Blackpool, UK · alt-rock · post-hardcore

Boston Manor

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Blackpool band that walked away from pop-punk toward something darker, grimier, and considerably more interesting — industrial-gray alt-rock with real atmosphere.

Boston Manor formed in Blackpool in 2013, initially working within British pop-punk before moving steadily toward heavier, more textured territory. The band came together after its members split from earlier projects, feeling there was little going on for them locally; they bought a van so they could play shows outside Blackpool, and took their name from the title of a demo a friend had sent the singer.

Their later material leans on grunge and industrial-tinged alternative rock, with distorted guitars, electronic undercurrents and vocals from Henry Cox that shift between melody and strain.

They released early EPs, Here/Now, Driftwood and Saudade, before signing to Pure Noise Records and issuing three full-length albums: Be Nothing in 2016, Welcome to the Neighbourhood in 2018 and Glue in 2020. Welcome to the Neighbourhood was named Album of the Week by Kerrang! and earned an award nomination for its artwork, while the band itself was nominated for Best British Breakthrough in 2018.

Lyrically the band has drawn repeatedly on the decline of their home town and northern England more broadly, an interest that gives their records a specific sense of place.

They tour widely in the UK, Europe and the United States, and have built their audience largely through consistent live work rather than radio. They have supported acts including Good Charlotte and A Day to Remember, and released the single "Liquid," featuring Trophy Eyes' John Floreani, in 2019.

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alt-rockpost-hardcore