MANCHESTER PUNK UPSTARTS THE SICK FIX DECLARE WAR ON BORING INDIE WITH FERAL NEW DOUBLE A-SIDE “SHOE SHOPPING / LIQUID GOLD”

Manchester’s loudest young disruptors The Sick Fix are crashing headfirst into 2026 with the release of their explosive debut double A-side “Shoe Shopping / Liquid Gold”, arriving this May alongside a chaotic run of UK tour dates, festival appearances and increasingly sweaty live shows.

Still barely old enough to get served at some of the venues they’re blowing apart, the four-piece have rapidly become one of the North’s most talked-about underground bands thanks to a cocktail of snarling guitars, punk attitude, mod swagger and properly unhinged live energy.

Formed in spring 2024, The Sick Fix feature Leo Mitchell (vocals/guitar), Alfie Radford (rhythm guitar), Ollie Jaques (bass) and Ted Wright (drums) – four teenagers armed with enough attitude, volume and chaos to make most modern indie bands look half asleep.

Already building serious word-of-mouth momentum across the grassroots circuit, the band have played venues including Manchester Academy, AMP Stockport, Ramp Horwich and The Waterloo Blackpool, while support continues to grow from tastemakers, underground radio and punk circles alike.

Their sound pulls from the reckless spirit of The Libertines, The Clash, The Jam, The Chats, Small Faces and early British punk, while still sounding refreshingly scruffy, modern and dangerous.

And danger is exactly the point.

Frontman Leo Mitchell said: “Everything feels too polished now. Too safe. Too filtered. We wanted these songs to sound alive, like they could fall apart at any second. That’s what rock and roll should feel like.

“Shoe Shopping and Liquid Gold are messy, loud, emotional and full of energy – pretty much like us really. We just want people to lose their heads a bit when they hear them.”

Released via Absolute Music, the double A-side captures two very different sides of The Sick Fix’s world.

“Shoe Shopping” takes inspiration from the overlooked lives and late-night realities of Manchester city centre, wrapping sharp social observation inside jangling Suede-inspired guitars and an enormous indie chorus that’s already become a live favourite.

Meanwhile “Liquid Gold” is pure youthful chaos. It’s fast, frantic and completely wired. Fuelled by pounding drums, razor-sharp riffs and lyrics inspired by growing up, nights out and teenage disorder, the track has already developed a reputation for sending crowds feral at gigs.

Recorded with producer George Brown at South City Studios, the band worked hard to avoid overthinking the sessions, instead trying to bottle the rawness and unpredictability that’s making their live reputation spread so quickly.

Leo added: “We didn’t want it sounding perfect. Perfect’s boring. George understood that straight away. We wanted people listening to feel like they were right in the middle of one of our gigs with beer flying everywhere.”

The Sick Fix’s rise has already attracted attention from both sides of the Atlantic, recently signing to A-Level Management, the UK and US-based company focused on emerging underground guitar acts.

Manager Roger Gisborne believes the band are arriving at exactly the right moment.

He said: “There’s a genuine danger and unpredictability to The Sick Fix that you just don’t see very often anymore. They’ve got brilliant songs, but more importantly they’ve got personality, attitude and that raw excitement that makes people talk after seeing them live.

“They remind me why people fall in love with bands in the first place.”

That excitement is already spreading beyond the local scene.

The band were recently named Band of the Week on Tameside Radio’s Local Music Spotlight, while momentum continues to build online through grassroots indie and punk communities increasingly hungry for bands with real edge and authenticity.

With an EP already planned for later this year and a relentless touring schedule ahead, The Sick Fix are making it very clear they’re not interested in playing things safe.

This summer they’ll hit festivals, headline hometown shows and support slots around the country, dragging their sweat-soaked punk circus from Liverpool to London and beyond.

One thing’s certain – they won’t be blending into the background anytime soon.