Pet Needs
Pet Needs
Ahead of their upcoming UK-wide headline tour, Colchester four-piece PET NEEDS share “Paintballs”, a pensive, emotionally charged new single taken from their latest album Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism. Released via Xtra Mile Recordings earlier this year.
Photo credit: Vanessa Söllner
A slower-burning change of pace from the band’s more frenetic material, “Paintballs” turns its attention towards the realities of life as an independent punk band, reflecting on the pressures, frustrations and compromises of navigating the modern music industry. There’s a more introspective quality here, with the track allowing the band’s lyrical side to come firmly to the foreground without losing their characteristic sense of urgency.
Recorded by George Perks, whose credits include Enter Shikari, You Me At Six, Mogwai and Skindred, Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism was written throughout 2025 as the band made their way across the UK, US and Europe on a run of headline tours, support slots and festivals. The album turns the realities of life as a DIY punk band into a satirical concept, following the band as they buy a second-hand punk rock career at auction and attempt to make it work. Across 12 genre-spanning tracks, frenetic punk, melodic introspection and beat-heavy anthems explore the financial and creative pressures of building a career in an industry dominated by streaming, social media saturation and major marketing budgets. Guest appearances from CJ Ramone, Erik Olson, The Whops and Jess Guise help push the story forward.
Following a summer of festival appearances including Bearded Theory and OutCider, alongside support slots with The Stranglers, Buzzcocks and Coach Party, PET NEEDS head across the UK in October for their biggest headline tour to date. The Scottish leg includes dates in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, before the band close out the year with label-mates Skinny Lister at London’s Electric Ballroom and a headline date at the 100 Club.
Pet Needs Live:
October 7th - Belfast, Voodoo
October 8th - Dublin, Academy 2
October 10th - Sheffield, Corporation
October 11th - Chester, Live Rooms
October 13th - Nottingham Rescue Rooms
October 14th - Bristol, Fleece
October 16th - Leeds, The Key Club
October 17th - Manchester, Band On The Wall
October 18th - Newcastle, Cluny 1
October 20th - Dundee, Hidden
October 21st - Edinburgh, The Mash House
October 22nd - Glasgow, The Garage Attic
October 23rd - Blackpool, The Waterloo
October 25th - Hull, The Adelphi
October 27th - Cambridge, Mash
October 28th - Bournemouth, The Bear Cave
October 29th - Portsmouth, Kola
October 30th - Norwich, Voodoo Daddy's
December 11th - Electric Ballroom - w/ Skinny Lister
December 13th - 100 Club headline show
