Grade 2 will bring their huge UK tour to a conclusion at with a Manchester gig at the Star & Garter on Sunday.
The band headed out on the 16-date tour after releasing their self-titled third studio album in February.
Grade 2 the album featured the band taking on injustice, personal identity and the frustrations of Gen-Z youth through the 15 tracks of punk. The album features the single Under The Streetlight, a high energy track accompanied by a feel-good music video praising the power of community. The track and video led Grade 2 to comment, “Even though there are times when life can feel stagnant or things aren’t going to plan, there will always be people there to support you whether it’s mates, a partner, or your family.”
Grade 2 are bonded by a love of old-school punk, ska and oi and feature childhood friends Sid Ryan (vocals, bass), Jacob Hull (drums) and Jack Chatfield (guitar, vocals).
Their latest album found Grade 2 returning to Rancid’s Tim Armstrong’s Ship Rec Studio where they originally recorded their 2019 record Graveyard Island. “Returning to Ship Rec Studio resparked that magic dynamic,” says guitarist Jack Chatfield. “When we’re in there I feel like we reach our full potential. Tim would offer tweaks and tips for some songs, while others he’d compliment the first time we’d play them.”
The album also finds them channelling the frustrations and dismays of 2020 in to passion, angst, humour and despair. “Frontman Sid Ryan explains, “Like everyone else, 2020 left us proper fucked off.” He continues, “Yet we were able to channel every ounce of that despair into every second of this record.”
When do Grade 2 headline at Manchester’s Star & Garter?
Grade 2 headline at Manchester’s Star & Garter on 19 March 2023.
Image of Grade 2 courtesy Ryan Mackfall
