Subhumans are one of the most influential bands from the UK Anarcho-Punk scene of the 80’s, filed right alongside Crass and Conflict, and just as relevant today as they were during the darkest days of Thatcher’s Britain. Take your choice in how to label them – Punk, UK82, Crusty, etc, – there lies the attraction and consequent reason for their popularity, the band epitomizes non-conformity and connects with people in many different scenes. Forming in 1980, recording and releasing a series of live and demo cassette tapes on their own Bluurg label, they continued to release music throughout the 80’s – building a powerhouse of a back catalog that completely stands the test of time. Their debut LP ‘The Day the Country Died’ (1983), with its Orwellian influence, is considered by many to be a classic and has sold in excess of 100,000 copies. The second album, ‘From the Cradle to the Grave’, came swiftly the following year (1984), and although the same frenetic pace is in evidence, this marks a significant musical development for the band. In 1985 Subhumans broke up, citing the usual musical differences, although had managed to release a third, maybe ironically entitled, LP ‘Worlds Apart.’ A final EP was released posthumously in 1986, ‘29:29 Split Vision,’ a further demonstration of how far the band had come musically from their initial leanings. Dick Lucas subsequently joined Culture Shock and then formed political ska-punk band Citizen Fish in 1990, both bands releasing many albums, and still playing today. Subhumans had a couple of reunion shows in the nineties, before a more permanent return for the 21st century, including 2 major tours of the US, the first resulting in the ‘Live in a Dive’ LP. The Subhumans then released a further studio album in 2007, ‘Internal Riot,’ again on Bluurg Records. The band is still passionate and angry, illustrated by Dick saying “Being in a band is the source of most of my passion and drive! The live experience of sharing it with people keeps it ongoing, the release of anger, frustration and initially negative/destructive states of mind is a release from the downward spiral of keeping it all bottled up and it feels positive/constructive as a result.” The band have recently written ten new songs, which Pirates Press Records are thrilled to be releasing, and are embarking on a year of touring in both Europe and North America! First a split with The Restarts before a 12” of their own comes out in October of 2019! The social and political commentary of bands like Subhumans forged a path, along with their contemporaries, for punk to change lives and opinions around the world. Sadly the things they sang about forty years ago are largely just as important now, sometimes more so in an age of Trump and Brexit. We can’t wait to hear more of what they have to say about the current political climate, the immense imbalance of wealth and power, and the causes they hold near and dear to their hearts.

La Pobreska was formed in 2004. With a mix of Hardcore/Ska and many more influences.

Lollygagger is a three-piece Thrash-Punk band from the heart of Chicago’s underground music scene, and quite possibly the tallest punk band in Chicago.  Each of these rock'n'roll muppets tower above the audience at live performances, raining HELL from their instruments, absolutely determined to destroy the audience sonically at every. single. appearance.  Equally comfortable at a death metal fest as they are at a DIY Skatepark banger, Lollygagger is defined less by their tattoo-and-leather clown aesthetics and more by the incredible accuracy, speed and POWER of their live performance: a 100 decible oratory on the history of social collapse steeped in anti-fascist political satire and "Laugh-so-you-don't-cry" absurdist humor. Live performances are hard to describe;  they start abruptly as frontman "Matthew Muffin" takes control of the room while proclaiming himself "The CEO of all punk rock", listing such sponsors as Hostess Cupcakes and Boeing while demanding money from the audience with a promise of future financial molestation.  Looking around, you'd see confused and wary looks from first-time viewers quickly transform into gaping mouths and shocked appreciation when the band locks into the first few notes, incredibly loud and sonically balanced.  Kinsey Ring plays what can only be described as "lead bass" and is quite possibly the most talented working punk rock musician in the Midwest, a high claim that has to be seen to be believed.  His shifting melodies are often complimented directly by Matt Muffin's rapid fire vocal style, cartoonishly machine gunning political limericks at the audience before letting loose a 10 second scream over a thickly saturated tech-metal solo. These two are supported in back by Michael Sunnycide, an exceedingly handsome gentle giant at 6'4" who puts every inch of that power into a danceable backbeat for the maniacs up front, a twinkle in his eye and "LOLLYGAGGER" battle-jacket on his shoulders.  True story: he used to wear a ball gag while drumming every show before Instagram's algorithms made the band's pictures an instantly bannable and demonetizeable offense. Lollygagger was formed pre-pandemic in the DIY basements of Chicago in 2017 and battle-tested on stages across the Midwest.  In 2026 they channel the urgency of bands like The Jesus Lizard, Dead Kennedys, and Pissed Jeans but they've carved out their own lane with smart songwriting and fearless performance likening them to more genre-less outliers like Primus and System of a Down.  It's not post-punk, It's not tech metal, it's not thrash, it's not skate punk, and it's not stoner metal.... it's something brand new built from old bones.  Proof is in the pudding they say, and Lollygagger usually does $4-$6 merch per head at smaller cap venues and festivals.  This band is hungry for expansion into better venues and support slots throughout their active markets and beyond.