Joe & The Shitboys

Did you know it wasn’t even until the 1860s that the Faroe Islands had actual musical instruments? Or that some of their ancient folk ballads have over 200 verses? It’s facts like this that make the tiny North Atlantic archipelago’s thriving music scene – a music school of 2,000, a record label, their own symphony orchestra – all the more remarkable. That it has spawned a group like Joe & The Shitboys seems downright miraculous, but the punk four-piece are the real deal – raw, loud, and totally unafraid of offending those deserving of ire.

Describing themselves as “bisexual vegans”, they specialize in political punk with a subversive twist. Utterly unafraid of upsetting sensibilities, their music takes on the casual bigotry and misogyny that’s still all too prevalent in the Faroes with raucous, punchy tunes that barely stretch past two minutes, and a proper, “don’t-give-a-fuck” attitude; their debut album includes the songs ‘If You Believe In Eating Meat Start With Your Own Dog’ and “Life is Great You Suck”, and their second album includes the track ‘Save the Planet You Dumb Shit’.

With scrappy anthems and a burning sense of injustice, they’ve blazed a brave trail over the last six months, and are entirely serious about both their message and their desire for (some) international recognition. They’ve already played Iceland Airwaves and been featured in NME, and right now are hard at work producing 2020’s most radical, incendiary record. Fans of powerful, no bullshit, but fun punk take note.