Formed from the malfunction of a terrible musical labratory experiment. are you ready to rock n' roll? website www.dirtboxdisco.co.uk

At once confrontational and melodic, Brooklyn's the Wants make music informed by Anglophilic post-punk, the nonstop rhythms of industrial and techno, and Rust Belt grit. Featuring members of Bodega, the band shares a similar sense of political outrage, but channels it in more experimental and inward-looking ways on releases such as 2020's debut album Container.

Home Counties make melodically rigid, socially-charged anthems that are both lyrically tongue-in-cheek and scathingly satirical. The quintet who were previously known as Haze, combine angular guitar work with furious percussion and have toured with the likes of Shame, Sports Team and Pip Blom. Their debut EP Redevelopment on has had radio support from Huw Stephens and Jack Saunders (BBC Radio 1), Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music) and Matt Wilkinson (Beats 1).

Alt pop singer-songwriter from Montreal who has emerged from the same scene as Grimes.

The Bonnevilles are shaking Northern Ireland in a way it hasn't felt since Van Morrison & Them obliterated Club Rado in 1964 and Stiff Little Fingers blew apart The Trident in 1977! The Bonnevilles don't so much play punk blues as use it as a springboard to create a completely new genre. And now they release their fourth studio album Dirty Photographs with LA-based Alive Natural Sound Records. The Lurgan duo take Mississippi Hill Blues and Punk Rock and mix their own unique dark Northern Irish Punk Blues stew, which drew the attention of the aforementioned Alive Natural Sound leading to the release of the award-nominated Arrow Pierce My Heart on the label in 2016. The Bonnevilles formed in 2009 and quickly released their debut and now legendary album Good Suits & Fightin' Boots on Motor Sounds Records. McGibbon, being a blues fan, was moved to create The Bonnevilles after being heavily inspired by RL Burnside's A Ass Pocket Of Whiskey and bands like The Soledad Brothers, The Immortal Lee County Killers and blues heavyweights like Howlin' Wolf and Robert Johnson. McGibbon combines with McMullan's heavy metal drumming style in a band has become Europe's top alternative blues act. Playing the Deep Blues festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi and the legendary Junior's Juke Joint in Holly Springs in 2015 cemented the band's reputation as the real deal. Now the band's new album Dirty Photographs sees them reach fresh creative fields the same dark blues punk stew but with added sugar.

Mei Semones is an artist creating jazz influenced indie pop songs with lyrics in both Japanese and English, currently based in Brooklyn, NY.

Melding the raw energy of hardcore with the intricate delicacies of electronic, LA native 3L3D3P is defining a new future of punk. Now a key member of the Vada Vada collective alongside The Garden, Cowgirl Clue, and more, 3L3D3P has solidified her reputation with a steady stream of singles and hyper-chaotic, batshit live performances.

Whitney K is the coming man! Described by UNCUT Magazine as a Nomadic Canadian channelling magical realism, country rock and Lou Reed he brings his band and new album to the streets of Bedford for a night wild rock n roll through the lens of a master storyteller and poet. It's going to be a wild ride and you'll want to be able to say you were there! This promises to be something very special with the added bonus of slacker Americana hipsters Flypaper unfurling their flag in support. Book early. Stay late.

The quartet of Zack Borzone (vox), Jack Tobias (synth), Sam Pickard (drums), and Saguiv Rosenstock (guitar) display an innate ability to translate a primitive spirit into a modern form. Born during the lockdown as an experimental project between Borzone and Pickard in Philadelphia, the group expanded as the two moved to New York, adding Tobias for their debut self-titled EP, which was produced by Rosenstock, who was then integrated into the band. That first collection is one of self-discovery, of finding the tools necessary to make songs within the band’s own ecosystem. They honed in on their own world and their collaborative, close-knit writing process, discovering the essential structures and feelings that make YHWH Nailgun.

The five-piece are at the forefront of our city's up-and-coming scene, inspired by the abundance of iconic Manchester bands that have come before them – think Oasis, The Stone Roses and The Verve, as well as some of our Merseyside mates such as The La's and The Beatles.

Emerging from London’s underground music scene, The Sick Man Of Europe is distinctly monochrome in its outlook. Each note counts in this climate - economical but played with absolute precision and conviction. Propelled forward by machines and seeking solace in repetition. There are echoes of the post-punk and European art rock pioneers at the cusp of the 80s, but re-tooled for the present. The same fears. Looking for answers or something to believe in, but finding more questions in an age of absolutes.

At the frayed bottom-edge of Indiana just a moderate bike ride north of Louisville, Kentucky multi-instrumentalist, artist and songwriter Ryan Davis Americana-noir soundwaves have been emanating for years in a myriad of forms. As driving force for the lauded State Champion, long-running member of Tropical Trash, administrator of the esoteric and excellent Cropped Out festival, and lone proprietor of the Sophomore Lounge label, Davis lays down his first proper 'solo release with Dancing On The Edge a rich, two-LP tapestry of tunes that absolutely glows over seven expansive cuts. It's a pure collage of modernity and heritage. After a period of introspection spent re-immersing himself in his drawing and painting practice, as well as his newfound delvings into instrumental music, Davis sea change was imminent. I wasnt sure I would ever make another record of 'song songs, he says, but last year I started writing again and it eventually took the shape of the record at hand. I worked painstakingly hard on the material. It felt virtually impossible to complete for a bulk of the time I spent trying to enter into it, but the process pulled me out of a strange place. I was eventually able to live inside of the songs enough to understand the world within them to ultimately help shape them into what I understood them to be. Indeed, there's a load of inspiration captured in the grooves with Ryan's unfiltered, folk-traditioned approach to poetic twists-of-tongue meeting head on with sublime instrumentation. Recorded in early 2023 with help both in-studio and remotely from peers like Joan Shelley, Catherine Irwin (Freakwater), Will Lawrence (Felice Brothers, Gun Outfit, John Early), Jenny Rose (Giving Up), Christopher May (Mail the Horse), Elisabeth Fuchsia (Footings, Bonnie Prince Billy) and Aaron Rosenblum (Son of Earth, Sapat), Dancing on the Edge draws backup perhaps primarily from Davis tight-knit drinking buddies-cum-cast of collaborators in Equipment Pointed Ankh (records on Astral Editions, Bruit Direct Disques, Torn Light) a five-headed hive-mind from which he drew impetus for his own foray into more abstract and improvisational terrain these past few years under the Roadhouse alias. The results herein are melancholic, gentle, minimal yet colourful in mood: a lilting highway accompaniment of crisp instrumentation and a relaxed, amiable approach to vocals with rhapsodic wordsmithery. Fans of the aforementioned artists as well as those of Souled American, David Berman, Kurt Vile and Comes A Time-era Neil should all easily find bounty. While bare-boned and uncluttered in presentation, many of these pieces track over six minutes allowing a fair amount of expansiveness. Flashes of Orange percolates with synthetic and organic percussion while Davis ruminates on how a steady drip falls from the ceiling to my forehead / a pitter-patter of my past mistakes as a Cale-esque violin chatters through impressionistic fields of pedal steel. It's got an absence of recurring verses, replaced by an ever-unfolding story, words spotlighted by tasteful flanging synths and lovely key shifts as finally the titular hook lifts its proceedings up into the clouds. Other times the humour shines: tales of a jukebox that only plays Sultans of Swing in Junk Drawer Heart, ruminations like 'soon Ill be seen as a problem for the neighbours / soon Ill be seen as a trophy for the precinct in Free From the Guillotine, and of course the simple proclamation of A Suitable Exit being I never asked to be born / I was only wondering where the door went to. Tracked and mixed by Seth Manchester at Machines With Magnets (Pawtucket, RI) and mastered for vinyl by Tohru Kotetsu at Tokyo's legendary JVC Mastering Center, Dancing On The Edge stares down into the navel of the American Experience underbelly with a fair amount of outward reach. Besides the Kosmische-synth and violin stabs reaching into a European element, stately organ swells build a musical bridge between 1969 Southern California and Felt's latter era smooth moves, with layers of intelligent gesture taking this well beyond the realm of its archetypal indie troubadour/acoustic songwriter tag. Music and mint juleps never went down so well together.

Slater, an experimental alternative electronic and indie hip-hop artist from Orange County, California, has become a star of the new wave of alternative pop/hip-hop since his debut in 2013. Drawing inspiration from the laid-back, sunburnt vibe of his hometown and the raw energy of '90s and early 2000s rap and rock, Slater has crafted a sound that is both distinctly SoCal and refreshingly boundary-pushing. From seductive club bangers to therapeutic night-time cruising tunes, his music captivates listeners with smooth, groovy beats and infectious melodies that feel as nostalgic as they are innovative.

A sweet spot between Folk and Pop. Born in Puerto Plata to Taíno Native and Italian heritage, Laura Alden was raised in Germany but found her artistic home in Dublin, Ireland, where she first made a name for herself playing on the streets.

SANAM is a Beirut-based sextet that merges psych/kraut, improv/skronk, electronics, goth, and jazz elements with traditional Egyptian song and modern Arabic poetry in a compelling brew of widescreen hybrid avant-rock. Emerging from Beirut’s fiercely creative independent scene, the group features Sandy Chamoun (vocals), Antonio Hajj (bass), Farah Kaddour (buzuq), Anthony Sahyoun (guitar, synth), Pascal Semerdjian (drums), and Marwan Tohme (guitars)-each an accomplished musician in their own right, with ties to influential Lebanese acts like Kinematik, Postcards, Al Rahel al Kabir, and Oviid. Formed following an invitation to collaborate with Hans Joachim Irmler (of German krautrock legends Faust) at the Irtijal Festival in 2021, the band solidified its identity during a recording residency in rural Lebanon amid national turmoil. SANAM captured its debut album Aykathani Malakon entirely live, forgoing overdubs, embracing improvisation and musical friction to create an immersive and otherworldly sonic landscape. With haunting vocals, deeply textured instrumental layers, and texts by Egyptian composer Sayyid Darwish and contemporary Lebanese poets Bassem Hajjar and Paul Shaoul, the album channels the urgency, mysticism, and emotional upheaval of contemporary life in Lebanon and the region. Mixed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem in My Heart) and mastered by Heba Kadry, the debut album was released in June 2023 by UK label Mais Um Discos, garnering notable critical acclaim from The Guardian, The Wire, BBC Radio 6 (from both Gilles Peterson and Tom Ravenscroft) and Bandcamp Daily. SANAM brought its live show to Europe for select engagements in 2023-2024, including festival appearances at Le Guess Who?, Feeërieën, and End of the Road and recorded a live album at London’s Café Oto, released on limited edition cassette by Mais Um Discos, capturing the raw and transcendent energy of the band’s performances. SANAM made its first trip to North America in June 2025 with a string of festival appearances in Canada, including Sled Island, Everyseeker, and Suoni Per Il Popolo, followed by European festival dates in July, including Roskilde. The band will release their sophomore album with renowned Canadian experimental label Constellation in September 2025, promising a deeper dive into their boundary-defying synthesis of folklore, feedback, and freeform fervor. Brudenell Presents... This is a 14+ event (Under 18s to be accompanied by an adult)

Emotional, lush, and transformative, NYC's James K has been a beloved name in the electronic underground for years. Now, the Yves Tumor collaborater is gearing up to her third album Friend, an incredible left-field pop album with nods to trip-hop, ambient and shoegaze. Releasing on AD93 (Moin, YHWH Nailgun), the artist normally found on bills with Vegyn, Nick Leon and more and topping multiple year end lists, she comes to Leeds for the first time for a very special night. A truly ethereal and special night in bound. This is an 14+ event

Copenhagen's snuggle and Sweden's Horse Vision are both at the forefront of the Northern European guitar music scenes. In the gaps between sound design, early emo, rock and pop, the two have honed their own sounds, familiar on one hand yet deeply exciting on the other. This is an 18+ event.

Slovenian mincecore legends Kultivator visit Glasgow on the run up to Chimpyfest, bringing there signature style of old-school, punky grind with them for a rare Scottish show. Joining them, and also hailing from Slovenia, are Tvrold. Medieval-themed grindcore. That means armour and blast beats. What more could one want? On local support we have young goregrind crew Satans Skidmark and short-sighted GHC newcomers Canny See.

The goal of the fest is to bring together bands and artists who embrace the darkness and macabre. Goth, punk, metal, dark ambient and horror collide on the the most haunted night of the year!

A big anniversary for us! Fifteen years of Danse Macabre, and we couldn't have done it without you all. We genuinely thought we'd do it maybe once or twice to see if any of our mates wanted to come along. And now hundreds of you do.:) From our OGs who remember us valiantly juggling between two laptops and three bags of records down in Sleazys on a Tuesday night, to the new post-lockdown babybat faces who have lit up our nights, and to the parent-and-child combos now coming to the dancefloor, we love you all. Come celebrate fifteen years, and maybe fifteen more, of your fave LGBTQ+ goth disco, until (hopefully) 4am.