It feels like, quietly, that there’s something of a post-hardcore resurgence cooking up on these shores. With cult Philadelphia acts like They Are Gutting A Body of Water and feeble little horse touring the UK for the first time this year, and with the hardcore-leaning Outbreak festival celebrating its first London edition in the summer, there’s been a handful of acts emerging from London in 2025, tapping into this distinctive mixture of shoegaze and emo: Paper Hats, Kissing on Camera, and now Dog Saints.
Quite literally bringing this ‘American sound’ to the UK – vocalist Will Goltz was born in the East Coast state of Pennsylvania – the quartet’s debut studio outing ‘Wrestlevania’ – accompanied with b-side ‘Hornets’ – stands tall, proud and assured in spite of the influences it wears dutifully on its sleeve. Bolstered by the production chops of thistle.-member Judwyn Rushton, the guitars are fat, juicy and loud, blasting like a jet engine. Noise-solos wail with venom. The jangly melodies channel Alex G while the drums crash, blister and burn.
and what’s more, it’s fitting for the Halloween season too – the punning title is lifted from “ “a failed Romanian Gofundme for a vampire wrestling movie”, say the band. So, costumes at the ready…
Photo by Malvina Tessitore
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