A drastic departure from Skint & Demoralised’s original late ‘00s ditties detailing teenage love affairs, ‘We Are Humans’ instead reflects the subsequent decade of desperate austerity, as well as the European refugee crisis just 22 miles from Britain’s shores. Frontman and spoken word artist Matt Abbott volunteered twice at the Calais Jungle in 2016 – either side of the EU referendum in which his native city voted 66% Leave.

Alongside Matt songwriter and producer David Gledhill, known more recently for his SOULS project, channels a raucous poet-punk energy, with sonic influences ranging from ‘Sandinista’ to The Strokes. Snappy, sassy singles ‘Boro Kitchen 4am’ and ‘#RefugeesWelcome’ have received regular airplay on BBC Radio 6Music, but in the midst of the energetic observations about immigrants and inequality there is also intense, elegant pathos, epitomised by stunning album closer ‘Superheroes’.

Since Skint & Demoralised’s first Myspaceage outing, Abbott has established himself as a nationally acclaimed poet and likewise Gledhill as a producer – already the combination is curious. Add the searingly eloquent political commentary to the mix and it becomes an urgent and vital snapshot of these tumultuous times that engulf us, all wrapped up in fist-pumping, unapologetic and utterly essential alternative anthems. (Series 1)
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