London bovver boys Clobber are back with their first new music in more than a year as they prepare to take their hardcore Oi! attack to summer festivals.
Be Someone is the lead single from forthcoming EP God Loves, Man Kills, which is set for release on August 1 via Venn Records.
The three-track EP is the band’s first release since the single Council Estate of Mind in February 2024.
Its songs explore themes ranging from abusive behaviour in the hardcore scene, to war crimes committed by the British Government. The EP coincides with the band announcing appearances at 2000 Trees Festival and Revolution Calling’s fifth anniversary in the Netherlands, as well as a return to Rebellion Festival in Blackpool.
Lyrically, Be Someone deals with a very bleak time for Clobber frontman Charlie Longman mental health-wise, and how he fought his way out of it to a better place.
“2024 started as the worst year of my life,” he says. “I came back from tour to an empty flat I knew I’d be leaving. Multiple friends died, I had my first major health scare, a fucking stalker, and honestly the last time the rock rolled back down the hill. Instead of thinking of going to get it I thought about throwing myself over an M25 overpass I lived near at the time. I thought about it a lot.
“I said nothing to my band, my family or my friends, but every night I was going for long walks, and they always ended by that overpass. This also wasn’t the first time I had been visited by such thoughts in my life.”
Thankfully Charlie got therapy and medication to put him in a better place, and through the friendships and community built through Clobber, and eventually meeting his future wife, the year ended up much better than it started.
“There were days where I thought about staying in my room and waiting the clock out. Where it was safe,” he says. “Other days I had the courage to go out and live. And those days I played amazing shows with my best friends.
“Travelling to amazing places I’d never set foot in before, and even met my future wife. This song is really dedicated to her, to be honest. And before you know it, 2024 became the best year of my life.
“Be Someone is about finding the courage to live again in spite of how hard it might be sometimes. To always go get the rock. To be the best version of yourself ever.
“The EP is the heaviest, nastiest thing Clobber have ever written. We are a band that will always reflect the world around us, and it has never been nastier or heavier to live through. We get it and you’re not alone.”
Be Someone is available now from Clobber’s Bandcamp page HERE, and the God Loves, Man Kills EP is available to pre-order now on all major streaming platforms.
The London bruisers, formed in 2021, exploded onto the scene with their modern hardcore, which targets Tories, police injustice and gentrification, among other social issues.
Clobber are Charlie Longman (vocals), Alex Augustyn (guitar), Jack Fox (bass) and Sam Gillett (drums) and they fucking rule, OK?
