The Setlist & The Script

Fifteen years is a long time to be away. Long enough for entire scenes to bloom and die, for math-rock to go from underground obsession to festival circuit staple and back again. But Halifax’s Wot Gorilla? haven’t returned to play catch-up. ‘Clowns’, the second single from their first album since 2011, sounds like a band that never stopped caring.

The track opens with jangly, intricate guitars that recall the best of mid-’00s indie. Think early Foals, or And So I Watch You From Afar when they were still hungry. Then Mat Haigh starts singing about climate deniers and the whole thing ignites. The post-hardcore intensity that’s always lurked in Wot Gorilla?’s sound comes crashing to the front, all jagged riffs and rhythmic complexity.

Haigh’s got a point to make here. “Why deny something that’s backed by so much science?” he asks. The frustration is real. He’s taking aim at people who mock activists, who put profit before the planet, who refuse to engage with basic facts. But the band are smart enough not to lecture. They let the music do the heavy lifting, channelling anger into tight, aggressive playing that never loses the melody.

Math-rock can be exhausting when bands forget that songs need hooks as well as technical chops. ‘Clowns’ gets the balance right. You can follow it without a degree in music theory, but there’s enough going on to reward close listening. Jason Howard’s drumming navigates time changes that would trip up lesser players, while Jonny Newman-Hey’s bass work anchors the chaos without ever sitting still.

The self-production works in their favour. Three years of recording between Grant Beeden Clayton’s house and their rehearsal space has given them complete control over the sound. Joe Gibb handled digital mastering, Pete Maher took care of vinyl, and the result is something that feels both raw and considered. You can hear the detail. Every guitar scrape, every rhythmic hit lands where it should.

After years of playing festivals like ArcTanGent and 2000trees, sharing stages with bands like Rolo Tomassi and Delta Sleep, Wot Gorilla? know what they’re doing. ‘Clowns’ doesn’t reinvent their approach. It sharpens it. The songs on ‘Stay Home’ apparently date back to before the pandemic, which means this album has been brewing for years. You can tell. Nothing here feels rushed or half-formed.

First single ‘Young Man’s Game’ dealt with the reality of still being in a band as you get older. ‘Clowns’ suggests they’ve made peace with that question. They’re here because they’ve still got something to say and the skill to say it well.

With Yorkshire shows lined up for late February and early March, including Bradford’s 1 in 12 Club on the 26th and The Blind Pig in Sowerby Bridge on March 5th, this is a proper homecoming. The full album drops February 20th via Drongo Records. Worth your attention.

‘Clowns’ is out now via Drongo Records. ‘Stay Home’ releases 20th February 2026.

SEE WOT GORILLA? LIVE:

26-Feb-2026 — 1 in 12 Club, Bradford

27-Feb-2026 — The Rainbow, Birmingham

28-Feb-2026 — Voodoo Daddys, Norwich

05-Mar-2026 — The Blind Pig, Sowerby Bridge

06-Mar-2026 — Cafe Kino, Bristol

07-Mar-2026 — The Castle, Luton