Brum two-piece GANS are quickly finding themselves in quite the spotlight. Despite only forming in 2023, guitarist Thomas Rhodes and drummer Euan Woodman have already got a discography that borrows from industrial rock, alternative and techno to create massive sounds. LeftLion headed down to The Bodega to find out exactly what the fuss was all about...
After climbing those oh-so-familiar stairs to enter The Bodega’s main room, I was immediately challenged with finding an appropriate space to stand given how absolutely packed the room was. This is a brilliant problem to have though - it’s great to see the people of Nottingham supporting the support act, especially one as brilliant as Hungry.
They set the tone for the evening perfectly, with high-octane, funky punk for the politically charged - a path GANS would soon follow. Jacob Peck was an incredibly engaging frontman, both with his razor-sharp lyricism during tracks such as Sick of It and Are You the Best Yet? and in between tracks as well, with the rest of the band offering plenty of gnarly riffs, punchy percussion and thumping bass. Before this encounter, Hungry were not yet on my radar, but they certainly are now, and I’m sure big things are coming their way.
It’s hard not to get a sweat on with GANS, even right at the back of the room away from the mosh, which got underway without hesitation. The partnership of Thomas Rhodes and Euan Woodman has borne an extraordinary musical baby, and the love from their brotherly best friendship was emanating around the room for the duration of their set.
Their releases thus far have explored a range of important and deeply emotional topics and themes, explored in an incredibly vulnerable way and punctuated with swirling industrial guitars and heavy basslines. However, that vulnerability does not mean that there’s not a little bit of silliness in there as well. During the set, there were two memorable occasions where the crowd were asked to raise their arms in the air. The first time to clap like a crab (with their first fingers and their thumbs), and another time to praise disco, in a cult-like display of affection for the mirrorball.
The unrelenting energy of I Think I Like You was just the right thing for welcoming in the weekend and shaking off the cobwebs, and the disgustingly cool riffs in DIRTY COWBOY were simply awesome.
The duo took it in turns to get down and dirty with their audience, creating a truly participatory event.
The pair went on to explore all that’s beautiful about those heavy electronic sounds with a deeply techno soundscape, accompanied with flashing lights that completely transformed the space into an underground rave. It’s so refreshing to see a band engage fully with different sounds, without anything sounding a bit like a failed experiment or an afterthought. These guys clearly breathe heavy music and breathe dance, which is an incredibly exciting thing that bodes well for the future of GANS.
For their encore, something happened that I’ve never seen before. The band’s photographer took to the stage to let loose on the vocals for BUSINESS - a track that spelling bee fans would absolutely love, as the crowd joined in to chant the title of the song. This one’s a great closer, allowing Woodman to thrash out animal style, and Rhodes to have a victory lap with that gorgeously grungey guitarwork. GANS are massive, pass it on.
GANS performed at The Bodega on 5th September 2025.
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