‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’ is the first single from the indie hopefuls.

Roll up, roll up, and come see the newest* Manchester post-punk band on the scene, The Maddocks, with their debut single This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things. Let’s just say, this is definitely a band to keep an eye on in the future.

It’s a daunting task forming a new band and trying to make your presence known in a music powerhouse of a city. The Maddocks formed just under a year ago in the spring of 2022, and have been working hard in the studio to find their sound ever since. They’re quickly managing to make a name for themselves in the north-west – not even a year together and the band have managed to find themselves on the lineup of Kendal Calling this summer. Now, with the release of their debut single, their biggest feat to date, can we expect this to be a sign of great things to come? The answer is most likely yes.

It’s unusual to see a band that has such a definable sound within their debut single, but this is certainly one of those exceptions. The track is a high-energy and effervescent entry into the indie realm. Lead vocalist George Edwards’ strong, bold voice gives this track so much clear passion, especially in the chorus, and throughout he is backed by some wonderful guitar work. Said guitar work from Alex Tollerfield in the song’s solo is certainly a highlight of this debut release; creating wonderful licks and an almost touching funk sound in an otherwise straight-laced post-punk banger. 

It’s certainly an interesting sound that The Maddocks have harnessed – you could pick up similarities with other bands in the genre such as Sports Team or Yard Act, yet these newcomers add a rather energetic twang to their style. The optimistic feel-good factor of their style will separate them from their contemporaries and stop them from falling into the ditches of post-punk cynical clichés in the future.

The saying ‘this is why we can’t have nice things’ is certainly one of those we can all relate to, especially when those little quirks of life give us something to have a small moan over. That’s certainly true of The Maddocks – the band explained the origin of the title: “George spilt a Pot Noodle on the floor during our second-ever rehearsal, causing Toller to sigh in exasperation and utter the words ‘this is why we can’t have nice things’ — we were in the process of writing the song and the phrase just stuck!”

The Maddocks have certainly struck gold with this first of what is hopefully many releases. It’s going to be exciting to see where they go!

*There’s probably a newer one by now.