are potentially the fastest-rising band in the U.K., which is no surprise to anyone who has seen them live. Having formed in Leeds in 2024, Bathing Suits have been on an incredible rise, from being one of the most talked-about bands in , to becoming a staple at The Windmill, to winning at . Their journey has been almost unbelievable, and yet, if you’d told someone at one of their early shows that this would happen, they probably would’ve believed you. Never, in recent years, has an up-and-coming band been so obviously the band for the moment, from minute one.
Catching up with Bathing Suits before they supported at their sold-out show at The Electric Ballroom in Camden, the group seem both elated by and completely comfortable with their recent success. The conversation often diverts into jokes, tangents, and storytelling between more serious moments of reflection and insight into their musicianship. “We’re a polar opposite sort of response to what’s been popular in the last 10 years; it’s very harsh, it’s very raw”, guitarist Alex Mulholland asserts, offering some insight into why they have been such an immediate hit.
Moving on to the topic of their unique noise-punk sound, “We are multifaceted… we fit to a brief, (but it’s) a brief that we’ve assigned”, says frontwoman . “If I just sat down to play guitar on my own, it wouldn’t be the same as when I play in Bathing Suits”, explains George Dickinson: “We fit to a sound”. The group are clearly operating on their own terms, and that comfortability in their own identities and clarity in their own sound comes across brilliantly watching them play live.
On their roots, coming out of the Leeds DIY scene, the band are keen to highlight all the people who’ve helped them along the way. “So many people in music there are in it for the love of the game, so many people believed in us and wanted to help us”, notes bassist Elise Hughes, who goes on to highlight some key names involved in their early development. She talks about Ben Parry (Cyclist, Shaene), Benny (DJ Subaru, the band’s primary producer), and Maz (Rory Maslen of Kiosk), before a special mention for Reg (James Vardy of Private Regcords), who’s been recently credited as one of the key figures behind the recent success of Leeds’ grassroots artists.
On what’s next, Freyja is “excited to work on some art and audio-visual aspects for the live performance”. Alex looks forward to “working on the process in reverse, recording things in the studio before they are played live”. Whatever sounds exactly come from Bathing Suits next, they are sure to be close to groundbreaking. It feels like the U.K.’s scene is hanging on their every word, note, noise, shout, kick, dance move, anticipating what might be next to come from the group. They have made a strong case as 2026’s best newcomers.