ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

This week’s artist of the week goes to Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, AKA Pigsx7 (and also, probably the longest band name ever).

Photo by Ania Shrimpton

Hailing from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England and composed of Matt Baty, Sam Grant, Adam Ian Sykes, John-Michael Joseph Hedley, and Ewan Mackenzie, Pigsx7 has a sound that’s impossible to ignore— as in their music packs such a punch that it’d probably be detrimental to your hearing if you went to one of their shows without ear plugs. All jokes aside, Pigs entrances their listeners with a cathartic cacophony that combines the heaviness of metal music with the fuzziness of psych and garage rock.

The band’s booming presence has continued to grow throughout their discography, especially on their most recent album Land Of Sleeper, which was released this past February. Talking about writing for this new record, vocalist Matt Baty says, “Shouting about themes of existential dread comes very naturally to me, and I think because I'm aware of that in the past I've tried to rein that in a little. There's definitely moments on this album where I took my gloves off and surrendered to that urge." 

The push-and-pull tension presents itself when listening to the album on a track like “The Weatherman,” which has a slow, ominous build up that leads into an eventual explosion. This track also has a collaboration with Bonnacons Of Doom vocalist Kate Smith and a choir including Richard Dawson and Sally Pilikington, which further adds to its massive and multi-dimensional sound. The slower moments on Land Of Sleeper also artfully contrast with the urgency felt immediately on tracks like “Mr Medicine” and “Ultimate Hammer.”

If you’re in need of music that will amplify your soul, make sure you throw Pigs on your listening rotation, and if you’re in Chicago you can catch them playing Sleeping Village on March 28th. See the rest of the tour dates here, and don’t forget your hearing protection!