Interview with Headwired | By Kreig Marks | Tru Rock Revival Magazine | November 2026

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Headwired are a fast-rising four-piece indie rock band from the Black Country. Since forming in 2023,
they've built a190,000+social media following, helping them to recently sell out a10-date UK tour and
land support slots with Shed Seven. With their first European headline shows coming in December 2026
and thousands of fans worldwide waiting to see what comes next, Headwired are building serious
momentum.

 

Kreig:  Origin story: Every band has a "how did you all end up in the same room" tale. Was Headwired born in a pub, a rehearsal studio, or an argument over a setlist?

 

HW: Jack (lead guitarist) started the band in 2018, I think, with a completely different lineup at the time. George joined not long after on rhythm guitar and they played a few gigs in the local Birmingham scene, but it never came to much. When covid happened in 2020, the band more or less fell apart leaving only Jack and George remaining, they kept it going by playing covers in local pubs to backing tracks, with the dream of becoming a successful originals band still in the back of their minds. Joe joined in 2023 on the drums and being a bit younger than the other pair he added a new energy to the band, we started writing again and I'd say that that's when things started for the second time - this was Headwired 2.0, the Headwired we know now (other than Frankie who joined in 2025).

 

Kreig:  The name: Headwired is a great rock name. Was it the first choice, or was there a graveyard of rejected names (and which one are you most relieved never made it)?

 

HW: Thank you haha! We love the name to be honest, and don't remember the other contenders, although there probably were a few. But Headwired came about from the Foo Fighters song 'Headwires', they're one of our biggest influences so it's very fitting.

 

Kreig:  Gig survival: Every unsigned band has a nightmare gig story: the sound desk that died, the audience of three, the van that wouldn't start. Which one still gives you a twitch?

 

HW: We've played some bad gigs man, not bad as in our performance, but the venue, sound, audience size etc. While doing the covers band to fund the originals we played in some empty pubs, I was watching a video last night from August 2023 when we played in a Wolverhampton pub that still had *Match of the Day* on the TV behind us, haha. We were very much background music at a lot of those early gigs, but they funded the recording of Carousel and Pull Me Under so it didn't matter to us. It also helped us master the skill of playing to small, uninterested audiences which is the hardest possible gig you will ever have to do; the bloke sat in the pub after work who just wants to chat and drink, not listen to some small original band's new song, but if you can change his mind and gain his attention then you know you've got something, and we found ourselves doing that quite a lot. 

 

Kreig:  Desert island riff: If you could only play one riff for the rest of your life, whose would it be, and which band member would crack first?

 

HW: Jack says he'd play Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix and that Joe would get annoyed by it first.

 

Kreig:  Time machine: You can open for any rock band from any era, at their peak. Who is it, and what do you play to win over their crowd?

 

HW: I'd probably have to say Oasis, on their tour in 2025 or 2027, I think the amount of hype and media coverage around those dates would make us the biggest new band in the country,  our new song Limerick would win over the crowd.

 

Kreig:  Songwriting chaos: How does a Hardwired song actually get written? Is it one person with a brilliant idea, a jam that gets out of hand, or a fight that ends in a chorus?

 

HW: Usally its George who will bring an idea to rehearsal and we will all jam it together and transform it into a Headwired song

 

Kreig:  Pre-gig rituals: Superstitions, lucky socks, a specific pint, a pre-show playlist? What do you do before you hit the stage, and what happens if it goes wrong?

 

HW: Nothing fancy from us, just vocal warmups and a little bit of hyping each other up, but we don't really need it. We understand the responsibilities of performing on stage and putting on a great show and we love the pressure. Backstage is usually very calm and full of banter before a gig.

 

Kreig:  Unsigned life: Being independent means you do everything yourselves. Who's the unofficial manager, merch designer, and van driver, and who's the least useful in a crisis?

 

HW: Joe and George oversee the management, organisation, graphic design, finances, social media, video editing, driving, tour logistics, promotion and marketing aspects of the band. As for Frankie and Jack, it's a good job they can play guitar.  

Haha only joking Frankie usually handles outreach, and Jack is the treasurer.

 

Kreig:  UK scene love: Which UK venue, promoter or local band deserves a shout-out for supporting the scene, and where should every rock fan make a point of catching a gig?

 

HW: Obviously not a small band but Shed Seven deserve a shout out from us, they're the only big band as of yet to give us a chance as a support slot. We have a lot of respect for those guys as they are self-managed I believe and the guitarist Paul offered us a support slot purely because he liked our music which isn't something you see much of nowadays, it always seems to be about numbers rather than music.

 

Kreig:  Rapid-fire finale: Finish the sentence: "In five years, Headwired will be...

 

HW: The biggest new band in the UK.

 

Bonus Round: This or That? 

 

Tea or coffee on the way to a 9am soundcheck?

 

HW: Probably coffee first thing in a morning I'd say a cup of tea would be for a warm treat whilst we're at the venue.

 

Marshall stack or Vox AC30? Choose wisely, your guitarist is watching.

 

HW:  Marshall

 

Pre-gig pint or post-gig pint?

 

HW: Jack says pre-gig, Joe and George say post-gig. Frankie says both 

 

Playing a sweaty 100-capacity pub or an echoey 2,000-capacity festival tent?

 

HW: Well we've played enough 100 cap venues on this tour, it's time we level up now so let's say the festival tent!

 

Vinyl or streaming? (Fight to the death optional.)

 

HW: Vinyl, even though we don't have any yet, I can't wait until we've got our own physical music.

 

Tour van or tour bus? Be honest about which one you can actually afford.

 

HW: Joe's Dad's Toyota Land Cruiser is the ultimate tour bus.

 

Solo that goes on too long or no solo at all?

 

HW: We love solo's and have many guitar and drum solos in our set but they've gotta fit in the song. There's no point in making a solo longer just for the sake of it, or pretending to be David Gilmour. We'd like to think all our solos compliment the songs that they are part of.

 

Chips or kebab after the gig?

 

HW: Dirty Kebab mate, or beat it 

 

Rehearse until it's perfect or wing it and hope the crowd forgives you?

 

HW: Rehearse until it's perfect, absolutely. 

 

Debut album or killer EP?

 

HW: EP's are a good taster, but you'll be remembered for your albums.

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Thanks guys.  This has been cool.  We're looking forward to a US tour, once the insanity here begins to clear!  

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