![\"\u201cPeople](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/People-are-getting-into-rock-and-roll-again-The-Oidz-discuss-DIY-Leeds-and-the-origins-of-egg-punk-F.jpeg\")
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(Credits: Far Out \/ Tom White \/ Ele Palmer)<\/p>\n
Mon 21 April 2025 9:00, UK <\/p>\n
\u2018What the fuck is egg punk<\/a>?\u2019 is invariably the response I get when telling my friends about my listening habits of late. Emerging from Internet memes in the early 2010s, the endearingly energetic genre was born from a manifesto of DIY garage rock and, crucially, not taking yourself too seriously. Given its origins on the web, it did not take long for egg punk to infect the far-flung corners of the globe, which brings us here, on this sunny day in Leeds, where I am gearing up to talk to the city\u2019s latest musical export, The Oidz. <\/p>\n Going back to the early days of punk rock, Leeds has always boasted a unique and compelling music scene<\/a>. In recent years, post-punk heroes like Yard Act and Mercury Prize winners English Teacher have helped to reestablish the glorious Yorkshire city as a haven for independent music. Having called West Yorkshire my home since birth, I have spent countless hours standing at the back of venues while various up-and-coming Leeds bands have attempted to establish themselves. <\/p>\n It was at the beloved DIY venue Mabgate Bleach that I first encountered The Oidz<\/a>, playing a matinee show alongside Bathing Suits last August. Instantly, I found myself hooked on their endlessly energetic and seemingly spontaneous garage rock sound. So, my return to Mabgate Bleach, this time to interview the band on the eve of their debut EP release, felt like a very full-circle moment. <\/p>\n Guitarist Ben Parry, and drummer Luc Gibbons greeted me outside the venue, cans of Kronenberg at the ready. The pair informed me that the other half of The Oidz \u2013 bassist Jack Devlin and vocalist\/synth-master Summer Crane were unavailable, as Devlin was delivering a fruit machine to a pub, while Crane prefers to \u201cremain mysterious\u201d. <\/p>\n Mabgate Bleach, as the band told me, is an essential aspect of the DIY scene in Leeds, and it also pertains to virtually every aspect of The Oidz\u2019s existence. \u201cWe were coming in since we were all at uni. So all of our bands that we\u2019ve all been in previously were started here, our first gigs were here, and now we rehearse here semi-regularly,\u201d Gibbons told me. \u201cSince Chunk closed its doors, here and Wharf Chambers are like the two DIY hubs in Leeds.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThe best community in Leeds,\u201d he declared. \u201cYou get electrical shocks from here, there and everywhere. It\u2019s definitely not a safe place to be. There\u2019s a hardcore show going on, and the PA is strapped together by a bunch of fucking ratchet straps,\u201d the drummer laughed. <\/p>\n Parry, who also works as a sound tech at the venue, fondly recalled a particularly chaotic gig at Bleach. \u201cThere was a Judy and the Jerks show here and a bunch of the hardcore kids went out and hired the Lime Bikes from just out there, and cycled them in. There was a mosh pit of a bunch of guys, all doing wheelies and shit. It was really cute.\u201d Though, he did concede, \u201cIt\u2019s kind of annoying as a sound guy.\u201d<\/p>\n On the topic of sound, Parry went on to tell me that the band\u2019s self-titled EP \u2013 which marks the inaugural release on Prison Records, operated by fellow garage rockers Prison Affair \u2013 was largely recorded in his basement, while the band was all very drunk. \u201cWe didn\u2019t record it with the intent of releasing it,\u201d he shared. \u201cI just recorded a rehearsal that we did, and then we mixed it quick, and then I think Jack was like, \u2018I\u2019d be happy to just put this out, and this will be the first record,\u2019 and we did that.\u201d<\/p>\n Recording such an energetic, loud group like The Oidz comes with its challenges, particularly when attempting to recapture the intense energy of their live performances. \u201cWhen you make loud music, it\u2019s hard to make a record sound as loud as it is in a room, as it is when you\u2019re actually seeing it live or whatever,\u201d Gibbons confirmed. \u201cI think with the stuff that we make, and other bands that were inspired by, they do it well because the recorded stuff is a completely different thing.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, it seems as though the very fact that The Oidz EP was recorded while drunk in a basement adds to its grassroots appeal and spontaneity. \u201cIn a normal studio environment, it feels pretty clinical,\u201d Parry, who also performs and records with Leeds outfit Fuzz Lightyear, shared. \u201cBut when you\u2019re recording, at least the way we did it, was kind of just like, \u2018Let\u2019s just do it. Let\u2019s just send it, and whatever we get out of it, that\u2019s what we\u2019re gonna use.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n That message of spontaneity and no expectations appears to be the sonic manifesto of The Oidz, as Parry confirmed to me. \u201cThe whole thought process behind The Oidz is: don\u2019t think. Think as little as possible about what you\u2019re doing and just enjoy it,\u201d he shared with a smile. <\/p>\n According to the band members, that attitude is what united the musicians together in the first place. \u201cWe came together, all individually having our own projects,\u201d Parry shared. \u201cLuc and Summer had a couple of tunes. Jack had a couple of tunes, and I had a couple of tunes. I think I just messaged Luc one day, and I was like, \u2018That\u2019s it. I\u2019m forming that egg punk band. Let\u2019s just do it.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n![\"\u201cPeople](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1745233397_607_People-are-getting-into-rock-and-roll-again-The-Oidz-discuss-DIY-Leeds-and-the-origins-of-egg-punk-F.jpeg\")
<\/a>(Credits: Far Out \/ Tom White \/ Elle Palmer)<\/p>\n
![\"\u201cPeople](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1745233397_57_People-are-getting-into-rock-and-roll-again-The-Oidz-discuss-DIY-Leeds-and-the-origins-of-egg-punk-F.jpeg\")
<\/a>(Credits: Far Out \/ Tom White)<\/p>\n