Introducing: The Maddocks

Having sold out their first headline show in December and earned the Radio X seal of approval, enigmatic Stockport four-piece, The Maddocks, are on the rise.

The Maddocks are made up of George Edwards (vocals, guitar), Ed Gibbins (drums), Siobhán Lally (bass), and Alex “Toller” Tollerfield (guitar).

The band formed in March 2022, just short of year ago but, have known each other for a decade, having bonded in secondary school over a shared passion for music. “We’d all been in different bands beforehand, but when our projects had come to an end, the band sexual tension between us was unbearable, so we decided we had to get into the rehearsal room together. The rest is history!”

Pin-pointing a genre is difficult – the demos I’ve heard from the band so far have vastly different sounds, but there’s a distinct energy bringing them together. There’s a clear post-punk flavour to their sound with a sprinkling of funk, evident in their unreleased material.

“We’re happy to be classified as a certain genre if people want to do that, but we don’t aim to tick any particular boxes.”

@themaddocksband

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♬ original sound – TheMaddocksBand

Debut single ‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’ serves as a sort of musical manifesto, epitomising what The Maddocks represents. “We quite literally always f*ck stuff up and that’s basically where the song name came from. George spilt a Pot Noodle on the floor during our second ever rehearsal.

The lyrics were designed to address a certain issue without naming it directly, which we think we did quite effectively.” The track has already received airplay from Radio X and Amazing Radio, despite its January 20 official release date, a real testament to the band’s talent.

The Maddocks are inspired by an abundance of influences from the breezy sung-spoken pop of Lily Allen, through the thrashing post-punk of Fontaines D.C., to the frenzied alt-rock of Bloc Party and experimental hip-hop of Mach-Hommy.

After a successful supporting stint at Off the Square, last autumn, The Maddocks sold out their first headline gig at Stockport’s newly refurbished Syndikat, just a short bus ride from Fallowfield.

“It went better than any of us could have imagined. We put a lot of work in and hoped we’d sell it well, but we had no idea just how massive it’d be. Selling it out brought tears to our eyes.”

“We feel a real affinity to our town of Stockport and appreciate how much everyone has already got behind us as a band. It’s a real community and we feel proud to call ourselves a Stockport band.”

@themaddocksband

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♬ original sound – TheMaddocksBand

When asked about venues the band would love to play in the future, they respond with “The Ritz and the Albert Hall. They’re beautiful venues and to play there would feel like a real achievement.”

For emerging talent and seasoned performers alike, taking to the stage can be scary but The Maddocks’ pre-gig ritual mainly consists of “a big huddle to get ourselves hyped up for the gig! We’ve also been known to do vocal exercises in the middle of the street outside venues to warm up for the set. Safe to say that’s given us a few odd looks.”

So why are The Maddocks a band that should be on everybody’s radar?

“We often laugh about how much of our band is built on a joke, but we are so serious about a career in music and want to make our dream a reality. Making music together for us feels so natural and we feel like this is what we were meant to do. So if people begin to support what we make, that would mean the absolute world to us – just ask Giggle Higgins!

The Maddocks release their debut single ‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’ on January 20.

The Maddocks will headline Gullivers in Manchester’s Northern Quarter on February 3, with support from Stone Mile and The Lanks. You can purchase remaining tickets here.