BIG SPECIAL – DRAGGED UP A HILL (and thrown down the other side)
Black Country duo BIG SPECIAL pull out an older track from the vault with “DRAGGED UP A HILL (and thrown down the other side)”, a stripped-back departure from their usual sound. Joe Hicklin’s voice takes centre stage over gentle organ, showing the softer side of a band known for raw post-punk energy.
Hicklin describes it as a look back at his early labouring days and the frustration of going nowhere despite the graft—stuck in both love and work. He adds a warning: “Don’t listen whilst drunk.” The pair call it “our Adele song if she was a labourer.”
The release follows October’s “PLAINTIVE NATIVE” and comes after their surprise second album “NATIONAL AVERAGE”, which dropped in July. The duo recently collaborated with Sleaford Mods on “The Good Life”, appearing in a one-shot video alongside Gwendoline Christie.
Built on a lifelong friendship between Hicklin and drummer Callum Moloney, BIG SPECIAL ground their music in dark humour and blunt honesty. Their rise has been rapid: from selling out Camden’s Dublin Castle with just one single to selling out London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town less than two years later, based on their debut “Postindustrial Hometown Blues”.
“NATIONAL AVERAGE” captures both the momentum of their rise and the toll it took—charting the strain of touring, mental health struggles, and the sharp contrasts that come with achieving what you’ve chased for years.
The duo hits North America in December, supporting Public Service Broadcasting (with headline shows in Chicago and Boston), then returns for a full UK and Ireland tour in February and March.
Tour Dates
North America:
- December 1, 2025 – Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA, USA (supporting Public Service Broadcasting)
- December 3, 2025 – The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, USA (supporting Public Service Broadcasting)
- December 4, 2025 – The Regent, Los Angeles, CA, USA (supporting Public Service Broadcasting)
- December 7, 2025 – Cobra Lounge, Chicago, IL, USA
- December 8, 2025 – The Rockwell, Boston, MA, USA
- December 9, 2025 – Irving Plaza, New York, NY, USA (supporting Public Service Broadcasting)
- December 11, 2025 – Concert Hall, Toronto, ON, Canada (supporting Public Service Broadcasting)
Europe:
- February 13, 2026 – Waterfront, Norwich, UK
- February 14, 2026 – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK (SOLD OUT)
- February 15, 2026 – Digital, Newcastle, UK
- February 18, 2026 – University Stylus, Leeds, UK
- February 19, 2026 – SWG3 Warehouse, Glasgow, UK (SOLD OUT)
- February 20, 2026 – New Century Hall, Manchester, UK
- February 21, 2026 – O2 Institute, Birmingham, UK
- February 24, 2026 – Electric Bristol, Bristol, UK
- February 25, 2026 – 1865, Southampton, UK
- February 27, 2026 – The Roundhouse, London, UK
- March 6, 2026 – Workman’s Club, Dublin, Ireland
- March 7, 2026 – Ulster Sports Club, Belfast, UK (SOLD OUT)
- May 21, 2026 – Bearded Theory Festival, Derbyshire, UK
- June 20, 2026 – TRNSMT Festival, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
- August 14-16, 2026 – Boomtown Festival, Hampshire, UK
