Concrete Club arrive with “People Like Us” as a statement of intent: a track that refuses compromise and demands your lugs pay attention. From the opening, the Manchester outfit’s latest single pulses with a proper Manchester energy, a funky indie guitar riff that hooks you before the drums even arrive.
What unfolds is a schooling of controlled intensity. The rhythm section locks in tight, synths add warmth and texture to the mix, and Rowetta’s featured vocals cut through like a SIREN call, huge, commanding, and utterly unavoidable. The song builds momentum methodically, moving from cool restraint into something gripping within a matter of bars. It’s a track that rewards repeat listens, with each element, the hypnotic groove, the synth placement, the structural choices, pulling you back in like a bloke who said “just one pint” at Spoons.
Concrete Club have spent the last couple of years carving out a reputation as one of Manchester’s most vital underground acts. They’ve done it the hard way: relentless touring, zero willingness to sand down the harder edges of their sound, and a refusal to chase trends. “People Like Us” crystallizes what makes them essential. Here’s a band that understands post-punk’s uncompromising spirit while speaking entirely in the language of contemporary indie rock. There’s a lineage running through the city’s musical DNA, certainly, but this feels entirely present-tense.
Lyrically, the band continues their focus on substance over surface. They’re interested in the weight of urban living, the blur of late nights and early mornings, the search for meaning amid chaos. “People Like Us” balances the personal with the universal, it’s specific enough to feel lived-in, universal enough to resonate widely.
For this particular iteration, Concrete Club assembled a formidable lineup: Jonny Brewster on vocals, Kallum Delf on guitar, Mark Demuth on bass, and Jamie Butterworth on synths, joined by session drummer Jonny McGill and featured vocalist Rowetta. The addition of these collaborators brings fresh energy without diluting the band’s core identity—the Concrete Club fingerprints remain unmistakable.
“People Like Us” is an accomplished piece of contemporary indie rock that justifies the hype building around Concrete Club. It’s immediate, uncompromising, and absolutely worth your time. Available now across all streaming platforms via Emu Bands.