Yorkshire metallic hardcore outfit EGO dropped a savage demo in 2023, a promo and single in 2024, and now the punishing Yorkshire Style EP in 2025 which is pretty much the perfect hardcore band trajectory so far, right?
As per their established form, the new tracks are mean and gruff and stuffed with beatdowns, and the band have since tore their way through Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands with the vicious Divine Hatred with whom they share a couple of members.
EGO guitarist Marcus and drummer Kierran were happy to chat about their influences and experiences so far, and most importantly whether they’re gonna complete the set with an LP anytime soon.
Let’s start at the beginning. How did the band come together and what was the original vision for the sound and style?
(Kierran, drums): The band first came together from me and Tom (guitar) messing around in the studio, there was no goal or vision of creating the band, we just got together to make music. After a few months of making some demos (that will never surface) we then decided to take the next step and get others involved.
You guys have built up some decent and organic momentum with the release of the demo and promo etc. How do you feel about what you’ve done so far?
(Marcus, guitar): The support from the northern UK Hardcore scene is what has kept this band alive. Without the likes of Boom, Donfest, Busy Bodies, MCHC, Cicada Promotions and many others we would not be where we are. Leeds Hardcore has always had a strong scene and we are grateful for all the support.
Tell me about Yorkshire Style, what’s it about and how did it come together?
(Marcus): It’s our first EP with two guitarists and every member involved in the writing process. Everything before was mainly Tom and Kierran. We had “Yorkshire Style” written over a year ago, “Destiny Breaks” shortly after that. “Breath of War” and “Forced to Divide” were written around December time.
We are all from different areas of Yorkshire (Grimsby, Leeds, Sheffield and Doncaster) so we wanted to give our region some recognition.
Did you set out to do anything particularly different for it?
(Marcus): We all love the sound of bands like Queensway, King Nine and Never Ending Game so we tried channeling some of their energy and style into this.
We now have the means to do all the production in-house but we love Ben Jones’ mix style so I recorded it all in Sheffield and then we sent it off to Ben to mix and master it to get his spin on it. He’s done a great job with bands like Pest Control, Nothin’ But Enemies and Splitknuckle to name a few, so we were stoked to hear he was happy to be involved when we asked him.
Are there any particular UKHC bands, old or new, that inspire you sonically or otherwise?
(Kierran): We have a lot of love for Brutality Will Prevail, Desolated, Malevolence and Rough Justice. These are the bands that got us into going to hardcore shows in the first place and you can hear their influences scattered in the EP and our earlier work.
(Marcus): I love what Ikhras, Ruined Virtue, Cannonball, Despize, and Mindhold are currently doing. We also have a lot of respect for the LBU and London bands and how much they did back in the '90s/'00s for UKHC. Shout out Bun Dem Out, Knuckledust, Special Move, 50 Caliber, Ninebar.
What was it like playing in Europe last month? Any highlights?
(Marcus): It was really good. Our second EU tour with Divine Hatred. Two members of Ego are in that band so it makes touring together very easy. It was an unforgettable experience getting to play Return to Strength Festival. Shout out to Flo and everyone else involved in making that festival what it is.
Our first show outside the UK on the tour was with Diall (UK) and Ultras (USA) in Dresden so it was cool to basically combine our tour packages for one show.
(Kierran): Nothing beats the feeling of travelling with your best friends and playing hardcore music to like-minded people in cities you’ve never been to and meeting new people.
Do you have any plans for a full-length? Or any other hopes/ambitions for the future of the band?
(Marcus): The current plan is to see where this EP takes us and then maybe drop a two-track (which we’re currently working on) while we put together an LP so that there isn’t much waiting to do between releases.
We have no big plans for the future, we just like playing anywhere and whenever. Our next show is No Play Festival in September and we are all excited to play that.
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Yorkshire Style is available now digitally.
EGO on social media: Instagram
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