Created in April 2004 by a bunch of friends from scotland who were all living in brixton and hadn’t yet realised they had music in common, the shanners were gigging within months. Though initially surprised by the audience reaction to their aggressive stage act and their chunky spiky sound, the shanners quickly realised they were onto a good thing. Their collaborative yet gladiatorial approach to songwriting allows them to mix punk, blues, funk and ska into a style that won’t let your feet stay still. This is how live music should be – complex but punchy, and raucous enough to bring down the house. “Sure beats shitting in the bath on a Saturday night” says JP, their guitarist.