Split Dogs Bite Back With New Single & Video “Lafayette”

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Primed to grab 2025 by the scruff of the neck and give it a damn good shaking, high-octane boogie woogie punk rock ‘n rollers Split Dogs are set to embark on their first UK & EU headline tour as they approach the release of their Here To Destroy album on February 28th via Venn Records. Today, Split Dogs offer up another cut with their new single, Lafayette, which is accompanied by video shot by drummer Chris Hugall who admits that on the actual day of filming they had no real plan as all of their other ideas had fallen through, but they worked on the fly and the end result compliments the song perfectly. 

“Lafayette is a love letter to our families and the influence they’ve had on our love for music. At a glance it tells the story of (singer) Harry’s mother growing up in Wolverhampton during the height of the 1970s/80s northern soul scene and the characters she encountered. It also tips a hat to my older brother that passed away in 2023, he played a major role in my song writing growing up. It takes you on a journey through the cobbled streets and back bars of the Black Country, Harry’s hometown Wolverhampton. From Chewing gum-stained carpets and pints of mild to stone faced locals and tar-stained fingertips. If you fancy a dance? Come out to the club and feel alive! We’re not beholden to the digital age, we don’t want to get famous on social media, we just want to show the world that rock ’n roll is alive and well” (guitarist Mil Martinez)  

Split Dogs

Born from the frustration of seeing music become commodified and soulless, vocalist Harry Atkins and guitarist Mil Martinez had the idea to form a band as far back as 2015, with the name Split Dogs pulled from the classic zombie film The Return Of The Living Dead. In South London, a young Martinez would hear Status Quo, Bachman Turner Overdrive and Dire Straits on the car radio while his father drove him to school. At home he would invade his older brother’s record collection which leaned towards the harder sounds of punk and heavy metal. Meanwhile in the Black Country, Harry’s mother instilled a love of Northern Soul, Slade and rock’n’roll, with stories of nights out at Club Lafayette and family singalongs at home.

Split Dogs

It wasn’t until 2022 that Split Dogs officially arrived on the scene with bass player Suez Boyle joining the band in 2023. Already a prominent figure in the queer punk scene, Suez played the first ever Rebellion Festival at the tender age of 16 with her band The Walking Abortions. Up until that point, drummer Chris Hugall, an old friend of Martinez and former member of ska punks Mouthwash, was only on hand to help design artwork. It wasn’t until 2024 that Hugall joined the band full-time cementing the current line-up. The raucous live shows and infectious lyrics saw the four-piece make a name for themselves among the punks of Bristol, a scene that has always welcomed LGBTQ+ and marginalised people. As word spread, so did the gigging, and soon enough Split Dogs were playing to sold out rooms in mainland Europe, eventually grabbing the attention of UK label Venn Records.

Split Dogs

Here to Destroy was recorded over three days at Middle Farm Studios by producer Peter Miles. All tracks were laid straight to a 16-track reel-to-reel tape machine, no autotune, no effects pedals, no computers. To add to the music’s authenticity, the album was recorded live, with Harry singing along in a vocal booth. No cutting and pasting, just nailing takes. As the album title makes clear, Split Dogs are Here To Destroy, but they’re also here to rebuild and remind us of music’s essence. In addition to their UK & EU tour Split Dogs will be returning to the Rebellion Festival after a memorable appearance on the Introducing Stage in 2024.