Massive Wagons

Lancaster may seem an unlikely launchpad for hard rock, but Massive Wagons have made a case for it since forming there in 2009. The English band grew out of guitarist Adam Thistlethwaite and vocalist Barry Mills leaving the indie cover band Ace Face, inspired by a gig from Australian rock act Airbourne in Manchester. Their sound is hard rock with punk influences running through it.

Their following grew through independently promoted gigs and UK tours, and the albums Fire It Up (2012), Fight the System (2014) and Welcome to the World (2016) built it steadily. A 2017 vinyl single, Back to the Stack, won mainstream radio play and caught the attention of the label Earache, which signed the band. Their first album with Earache, Full Nelson, entered the UK Albums Chart at no. 16 in 2018. House of Noise, released in July 2020 during the pandemic, reached no. 9, their first top-10 placing, and Triggered! entered the chart at no. 6 in 2022. November 2024 brought Earth to Grace, their seventh studio album, followed by a full UK tour.