Birmingham duo, BIG SPECIAL have just shared their brand-new single ‘DESPERATE BREAKFAST.’ A marriage of bludgeoning percussion and buzzsaw synths, the track walks us through a vision of dilapidated small-town high streets, capturing the exasperation of modern living. Magnetic singer, Joe Hicklin, delivers his lyrics with the depth of a preacher man over ground-shaking percussion and anthemic blasts of melody. It’s wrought, raw and angry at a world lacking options.
The follow-up to this summer’s ‘THIS HERE AIN’T WATER‘ – which landed on the BBC 6 Music A-list, ‘DESPERATE BREAKFAST’ kicks against the “put up and shut up” mentality that broadcasts itself under the guise of being “character building.”
The way Joe Hicklin’s brimstone- fired voice marches from guttural punk to serrated spoken word to soulful Jim Morrison-style blues and back again, is a form of alchemy that only he knows how to conjure.
Hicklin says, ’DESPERATE BREAKFAST’ is about that first meal of the day you have to force down before you drag yourself to the job you don’t want in the place you don’t want to be and the normality of having no choice but to take part In that seemingly infinite routine. It is also in part about the similar cycle that occurs in unemployment. Either way, the morning brings desperation.” Speaking of the video, he says: “Tat Vision is a household name in Brum, we love his work, its spookiness, the mixture of humour and pain in those faces. We’re chuffed he was up for collaborating with us.”
BIG SPECIAL will continue their live touring through September and October before embarking on a headline tour of the UK in December. London and Birmingham dates are already sold out. Other Tickets are available here.
Live dates
OCTOBER
14: Live At Leeds Festival-Leeds, UK
19 :Oslo-London, UK (supporting Benefits)
20: Altstadt (Hit The City)-Eindhoven, NL
21: Left Of The Dial Festival-Rotterdam, NL
28: London Calling Festival-Rotterdam, NL
NOVEMBER
15:The Great Escape First Fifty (Headline), Moth Club-London, UK
24: The Granary Arts Cafe- Nantwich, UK (in support of Mind Charity)
DECEMBER
11: The Louisiana- Bristol, UK
12: The Bodega- Nottingham, UK
13: Oporto, Leeds- UK
14: The Lexington- London, UK – SOLD OUT
15: Hare & Hounds 2 -Birmingham, UK – SOLD OUT
16:Yes (The Basement)-Manchester, UK
JANUARY
05: Rockaway Beach Festival- Bognor Regis, UK
Follow Big Special:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | Twitter | YouTube
BIG SPECIAL | Photo credit: Richard Mukuze | Download im