Villanelle announce December headline dates after debut single Hinge

Villanelle, a new UK rock trio fronted by Gene Gallagher, released their debut single Hinge on Wednesday, September 10, and announced a run of intimate headline dates in December as they build toward a full EP. The band, completed by guitarist Ben Taylor and bassist Jack Schiavo, has already earned a fervent live following after forming in the summer of 2023 and touring the country extensively in 2024 without previously releasing recorded material.

Hinge, which the group described as a blunt, aggressive burst of grunge, was introduced as the first official taster of an upcoming EP. Gene Gallagher told NME the song is about paranoia derived from sleepless nights and that he was probably hungover when he wrote it. He described the track as heavy guitars and a righthook of a song designed to feel like a freakout. Taylor added that Hinge was the first song the trio ever wrote, calling it simple, high energy and abrasive in a deliberate way.

The band traces its sound to a wide set of influences, from Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Dinosaur Jr to Deftones, Black Sabbath and the maximalist wall of sound associated with My Bloody Valentine. Schiavo told NME that Villanelle sits at the...