Big Special unleash raw energy with new single SLUGLIFE
Big Special continue their electrifying momentum with the release of SLUGLIFE — a bruising, unfiltered new single that barrels forward with emotional force and feral precision. Premiered by Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music, the track marks another punchy addition to the duo’s fast-growing catalogue, arriving hot on the heels of PLAINTIVE NATIVE, DRAGGED UP A HILL (and thrown down the other side), and their hard-hitting Sleaford Mods collaboration The Good Life.
With Joe Hicklin’s cracked-throat delivery and Callum Maloney’s percussion pounding like concrete rain, SLUGLIFE crawls through the grime with something to say — about exhaustion, guilt, and pulling yourself up when you’re buried in the dirt.
“A song about living low to the ground and going slow… It’s about working through the self-hate that can come through hard times,” says Hicklin.
It’s another fiercely personal track from the pair whose cathartic soundscapes and stark lyricism have seen them rise from grassroots to major stages in a matter of months. From a sold-out debut at Camden’s Dublin Castle in 2023 to packing out the O2 Forum Kentish Town, Big Special’s growth has been loud, rapid, and driven by pure force of feeling.
Lockdown birthed the raw urgency that courses through everything they release, and the new material only sharpens their voice — one rooted in truth, community, and working-class survival.
2026 UK & Ireland Tour Dates
February
13th: Waterfront, Norwich
14th: Rescue Rooms, Nottingham (Sold Out)
15th: Digital, Newcastle
18th: University Stylus, Leeds
19th: SWG3, Glasgow (Sold Out)
20th: New Century Hall, Manchester (Sold Out)
21st: O2 Institute, Birmingham (Sold Out)
24th: Electric Bristol, Bristol
25th: 1865, Southampton
27th: The Roundhouse, London
March
7th: Ulster Sports Club, Belfast (Sold Out)
6th: Academy Green Room, Dublin (Sold Out)
Festivals
May 21st: Bearded Theory Festival, Derbyshire
June 20th: TRNSMT Festival, Glasgow
August 14th–16th: Boomtown Festival, Hampshire
