Airwaves : Formal Sppeedwear

Loitering at the intersection of new wave, synth pop and art rock, Stoke-On-Trent’s Formal Sppeedwear deliver a timely parcel of geometric riffs, elastic bass lines and off kilter percussive work; rewiring ideas sewn by the golden era of recording technology into a dense tangle of sounds to unpack.

Their debut EP – a self-titled, self-produced 12” sample of elastic bass arrangements, leaping guitar motifs and sparse, un-assuming percussive work – was championed by the likes of BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing and Radio X, and helped to earn support slots around the UK with the likes of Preoccupations, Fat Dog, Warmduscher and Divorce. 2025’s follow up singles ‘Wait (Hatchet Gets a New Hide)’ and ‘Hit ‘n’ Run’ quickly followed suit; earning features in DIY, The Line Of Best Fit and Hard Of Hearing Magazine, as well as significant radio backing from KEXP, BBC 6 Music and KCRW.

Debut album ‘Punch Card’ out 11th September on Melodic Records.