For a band that only started making music during the gig-less days of lockdown, Getdown Services have definitely made up for lost time in cementing their status as standout live performers.
The duo — comprised of childhood best mates Josh Law and Ben Sadler — have been gigging near-constantly since the release of their debut album Crisps in November 2023. After establishing themselves as a regular fixture on the Bristol gig circuit thanks to their rambunctious performances and laugh-out-loud lyrics (covering everything from nasty landlords to Jamie Oliver and Wispa Golds), relentless touring of their subsequent EPs Crumbs and Your Medal’s in the Post has seen Getdown Services bring their inimitable sound to venues across the UK and Europe.
With their latest EP, Primordial Slot Machine, out today (6 June) and the band now entering the festival circuit, M caught up with Josh and Ben to reflect on what they’ve learned from life on the road and look ahead to their upcoming Glastonbury set.
‘We try to focus on making sure we’re in the right headspace to give it the beans every time we play live. It can be tricky to balance all your needs while you’re on tour: often you don’t sleep enough and spend a lot more time being social than you might usually. Because of this, we like to shoehorn in alone time and make an effort to be nice to each other and everyone we meet. Red Bull, eating vegetables, not drinking too much, crying in the car and remembering the sheer power of rocking out all helps when you’re on the road.
‘We go into gigs with an attitude of wanting to engage everyone in the room, whether or not they like us — our music is almost secondary. We’re letting off steam and, in doing so, hopefully giving people permission to switch off and do the same. We’re forcing the audience to pay attention for their own good during our live shows. Even if they hate the entire performance, we’d bet money they feel better than if they’d spent that same time just scrolling on their phone.
‘Smaller towns that don’t get as many touring bands coming through always have a different vibe to somewhere like London, where the audience are spoiled for choice. Playing in bigger cities can sometimes feel like you’re performing at a networking event for industry people as much as you are playing an actual gig. Showcase events themselves can feel like a bit of a drag, but whenever we play them we try to focus on getting the people there to stop chatting and let loose a bit, like we do with all our shows. We’re aware that there’s something really funny about the arrogance of us playing at a showcase event and belittling industry people while we’re playing. Having said that, they do serve a purpose that isn’t solely cynical, and we’ve met some really nice people at those kinds of events.
'It’s always exciting playing in new places, especially if it’s somewhere we don’t necessarily feel like we’re an obvious fit. I think being in situations like that gives us extra energy which hopefully makes the performance more engaging. It’s all in the name of fun!
‘We go into gigs with an attitude of wanting to engage everyone in the room, whether or not they like us — our music is almost secondary.'
‘Playing live is definitely the pinnacle of being a musician in terms of sharing your music with other people. Social media engagement and streams don’t make a dent on the feeling you get from playing a gig. When it comes to songwriting, we occasionally factor in how something will work live more than we used to because we play live so much. Lyrically, though, it’s often detached from the world of touring.
‘On this tour, I think we’ve learned how to read crowds a bit better and to boil what we do down to its bare bones. Being able to more efficiently show the crowd what we’re all about definitely helps for festivals, where you often have shorter sets and you’re vying for attention.
‘Some festivals we’ve played at the performance fees tend to be lower, so the royalties generated from playing live have been massively supportive. It wouldn’t have been financially viable in the long run if we hadn’t had those PRS payments. I don’t think there’s enough of an understanding of how it all works for artists who aren’t coming through institutions like music colleges. When we started playing gigs we didn’t know anyone who worked in the industry, and the whole infrastructure, including earning royalties, was completely unknown to us.
‘We’re really looking forward to playing the Croissant Neuf stage at Glastonbury this month, as well as Plisskën Festival in Greece and Iceland Airwaves later in the year. A standout moment from 2025 so far has got to be playing at the one-day festival Ritual Union in Bristol — that was pretty life-affirming! It’s nice to know that after three years of basically doing the same old crap, Bristol still supports us. It’s an insane and amazing feeling when people know the words to our music.’
Getdown Services' new EP 'Primordial Slot Machine' is out now. You can check out their upcoming tour dates here.
