Introducing: Morton Betts

Raw, raucous, and refreshingly unfiltered — Morton Betts are the Lancaster-based four-piece injecting a jolt of post-punk energy into the UK alt scene. At the core are Jack Taylor and Niall Graham, the songwriting engine behind the band’s genre-scrambling sound, bolstered live by Liam Santon’s thunderous drums and Joe Lewis’ groove-soaked basslines. Blending the grit of punk, the swagger of rock 'n' roll, and a touch of progressive edge,

Morton Betts are loud, bold, and exactly the kind of band you'd write home about — if your letter didn't get soaked in beer first.

Parquet Courts - Borrowed Time

Parquet Courts have always been a huge influence on how we make music. Borrowed Time encapsulates it well; the raw aggression and energy in Andrew Savage’s vocals and the jaunty, abrasive guitars on top. Their version for KEXP in a bike shop at SXSW is great, we’ve actually watched it pre-gig before for some inspiration - it’s also why we stuck Joe, our bass player, in the middle of the stage.

Yard Act - The Trapper’s Pelts

Yard Act have a knack for telling slightly surreal tales about oddball characters in their tunes, with witty lyricism backed by melodic bass lines and pounding drums. There’s a shouty, spoken word vocal delivery in their music that’s quite The Fall-y, and some of their earlier stuff like The Trapper’s Pelts definitely helped in shaping how we write about the weird and wonderful. 

Half Man Half Biscuit - All I Want For Christmas is a Dukla Prague Away Kit

When speaking of the weird and wonderful, it would be impossible to not mention Half Man, Half Biscuit. They’ve got some of the best lyrics (and song titles) in the business - if by ‘best’ you mean most bizarre. All I Want For Christmas is a Dukla Prague Away Kit is a prime example. Any song that mentions the explains, in detail, a heated game of Subbuteo gets a yes from us.

Belle and Sebastian - Legal Man

We’re big Belle and Sebastian fans. Their storytelling is unmatched; they never fail to create a whole world in every song. Difficult to pick a song, but Legal Man is a good place to start. It has a great drumbeat, with a fantastic riff that crops up throughout the song. It also wouldn’t be out of place in a 70s heist movie.

The Chats - Ticket Inspector

Aggressive Australian punk rock with some fantastic oddball storytelling - what’s not to love. The Chats inject some real energy into their music, and a track like this with a headbanging, punchy chorus is exactly the sort of thing we’ve tried to do with Pebbledashing. We’re fairly certain that the ticket inspector from this tune would probably be good friends with our angry local at the parish council meeting in Pebbledashing.