BIG SPECIAL expand POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES with remixes & live cuts

Few debuts have landed with the same energy as POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES, and now BIG SPECIAL are giving us even more to chew on.

The duo have just released a deluxe edition of their acclaimed debut, packing in a heap of remixes, early demos, and live recordings, including a fiery take from King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow and a Brazilian cut from Espaco Unimed in Sao Paulo.

If the original album was a cathartic howl from Britain’s underbelly, this expanded version pushes things further. Sleaford Mods, Andy Bell (Ride), Public Service Broadcasting, and Robbie Majors (Benefits) all get their hands on tracks.

Meanwhile, Slowdive’s Simon Scott brings his Three Quarter Skies touch to ‘For The Birds,’ adding a shimmering new layer to the band’s gritted-teeth intensity.

It all arrives just in time for their biggest headline show yet, at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town on 29th March. And if that wasn’t enough, BIG SPECIAL have also landed a UK tour support slot with Pixies, playing huge venues from Brixton Academy to the Utilita Arena in Cardiff. Not bad for a band whose music, according to MOJO, “stands its ground and looks you right in the eye.”

For the uninitiated, POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES is an unfiltered blast of post-punk, blues, and brutalist soul, think Idles meets Nick Cave in a disused factory. As The Guardian put it, it’s a “readers’ favourite of 2024” for a reason.

BIG SPECIAL 2025 UK live dates

Headline Shows
27 Mar – Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath
29 Mar – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
20 Apr – Esquires, Bedford
9-10 May – Are You Listening? Festival, Reading
25 May – Dot To Dot Festival, Bristol
25-28 Jul – Deer Shed Festival, Thirsk

Supporting Pixies
13 May – P&J Arena, Aberdeen
14 May – O2 Academy, Edinburgh
16 May – O2 Academy, Brixton, London
17 May – O2 Academy, Brixton, London
19 May – O2 Academy, Leeds
20 May – O2 Academy, Birmingham
21 May – Utilita Arena, Cardiff
23 May – O2 City Hall, Newcastle
24 May – O2 Apollo, Manchester

POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES (DELUXE) – Out Now

Highlights from the Deluxe Tracklist:

• ‘Stay Down, Lazarus’ feat. John Grant
• ‘For The Birds’ (Simon Scott Three Quarter Skies Remix)
• ‘Black Dog / White Horse’ (Sleaford Mods Remix)
• ‘Dust Off / Start Again’ (Robbie Major Benefits Remix)
• ‘This Here Ain’t Water’ (Public Service Broadcasting Remix)
• Live versions from Glasgow & Brazil

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