The Velvet Hands - Barbican Theatre

The Velvet Hands are Toby Mitchell, Dan Able, Louis Mitchell and Sam Hilder. Blending slacker storytelling with belting guitar riffs reminiscent of The Strokes or Parquet Courts, and rousing punk choruses that recall The Clash, the band formed amidst Cornwall's blistering garage-rock scene before relocating to London and making a name for themselves on the capital's underground guitar circuit.

Praised as being full of bolshy spirit by NME, the band's self-recorded debut album was Huw Stephens' Album of the Week on Radio 1 and gained the band airplay from Radio X, BBC 6 Music and BBC Introducing, amongst others. Their early run of singles also caused a stir with a range of tastemaker blogs, including Gigslutz and Fred Perry Subculture, with God Is in the TV praising them as brash garage-punk rabble-rousers somewhere between the attitude of early Cribs or Libertines and the death and glory of The Clash, and For the Love of Bands dubbing the band as the second coming of rock and roll.

Having supported the likes of Fontaines D.C., VANT, Wallows and Paul Weller, the band have also played an Independent Venue Week show with Frank Turner, opened for Liam Gallagher at the Eden Project in 2019 and headlined stages at Isle of Wight and Y Not? festivals.

The pandemic saw The Velvet Hands hard at work writing new material before releasing 'When This Is Over' to raise money for the Music Venue Trust. With their second album out now and packing a punch, 'Holiday in My Head' arrives as a fiery  blend their unashamed love for guitar music with searing rock riffs and all-out choruses.

Earlier this year, The Velvet Hands played sold-out shows in London and Falmouth, and the band have numerous shows lined up in 2027, including the Barbican Theatre and Old Bakery gigs.