A scattergun approach that hits the target!
There’s a kind of record that challenges lazy initial perceptions – and reviews! – and demands many, many listens before you have any chance of ‘getting it’. Shooting Daggers have made precisely that sort of record. Emerging from London’s independent underground, Shooting Daggers have quickly established themselves as one of the most vital young groups on the alternative circuit.
Though London based, the trio are multi-national – Sal Pellegrin (vocals/guitar) is originally from France, Bea Simion (bass) is originally from Italy, and Raquel Alves (drums) is originally from Spain. Their music is rooted in punk’s original spirit of resistance, but both their outlook and their output extend beyond just mere rebellion for its own sake.
Their songs champion inclusivity, solidarity, feminism and grassroots community, standing firmly against prejudice and exclusion in all its forms. In an era when political commitment is often reduced to marketing copy, Shooting Daggers are genuinely invested in the principles they sing about.
‘The Real Life Thing‘, a seven-song mini-album that follows two years on from the release of their acclaimed debut album ‘Love & Rage’, burns through its running time with the urgency of a political pamphlet thrust into your hand outside a club, equal parts warning, invitation and battle cry. Recorded at Bear Bites Horse Studio with Wayne Adams (Big Lad, Green Lung) at the controls, this is a collection of songs marked by a fierce energy, variety, and cool musical nous, unified by the message firmly at its core.
Where other groups mistake aggression for purpose, Shooting Daggers demonstrate here that fury is at its most effective when used sparingly and attached to conviction.
The Opening track ‘Adrenaline’ gives the record a powerful start – a real adrenaline shot if you like! Angular guitars create a wall of pleasant attack while the rhythm section drives forward with admirable recklessness, and the vocals land somewhere between angry confrontation and a sing-along, communal rallying call.
Yet just as you settling down to another hardcore album, the band veer sideways. ‘My Oh My!’ expands the palette considerably, allowing melody and atmosphere to seep through the cracks. There are traces of post-hardcore experimentation and a haze of dreamlike texture hanging behind the racket, but none of it feels fashionable or self-conscious. Rather, it sounds like a group discovering new routes to mix it up and get their message across.
It’s this variety that for me is what separates Shooting Daggers from many of their contemporaries right now. Even in this mini album they simply refusal to settle. Each track is its own sonic journey.
‘T.R.L.T’ starts with a guttural shriek and continues with jagged punk energy and unexpectedly infectious hooks to keep the energy at full tilt. Then the 28 seconds of acapella that is ‘We Just Wanna Play’ is like a sweet sorbet between richer and more fulfilling courses.
‘Loud Mouths,’ featuring fellow feminist agitators The Menstrual Cramps, ramps it all up again and lands on the ear like an angry driven protest anthem – We got the Power!
Most surprising for me is ‘Le Soleil’, a left-turn that exchanges blunt-force assault for something stranger and more spacious, jangly and rather beautiful. It is the sort of move that would have no doubt horrified punk rock purists and delighted everyone else. But by now the listener is ready to expect the unexpected! And as it’s 30 degrees outside at the time of writing this review, it’s the perfect summer ‘lay back and look at the sky’ tune.
The closer, ‘Glow’, featuring Dennis Luxzen from Swedish hardcore outfit Refused provides probably the record’s most complete track. It is fierce without becoming joyless, political without lapsing into sermonising, and melodic without sacrificing any of its bite. It’s an uncompromising end, with reminders of all that has gone before.
So, what emerges over these seven tracks is a sense of a band refusing every convenient label that could be handed to them. Hardcore, Riot Grrrl, Post-punk and Alternative rock are all present in the mixture, but Shooting Daggers seem intent on building something entirely of their own, rather than paying tribute to anyone else’s blueprint.
‘The Real Life Thing‘ may be eclectic and even a little disjointed at times, but it’s authentic, alive, passionate, confrontational and hopeful in equal measure, capturing a group pushing at the edges of their sound while keeping their eyes wide open to all possibilities.
Out on 5th June 2026 via New Heavy Sounds, order your physical copy from HERE and pre-save on digital HERE
Catch Shooting Daggers live at their upcoming shows:
June 4th – Southbank Centre, London
June 5th – Fairweather festival, Bremen, Germany
June 19th – Kerrang showcase at Blondies, London
July 10th – Grind House, Padova, Italy
July 11th – The End of Impact Fest, San Martino Scuole, Italy
Main Photo Credit / Band Photos: LEVI OCEAN
- Adrenalin
- My Oh My
- T.R.L.T
- We Just Wanna Play
- Loud Mouths (ft. The Menstral Cramps)
- Le Soleil
- Glow (ft. Dennis Luxzen)
Follow Shooting Daggers on Their Socials:
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Writer, lyricist, and guitarist with The Viral Breakdowns, radio presenter and passionate protagonist of Punk! From teenage rocker in the seventies, to playing my own original music in far flung parts of the world, I have a love for fast, loud, short sharp tunes with attitude and edge. Based in Chelmsford, you can find me out and about on the Essex and London music scene or rooting through the racks of record fairs, markets and car boot sales, looking for hidden punk rock treasures.
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