Lock-In: Godney Gathering, This Feeling Stage

The Harlow juggernaut, Lock-In, continued their rise to glory at the Somerset festival Godney Gathering, playing the This Feeling stage.

All images courtesy of Rhona Murphy

The Lo-fi guitars and frontman Benji Leak’s razor-sharp vocals on ‘Red Stripe Remedy’ had the tent buzzing. The heartfelt decrees of “working 9-5” and “it’s life” were poetic reminders of why this crowd has come together.

‘I Caught Feelings’ doubled down on the emotion with its euphoric "oh ahh” hooks and infectious Two Door Cinema Club licks. Meanwhile, the effervescent energy of the new single ‘Sun Kiss’ and the cover of Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take Me Out’ sent the Essex gang off again as heroes.

Lock-In’s latest single ‘Sun Kiss’ is out on the 9th August. Click below for tickets to their upcoming This Feeling tour:

LOCK-IN – On To The Next

LOCK-IN are set to release their debut EP ‘On To The Next’ on January 19th. The EP was produced by Curtis Elvidge of Ritual Sounds and recorded during sessions at Premises Studio in Hackney.

Artwork courtesy of Fear PR

In the latter half of 2023, LOCK-IN released ‘Easy’ and ‘Red Stripe Remedy’. They consolidate their position as one of the UK’s indie bands poised to break through by improving their archetypal indie-dancefloor sound. The former, at times, threatens to ignite into a Two Door Cinema Club party, but such is the emotional heft that it remains in its world-weary lane. It breeds a lonely but never detached sonic, where LOCK-IN have thrived best to date. Meanwhile, on ‘Red Strip Remedy’, they toss their hat into the ring of indie anthems about escaping the 9-5. What’s different about Lock-In’s submission to the genre is its emotive poignancy. As frontman Benjy Leak sings, “Lost in the 9-5, we only work to stay alive”, it’s tinged with a forlornness not seen with songs of this ilk before. It serves as the perfect reflection of the dire times we’re struggling through. When The Enemy sang ‘We’ll Live And Die’ in these towns, Tom Clarke conjured images of people still brimming with hope despite the decay.  ‘Red Stripe Remedy’, sixteen years later, demonstrates what it’s like to exist in those towns; six for a fiver being one of the only hopes left for so many.

LOCK-IN, before these two singles, were a fun band. Led in main, by frontman Benji Leak’s charisma and joyful cadence. Fun only gets you so far. Step forward, brother and lead guitarist Joe Leak. Joe’s choppy licks pull from Bloc Party’s ‘So Here We Are’ and The Wombats circa ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ and produce images of a forlorn soul dusting themselves down for another shot at glory. On ‘Red Stripe Remedy’ Joe harsher and more jagged licks allow the “what if” Graham Coxon joined Two Door Cinema Club to develop joyfully. His joyous guitar solo on the title track culminates this newfound confidence and intensity.

Whilst so many bands proclaim to be rock ‘n’ roll, they lose sight of its spirit whilst searching for that ‘Live Forever’ moment to change their lives. On the title track and ‘He Said She Said’, LOCK-IN rapturously live in the moment and, thus, lifts souls out of theirs. Nothing is more rock ‘n’ roll than that. ‘He Said She Said’ opens another avenue the band have yet to show. It has the feel of an OK album track that fans lust after as much as the singles (‘Slide Away’, ‘A New Decade’). Fiercely striving towards colossal status, the band has tapped into a power that will set crowds ablaze alongside the lighter indie-dancefloor moments.

Their biggest headline show at London’s Lafayette is shaping to be a launch-off into much bigger things on this showing.

Click the image below for tickets to their headline Lafayette show:

LOCK-IN – Red Stripe Remedy

Hertfordshire school friends Lock-In return with the second single from their upcoming debut EP ‘On To The Next’. ‘Red Stripe Remedy’ follows the fan favourite ‘Easy’ and was recorded at Premises Studio in Hackney with Curtis Elvidge producing again.

Images and artwork courtesy of Fear PR and Joe Lowe.

Joe Leek’s harsher and more jagged licks allow the “what if” Graham Coxon joined Two Door Cinema Club to develop joyfully. Where ‘Easy’ tapped into a more melancholic sonic, ‘RSR’ sees Lock-In take another step toward marrying their natural optimism with more serious songwriting.

Every generation has its band(s) tackling the human release from the 9-5. What’s different about Lock-In’s submission to the genre is its emotive poignancy. As frontman Benjy Leak sings “Lost in the 9-5, we only work to stay alive”, it’s tinged with a forlornness not seen with songs of this ilk before. It serves as the perfect reflection of the dire times we’re struggling through. When The Enemy sang ‘We’ll Live And Die’ in these towns, Tom Clarke conjured images of people still brimming with hope despite the decay.  ‘Red Stripe Remedy’, sixteen years later, demonstrates what it’s like to exist in those towns; six for a fiver being one of the only hopes left for so many.

Lock-In, though, are never down for the count. Their introduction of strings and as Leak howls “It’s life, Its Life, It’s life”, a chink of light emerges. Faint, but bright enough to reassure us that we’re not alone.

There are just too many dreams in this wasteland for you to leave us all behind.

Click the image below for tickets to their biggest ever show at Lafayette next April:

LOCK-IN - Easy

The Essex via London indie-pop outfit have returned with their new single ‘Easy’. It follows their raucous headline slot at Truck Festival and a sold-out show at Signature Brew Haggerston last week. ‘Easy’ was produced by Curtis Elvidge at Premises Studios in Hackney.

At times, it threatens to ignite into a Two Door Cinema Club party but such is the emotional heft, it remains in its world-weary lane. It breeds a lonely but never detached sonic, which is where Lock-In have thrived best to date.

Image courtesy of Fear PR.

Joe Leak’s choppy licks pull from Bloc Party’s ‘So Here We Are’ and The Wombats circa ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ and produce images of a forlorn soul dusting themselves down for another shot at glory. It’s Indie noodling that will soundtrack a thousand summer romances soon to end this month but leave scars for a lifetime.

Everything culminates with frontman Benjy Leak’s rapid-fire roar of “Don’t go, don’t leave, please stay with me”. He may not have Bono or Ashcroft’s ability to summon the guttural anguish vocally, but his frantic state pulls from the everyman state of despair with more integrity.

Photograph’s courtesy of Oscar Blair.

In three years, Lock-In have gone from the lo-fi 00s revivalism of their debut single ‘Teenager’ to ‘Easy’, a much broader and textured emotive piece. The journey isn’t the stark 0 to 60 that rock ‘n’ roll documentaries have you worship at the temple of. Rather, this is the sound of relentlessly honing the craft alongside youthful adventure. From hard work to romantic risk-taking, Lock-In are here to teach you life lessons to young and old!

LOCK-IN: This Feeling Stage, Truck Festival

The Essex via London band of brothers continued their meteoric rise recently with a headline set on the This Feeling Stage at Truck Festival.

In frontman Benjy Leak, Lock-In don’t only have Essex’ alternative scene answer to John Travolta, they have one of indie’s good guys! From the campsite to backstage, to the front barrier of stages, Leak is there, affable, hungry for success but always supporting others.

It’s presumably this which pulls in the crowd which is 10 deep out of the tent which erupts into feverish dancing at every opportunity. ‘Vandross’ is snapped out with a punkier sonic than on record, a trait that rings true throughout. ‘Get Over It’, the finest homage to the mid-00s ever written is played harder and faster for the most part, only dropping the tempo to allow Leak to impart his heartfelt romantic anguish.

With their raw passion threatening to spill over, they temper the fire with the groove-laden ‘Do You Like Good Music?’ which is succeeded by their mashup section of Modjo’s ‘Lady’, Stardust’s ‘Music Sounds Better With You’, and Jamiroquai’s ‘Space Cowboy’.

Across the weekend, there are acts with great songs but, no emotional presence, no fire! Lock-In however have a raging inner desire and they can make good indie songs a great moment on stage. Stage décor, vocal nuance, and fashion give the audience everything possible and the audience reciprocated.

LOCK-IN – Sweet Love

Essex via London outfit Lock-in returned at the end of November with their new single ‘Sweet Love’.

‘Sweet Love’ got its debut live airing at This Feeling’s Teenage Cancer Trust gig in October. More direct, and more aggressive, it felt like a departure from their fledgling days and a step into becoming a true presence on the circuit. Can they recreate the magic in the studio?

On record, the harder edges have been polished somewhat but not to its detriment. The truth is, many indie bands can’t get past their initial few singles anymore. Lock-in are now showcasing maturity and are building its lovelorn characters into a sonic that is becoming hard for many to deny.

Joe Leak’s lead guitars are used more sparsely, Angus Moore’s riffs and frontman Benjy Leak’s technicolour energy to bristle along and thus, recreate their live prowess. What Joe delivers brings the infectious power of the Little Comets and Night Café to hook you but, the added space elevates the band, particularly at the breakdown.

Frontman Benjy Leak is not to be outdone either. He has outgrown the foot-to-the-floor approach that grabbed live audiences in their early support slot career. Now, he has begun to play with his cadence and tone allowing his boisterous personality to remain prominent but now allowing fragility to filter in and therefore, a depth to the songwriting that previously was only alluded to.

On this form, it’s easy to see why they have booked London’s iconic Garage for their biggest headline show to date next April. Click the image below for tickets:

(*Banner image courtesy of Briony Graham Rudd)

LOCK-IN: Lower Third, London

Lock-in began their life as a band in far from serious circumstances. Fast-forward a few years, the Essex outfit now residing in London and have a string of festivals to their name. They recently supported The K’s for This Feeling’s Teenage Cancer Trust night at Lower Third and we were there to check them out.

On record, a teenage innocence permeates their lyrics. Riddled with heartache and angst, they transport the oldest of souls back to the slumber of relationship woes. Live though, Lock-in are joyously learning to beef up their 00s revival sound.

‘I Caught Feelings’, via Ollie’s drumming builds to a raucous Milburn-esque crescendo. The lovelorn characters are built up to the fringes of rock ‘n’ roll with the shimmering guitar licks and frontman Benjy Leak’s swagger. The intro to set closer ‘Yours Sincerely’, more muscular than ever, adopts the angular mod riffs of The Rifles’ ‘She’s Got Standards’ and the punk of Good Shoes. The as yet unreleased ‘Sweet Love’ is their most bullish track to date and seemed to signify a departure from their cuter intonations.

On ‘Know The Score’ and ‘Get Over It’, they have serious weaponry to unleash on indie fans. The formers disco stomp hooked in the London crowd before frontman Benjy wielded his refreshingly ambitious stage presence. On ‘Get Over It’, something so instantaneous which allows them to dial down the bravado and thus, lets the audience feel a bigger part of their journey.

On this showing, it won’t be long they are headlining venues like this.

*image courtesy of the band