bis + special guests: The Cords

Disco/Punk legends bis move into their fourth decade of a rollercoaster existence, from Kandy Pop to Eurodisco to The Powerpuff Girls & beyond... Just don't let the music stop!

with special guests: Scottish DIY indie pop sister duo The Cords.

The Ferret presents:

bis

+ special guests: The Cords

Fri 31st July

The Ferret, Preston

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bis >>>

Somehow, 2024 saw the 30th anniversary of the birth of Glasgow's Disco/Punk legends bis, and now they move into their fourth decade of a rollercoaster existence.

A whirlwind first 18 months saw bis go from playing to a handful of curious future fans in Glasgow basements to peak-time TV stardom on Top of the Pops and filling huge tents at festivals across Europe all while still teenagers. While the UK media was in equal parts enamoured and horrified by the unorthodox musical DNA of the band, their knack for a nagging melody, unrelenting energy and wide-eyed politics saw them hit big in Japan, nearly breakthrough in America where they had label support from the Beastie Boys and touring with a diverse range of acts reflecting the disparate range of influences the band had - Foo Fighters, The Cardigans, Bikini Kill and Pavement to name but a few.

Whilst perhaps best known for early Riot-Grrrl influenced hit 'Kandy Pop' or the later slick Techno-Pop of 'Eurodisco', the band are also known worldwide as creators of the original theme to 'The Powerpuff Girls' cartoon.

After 3 albums and countless singles, the band temporarily called it a day in 2003, frustrated by record label struggles. They would reunite occasionally (an Islington Academy sellout in 2007 and a triumphant Primavera in 2012 amongst others) but returned with renewed vigour in 2019 with the 'Slight Disconnects' album and again in 2022 with the Rave-influenced 'Systems Music For Home Defence'.

As part of the 30 year anniversary celebrations, the band performed a stand-out sell-out show at Glasgow's iconic St Luke's which gathered fans from around the globe as well as respect from contemporaries like Mogwai and Franz Ferdinand. With their reputation as a must-see live band gathering pace even now, upcoming bis shows in 2026 will provide a real treat for hardcore fans and newcomers alike.

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The Cords >>>

The Cords, Grace and Eva are a Scottish, jangle, DIY indie pop sister duo who channel classic C86 straight from the heart.

With only a cassette and a flexi single released so far, both of which sold out in a matter of hours, The Cords (Eva and Grace Tedeschi) have honed their skills by playing a whole series of gigs with some of the biggest names in Scottish pop. Their first show was with The Vaselines, and since then they have played with Camera Obscura, Belle and Sebastian, BMX Bandits and others, while also sharing stages with the new generation of indiepop stars: the Umbrellas, Chime School, Lightheaded.

Like all great pop bands, The Cords have taken familiar ingredients and created something utterly fresh. Older indie fans may hear echoes of The Shop Assistants, The Primitives, Tiger Trap and Talulah Gosh, but they will hear something else too: a yearning, dreamy melodic power that takes the songs into darker, stranger places. Younger pop fans won't care about these old reference points: what they will hear is the sound of two young women doing something utterly exciting: playing loud guitar and loud drums, taking analogue instruments and hitting them hard in the service of immediate and infectious pop tunes, and not giving a second thought about the digital world that wants to own everything we do. The Cords sound free: they remind us that pop music, played right, is expressive, liberating, joyful and deeply personal.

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The Ferret presents:

bis

+ special guests: The Cords

Fri 31st July

The Ferret, Preston

TICKETS: https://www.skiddle.com/e/42257588

All ages welcome (under 18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult).
Accessible ground-floor venue & facilities.
Dog-friendly venue.