In the spotlight: Interview with Headwired, Britain’s next rock sensation

They’ve got vigour, attitude, and charisma. Their tracks bristle with the fierceness and swagger of Oasis, the garage-style riffs of Arctic Monkeys, the power of Foo Fighters, the drive of The Stone Roses, and that unmistakable youthful energy. All of this comes wrapped in a distinctive dose of Britishness—evoking the 1990s era of ‘Cool Britannia’.

Hailing from the West Midlands, Headwired went viral on TikTok with a fully DIY approach, capturing attention through powerful songs and superb songwriting—standouts include “Mirror Mirror“, “Carousel“, “Walk On By“, and their latest single, “Limerick”.

Suddenly, the band found themselves embarking on their first tour, with completely sold-out shows, and Chaoszine caught up with them on the road on 2 October as they were heading to play in Newcastle. They are: Jack Redfern (lead guitarist and vocalist), George Langford (bassist and lead vocalist), Frankie Cast (rhythm guitarist) and Joe Roberts (drummer). You’d better remember their names and the band’s name, because Headwired are set to lead the new British rock invasion. Are you ready?

You’re on your first tour with sold-out shows at every venue. It’s amazing; last night you played in Glasgow, and today you are going to play in Newcastle. How’s the tour going so far? Jack?

Jack Redfern (lead guitarist and vocalist): Really good. Really enjoying travelling across the country. Glasgow was brilliant last night, wasn’t it?

George Langford (bassist and lead vocalist): That was good. Always good to be up there. It is great because there’s a bit of a new experience; we’re not just going and playing to three or four people. No, it’s unbelievable until you turn up and people are actually buying all your merch and coming to meet and greet you. It’s like it’s blown us away a little bit, so we’re getting a feel for what sold out actually means now.

View this post on Instagram

Headwired is a new band, and you’re very young. Tell me how and when the group was formed.

Jack Redfern (lead guitarist and vocalist): The band was formed around 2018 and started with me. We had a couple of members drop in and out. And then, I think about a year later, we found George on a local kind of website, like a bands-seeking-bands type thing. It just kind of developed from there. And then you joined the picture a couple of years later. Didn’t you, Joe?

Joe Roberts (drummer): Yep. And then the last three years we’ve been going at it properly, with some new songs. And that’s sort of how it’s grown from there, isn’t it? Really, over the last 3 years, it’s sort of picked up.

Jack Redfern: (lead guitarist, vocalist): The first phase was figuring it out, and then the second phase is what we’re currently in now. We’re loving it, man.

Regarding TikTok, I know the band connected very well with the audience there. However, what I appreciate most about you is that you’re not trying to sell anything—your communication feels truly authentic and genuine. How do you approach this?

Joe Roberts (drummer): I’d say it’s genuinely authentic, because we don’t have a team behind us. It’s literally just the four of us running everything—posting every day so the fans can see what’s really going on. There’s no barrier between us and the fans; we’re the ones answering the comments and making the posts, so it’s very direct and personal. We used to try to make things look more polished and professional, but then we realized: why pretend we have a big team when it’s really just us? Now, we embrace that DIY approach, and it seems to resonate with our fans—that authenticity is just who we are.

“Limerick” was released just a week ago, and I loved the single—it’s really riff-driven, with great backing vocals and a catchy chorus. Of course, Limerick is both a city in Ireland and a form of verse that first appeared in England in the early 18th century. Can you tell us what inspired this song and what it’s about?

George Langford (bassist and lead vocalist): It’s a bit of a mystery, really—it’s intentionally nonsensical. I like to lead people down that path and make them wonder, “Why did he name it that?” That’s part of the fun: people come and ask us, and we can give a different answer every time, or just keep it open-ended. Originally, it had an Irish feel to it, and I thought it would be a good idea not to just name the song something like “Love Will Find You” or a lyric that was already in the song. We wanted something like “Columbia” by Oasis or something.  We thought:  “I just want the title to be like the feel of the song“, because it had that sort of Irishy feel at the start. I don’t know. Limerick’s kind of; it’s like a rhyming couplet.

You’re an unsigned band, but I’m a little bit of a stalker, and I know that, for example, you get people following you, like Mark Lippmann, the CEO of Manchester-based label Scruff of the Neck, or Matt Hill, the founder of Hillomatic, and others. Are you ready to make the big leap?

Frankie Cast (rhythm guitarist): Well, that’s the thing. We are working. We’re in contact with people… We’re just trying to find the right people for us.

You’re a group from Dudley and the Black Country region in the Midlands. There are two things I like about that: knowing that not everything happens in London or Manchester, and knowing that the Black Country is always there, going strong. Joe, I must ask: is John Bonham one of your influences? I know he was from the Black Country.

Joe Roberts (drummer): Yeah, definitely. Big influence. Obviously, I think for most rock drummers, a lot of people say. He was the best. I have a few other influences, like Alan White from Oasis, Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Grohl, and Taylor Hawkins as well. But Bonham’s up there.

Name one or two albums that brought you into music, starting with George.

George Langford (bass and lead vocalist): Growing up, “Wasting Light” (2011) was one of my favourite Foo Fighters albums. I think it helped me move on from listening to what my dad and I used to listen to and start developing my own identity. It really switched me on to modern rock. But before that, the first big one was probably Queen’s “News of the World” (1977).

Frankie Cast (rhythm guitarist): “AM” (2013) by Arctic Monkeys.

Jack Redfern (lead guitarist, vocalist): The first classic Arctic Monkeys album, “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” (2003), because that was the first album I could play from start to finish.

Joe Roberts (drummer): That’s pretty obvious for me. I remember my dad showing it to me when I was young, and it was a real eye-opener. I like to play the drums along to it as well, so yeah, that’s probably it for me.

I think what makes Headwired special is that you’ve got a unique DNA. You can hear influences from Arctic Monkeys, Oasis, The Stone Roses, The Beatles, and others, but your sound is very polished and distinct, and your influences are very wide-ranging. Am I right?

Frankie Cast (rhythm guitarist): Yeah, I’d say so.

George Langford (bass and lead vocalist): That’s probably what helps, because if we all listen to the same thing, you run the risk of the music just sounding exactly like a band that we’re all influenced by. We all bring different influences to the songs. No other band is writing songs like “Limerick“. It’s got so many different aspects to it. Not to pick ourselves up too much, but I will. No other band is doing that.

 What are your plans for the rest of the year?

Joe Roberts (drummer): We’ll finish off this tour, and then we’re planning to get back in the studio. And we’re going abroad for the first time, aren’t we?

Frankie Cast (rhythm guitarist): Yes, we are going to Italy.

Any message for those who don’t know you?

Frankie Cast (rhythm guitarist): Get to know us as soon as you can!

George Langford (bass and lead vocalist): You want to know us before, in another year’s time, when everyone claims that “Oh, I knew Headwired before“.

Joe Roberts (drummer): You want to be an early fan!