Some bands spend years polishing every rough edge away. Exeter trio Pushbike sound like they understand that the rough edges can be the best part.
With their newly released Little Bastard EP, the Devon group are attracting attention for a collision of fuzzed-up guitar pop, emo feeling and post-hardcore urgency. The Guardian recently singled them out in its new-music recommendations, a welcome moment of national attention for a band rooted in a local scene.
Big Guitars, Small-Room Energy
Pushbike’s appeal lies in the way their music pulls seemingly opposing instincts together. There’s the melodic pull of indie pop, the grit of noisy alternative rock and the emotional directness associated with emo. The result suggests a band interested in songs first, even when the guitars threaten to spill over the edges.
Recent track “Pure Hate” offers a way into that sound, moving between fuzz-heavy momentum and a more exposed emotional core. The band also shared “Captain On The Bridge” ahead of the EP’s release.
For another example of bands building a scene around new music, read our coverage of Artio’s band-led Seventh Sun Festival in Leeds.
Why Exeter Matters
It’s easy for music coverage to orbit London, Manchester and the same familiar venues. But worthwhile bands are developing in smaller scenes all over the country, often without the machinery of a major campaign behind them.
That is exactly why we want Imminent Infinity’s Grassroots section to look beyond the obvious names. We’ve recently highlighted Wrexham’s Baby Brave and Kent’s studio20, two more examples of exciting music developing outside the usual spotlight. A band like Pushbike is a reminder that the next exciting guitar act might be playing a small room rather than a festival main stage.
Little Bastard Is Out Now
Little Bastard was released on 9 October 2026 as a four-track EP. Rather than pretending to review a record we haven’t heard in full, this is an introduction to a band whose current singles and growing attention make them worth following.
We’d love to hear more about how Pushbike’s sound has developed, what the Exeter scene means to them and where the newly released EP takes them next. For now, the tracks already out provide a promising introduction.
Further reading: The Guardian’s Pushbike recommendation; BOPS EP announcement.
