Big Special | |
|---|---|
 Big Special at Rough Trade East in 2025. From left to right: Joe Hicklin and Callum Moloney. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | The Black Country, West Midlands, England |
| Years active | 2021–present[ citation needed ] |
| Labels | SO Recordings |
| Members |
|
| Website | https://bigspecial.co.uk/ |
Big Special are a musical duo from the Black Country in the English West Midlands, consisting of vocalist Joe Hicklin and drummer Callum Moloney.
Moloney is from Birmingham, Britain's second-largest city, and Hicklin grew up in nearby Walsall. [1] The two first met aged 17 years old, more than a decade before Big Special was formed. [1]
The group's released discography dates back to 2023, in the form of several singles, beginning with "Trees" on 6 December of 2023. [2] Following its underground acclaim, the duo went on to release three more singles in 2024: "Dust Off/Start Again" on 6 February alongside the announcement of their debut album, [3] "Butcher's Bin" on 13 March,[ citation needed ] and "Black Dog/White Horse" on 12 April. [4] In the midst of these singles, their first LP, Postindustrial Hometown Blues, was released on 10 May.[ citation needed ]
In October 2024, they released a single, "Stay Down, Lazarus", a collaboration with John Grant. [5] The track, despite being the first written for Big Special, was not featured on the base edition of Postindustrial Hometown Blues. [5] It was, however, present on the deluxe edition, which also contained acoustic versions, demos, and remixes of album tracks. It was released in February 2025.[ citation needed ]
Following their debut, the duo continued to perform at various venues before releasing their sophomore album, National Average, on 4 July 2025 with no promotion or prior announcement. [6] This release strategy would continue on their following two singles: "Plaintive Native", released on 15 October, and "Dragged Up a Hill (And Thrown Down the Other Side)", on 26 November. [7] [8] Both of these singles have yet to appear on any full-length album or other release.
They were featured, along with actress Gwendoline Christie, on the Sleaford Mods single "The Good Life", which was released in October 2025. Sleaford Mods frontman Jason Williamson said he brought Big Special in because he felt he "couldn't cut the chorus". [9]
They have been described in the NME as making "vulnerable, soulful punk", [1] and by another reviewer as "intertwining punk with poetry". [10] They have been widely referred to as a punk outfit, and even described as a "hip-hop duo", but the pair said in 2024 that their music did not fit easily into established genres. [11] Hicklin has said that he needs the creative freedom to draw on influences from soul, punk and hip hop. [12]
Hicklin's vocals are sometimes reminiscent of soul, [13] and at other times delivered in registers closer to spoken word poetry. [10] The duo's lyrics often refer to working class life in the post-industrial Midlands and Hicklin's struggles with depression. [12]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [14] | UK Indie [14] | SCO [14] | ||
| Postindustrial Hometown Blues |
| 37 | 2 | 6 |
| National Average |
| 53 | 1 | 20 |
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Stay Down, Lazarus" (with John Grant) [5] | 2024 | Postindustrial Hometown Blues (deluxe) |
| "Plaintive Native" | 2025 | — |
| "Dragged Up a Hill (And Thrown Down the Other Side)" |