Big Special are one of the most compelling voices in the current UK underground

Big Special are one of the most compelling voices in the current UK underground, forging a path out of the industrial heartland of the Black Country with a raw sound that blends punk ferocity with spoken-word poetry. The duo burst onto the scene with their 2024 debut Postindustrial Hometown Blues, an album that took its cues from real working-class life and emotional truth.

Postindustrial Hometown Blues is a bracing introduction to Big Special. The album is rough-edged yet thoughtful, lacing frantic percussion and a jagged, poetic delivery. These unique characteristics are most clear on tracks like “Shithouse”, “This Here Ain’t Water” and “Black Dog/White Horse”. Critics and fans alike championed the record for how it channels frustration and resilience into songs that feel lived-in and vital. 

Big Special’s live shows quickly matched that intensity. They’ve taken the album on the road across the UK, Europe and beyond, igniting festival crowds at the likes of Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, and winning over audiences on tour with acts such as Pixies and Sleaford Mods.

Live, Big Special are nothing short of incendiary. Reviews from packed gigs - whether in intimate venues like The District in Liverpool or headline nights at XOYO in Birmingham - repeatedly spotlight the duo’s magnetic stage presence as they fire through their catalogue with equal parts ferocity and nuance. 

In 2025, Big Special followed up with their surprise second album, National Average, dropping without typical fanfare yet quickly earning rave reviews for its expanded scope and razor-witted lyrical depth. 

The record mixes punk drive with elements of funk and sharp social commentary. It landed on year-end best-of lists and reinforced the band’s knack for capturing the contradictions of modern life with humour and bite.

Where Postindustrial Hometown Blues established them as fierce new voices rooted in their community and lived experience, National Average sees them broaden the musical palette while retaining that cathartic honesty. 

Between records and a growing reputation for electrifying shows, Big Special are the kind of band that doesn’t just perform live, they connect live, forging moments that stick long after the last beat fades.

We reckon if you’re into this, you should have a little listen to Gurriers - one of the most exciting bands to come out of Dublin in recent years!