Guided Tour

U.K. five-piece High Vis stand on their own with their brand of post-punk, combining the energy and passion of hardcore with the swagger and sounds of classic British indie. Debuting in 2017 with the self-released singles "I" and "II," the group would go on to issue their debut album, No Sense No Feeling, the following year. Their sophomore album, Blending, which saw them sign to Dais Records, was issued in late 2022.

Rising from the ashes of hardcore punk bands Tremors and Dirty Money, drummer Edward ​"Ski" Harper started to mess about with new music, influenced by '80s post-punk. Joined by vocalist Graham Sayle, the duo brought their hardcore past to a new indie sound. Recruiting Gal Oren on bass, and Rob Hammaren and Romain Bruneau on guitar, the five-piece set about recording their debut single. In early 2017 High Vis issued the single "I," featuring two tracks of melodic punk filled with Sayle's blistering critique of the class system in Britain and society in general. The group gigged throughout London, as they had previously as part of the underground hardcore scene and built a fan base from scratch through their incendiary live shows before issuing their second single, "II," in November. Throughout 2018 the band continued to play live while focusing on day jobs and writing new material but it wouldn’t be until the end of 2019 that they would issue their debut album, No Sense No Feeling. Despite tour plans, everything ground to a halt with the COVID-19 pandemic. The band returned to the live scene in 2021. Dates with Chubby & the Gang and Nothing followed, and after parting ways with Bruneau and Oren and recruiting Martin Macnamara on guitar and Rob Moss on bass, High Vis issued the single "Talk for Hours" in early 2022. A precursor to their sophomore album, the track dealt with toxic masculinity and the benefits of therapy. Toward the end of the year the band issued their second album, Blending. While their debut was full of frustration, Blending channeled the angst, with Sayle's lyrics dealing with the struggles of the working class, a broken Britain, and the post-pandemic mental health fallout. Following its release, the band headed out on tour across the U.S. and Europe before rounding out 2023 with sold-out dates at London's Islington Assembly Hall -- just a stone's throw from where Sayle and Ski had originally written the band's demos -- and a final show in Sayle's hometown of Birkenhead. In 2024 the group reconvened to start work on their third album, once again with producer Jonah Falco. The first fruits of the album appeared with the hardcore-referencing "Mob DLA," being followed a month later by the baggy-influenced "Mind's a Lie." The group headed out for the summer playing a handful of festivals before their first dates in Australia. In September, the band organized a community-driven day of music in London's Dalston, bringing together a mix of performers that shared their ethos. The following month, Guided Tour was issued on High Vis, and they headed out on tour in support of the release with dates in the U.S., Europe, and the U.K. ~ Rich Wilson