From my personal perspective, they had not just one, but two utterly insane drummers in Jason Kourkonis and Mario Rubalcaba – both absolute beasts on the tubs, but each with their own very distinctive, nuanced differences in style. Rick Froberg was a hero of mine. His wild banshee wail was the best in the biz, bar none… not to mention his incredible lyrics, amazing art and design, while also being fairly easy on the eye. It absolutely flattened me when the word came through that he had passed away – and that happened right around the time that Fast Blood was recording Sunny Blunts, so he was very much on my mind through that process. Despite my very limited abilities, Hot Snakes more than anyone has influenced my approach to playing music and doing bands. RIP Rick!