BIG SPECIAL – SLUGLIFE
Big Special drop “SLUGLIFE”, a gritty track about exhaustion and self-reproach that arrived after the Birmingham duo’s first North American tour. Following their surprise second album “NATIONAL AVERAGE.”, Joe Hicklin and Callum Maloney keep pushing forward with another stark release that doesn’t ease up for a second.
“SLUGLIFE” moves slowly and deliberately, mirroring the emotional weight it carries. Hicklin’s vocal delivery sits stark and unfiltered over minimal, heavy instrumentation built on restraint and repetition. It’s claustrophobic by design, leaning into tension rather than offering any release. The production strips everything back to basics, letting the discomfort sit there.
The lyrics paint a picture of someone barely functioning. Diesel in the petrol generator, sleeping in elevators, dreaming to mellow jazz, doing rain dances in bin bags on tiptoes to keep the neighbors interested. There’s dark humor in the imagery, but underneath it’s about being stuck and waiting for outside help that might not come. The repeated “I just need a little time, we’re getting there” feels like trying to convince yourself as much as anyone else. Hicklin mentions shining boots and slicking hair, maintaining appearances even when your spirit has “a ruptured spleen.” The slug life is about finding your pace and minding your way when everything else feels broken.
The single follows “PLAINTIVE NATIVE” (which made BBC 6 Music’s B-List), “DRAGGED UP A HILL (and thrown down the other side)”, and their collaboration with Sleaford Mods on “The Good Life”. “SLUGLIFE” premiered on BBC Radio 6 Music via Steve Lamacq.
Big Special’s rise over the past two years has been sharp. What started with a single release and a packed debut headline show at Camden’s Dublin Castle in 2023 grew into a sold-out O2 Forum Kentish Town and a fiercely loyal national following. Much of that momentum was forged during lockdown, when Hicklin and Maloney reconnected creatively and reshaped their sound around blunt honesty and dark humor.
Their work stays rooted in stark honesty, razor-edged humor, and the emotional weight of lived experience. As their audience grows and their voice deepens, they remain committed to the craft and community that’s carried them from obscurity to one of the most compelling rises in British music.
The duo hits the road for a major UK tour in February, with several shows already sold out including Nottingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Dublin, and Belfast.
Tour Dates Europe:
- February 13 – Waterfront, Norwich, UK
- February 14 – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK (SOLD OUT)
- February 15 – Digital, Newcastle, UK
- February 18 – University Stylus, Leeds, UK
- February 19 – SWG3, Glasgow, UK (SOLD OUT)
- February 20 – New Century Hall, Manchester, UK (SOLD OUT)
- February 21 – O2 Institute, Birmingham, UK (SOLD OUT)
- February 24 – Electric Bristol, Bristol, UK
- February 25 – 1865, Southampton, UK
- February 27 – The Roundhouse, London, UK
- March 6 – Academy Green Room, Dublin, Ireland (SOLD OUT)
- March 7 – Ulster Sports Club, Belfast, UK (SOLD OUT)
- May 21 – Bearded Theory Festival, Derbyshire, UK
- June 20 – TRNSMT Festival, Glasgow, Scotland
- August 14-16 – Boomtown Festival, Hampshire, UK
