PM & Freakender present: Ex-Vöid / The Old Hairdresser's
Schedule
Tue, 15 Apr, 2025 at 07:30 pm
UTC+01:00Location
The Old Hairdressers | Glasgow, SC
Pop Mutations & Freakender present:Ex-Vöid
+ Special Guests
Tuesday 15th April
The Old Hairdresser's
18+
Ex-Vöid - featuring Lan McArdle (Joanna Gruesome, Lanny) and Owen Williams (The Tubs) - returnwith their second LP: In Love Again. Joined by Laurie Foster (bass) and George Rothman (drums), therecord sees the band ourish from a chaotic power punk group into a fully edged pop behemoth.Taking in elements of shoegaze (Pinhead), country (Outline), 90s indie rock (In Love Again) and prettymuch the entire history of guitar music, In Love Again reveals McArdle and Williams to be truestudents of perfect pop.The pair have been collaborating for a decade now, having played in Joanna Gruesome as teenagers, and InLove Again sees them both building on the sound they’ve honed together and embracing a new, unapologeticattitude towards songcraft. “We wanted to stop being cringed out by the idea of writing pop music. We’re a bitolder now and not trying to remind everyone we come from hardcore/DIY scenes. It’s still there in our DNA butwe wanted to see what might happen if we write the biggest bangers possible” says Williams. Backed by thetight-yet-raucous rhythm section of Foster and Rothman, In Love Again delivers as a huge pop album withoutsacricing any of the hardcore propulsion that characterised the band’s rst album.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the Ex-Vöid sound is the sublime blend of McArdle and Williams’ vocals:close, folk-indebted harmonies which guide the listener through an onslaught of hooks. And while this isutilised to full effect on In Love Again, the album also sees McArdle make full use of their vocal range. Tuneslike July and Sara reveal a set of pipes and knack for chorus-writing rarely heard in today’s indie scene. Inkeeping with their new sound, McArdle and Williams have taken a more autobiographical, nuanced approachto lyric writing this time around, a move inuenced by touring with Waxahatchee. (The band also cover LonelyGirls by Lucinda Williams - one of Katie Crutcheld’s heroes). The hints of folk and country embedded in thetunes also stretch to this new lyrical approach- storytelling and heartbreak abound.This was helped by the fact both members had recently experienced a breakup while writing the album.“Obviously a super catastrophic breakup is useful to have,” McArdle says, “It means I can still be selfdeprecating and not super sincere. But also be like: I’m in pain.” Williams agrees: “It makes you go mental andwhile this is a cliche - it's denitely good for the band. And it’s interesting to compare, say, my breakup songDown The Drain to Lan’s July, because it’s two quite different perspectives but we’re each there on eachother’s songs, harmonising or ripping guitar solos.”
The band’s rst LP, Bigger Than Before, received positive coverage in Pitchfork, SPIN, Stereogum and others.It received airtime on BBC Radio 6, and saw the band support/tour with acts such as Waxahatchee, SpeedyOrtiz and Alvvays. Williams also fronts The Tubs - whose 2023 debut saw them touring internationally andreceiving plaudits from Pitchfork, The Guardian and Iggy Pop. Previous to forming Ex-Vöid, Williams andMcArdle played in Joanna Gruesome who toured the US with bands like Speedy Ortiz and Perfect Pussy, wereb-listed by BBC 6 music several times and won the Welsh Music Prize. Williams and McArdle are part of theGob Nation collective - the London-based network of bands, writers and promoters who were recentlyproled in The Guardian.
