About Neck Deep
Neck Deep are a Welsh pop-punk band from Wrexham, formed in 2012. They released a pair of EPs, Rain in July and A History of Bad Decisions , before signing with Hopeless in August 2013.
Neck Deep was founded after vocalist Ben Barlow met former lead guitarist Lloyd Roberts; the pair posted a song online under the name Neck Deep. The song soon gained attention online, resulting in the addition of rhythm guitarist Matt West, drummer Dani Washington/Abasi, and bassist Fil Thorpe-Evans.
Following the release of their debut album Wishful Thinking in January 2014, the band became a full-time project, with the band members leaving their jobs and/or dropping out of university courses. Shortly after the release of their second album Life's Not out to Get You in August 2015, Roberts left the band due to allegations of sexual misconduct ), and Sam Bowden joined in his place. The group's third album The Peace and the Panic was released August 2017, and debuted at No. 4 on the US Billboard 200. In September 2018, Thorpe-Evans left the band to pursue a solo career as a producer. In 2019, the band embarked in a summer tour with Blink-182 as the opening act. By February 2020, the band added longtime collaborator and bassist Seb Barlow as an official member; later that month, they also revealed an app with a variety of multimedia regarding the announcement of their fourth album, titled All Distortions Are Intentional, released 24 July 2020. Their self-titled fifth album was released on 19 January 2024.
Vocalist Ben Barlow met lead guitarist Lloyd Roberts when Barlow's older brother, Seb, was recording the Wrexham hardcore band Spires that Roberts played in. At the time, Ben Barlow wrote pop punk songs on his own for fun. On 19 April 2012 the duo posted the song "What Did You Expect?" online under the name Neck Deep. According to Roberts, Barlow "literally said, 'What about Neck Deep ?' and that was that." The name comes from the Crucial Dudes' song "Boom, Roasted". "What Did You Expect?" soon gained attention online. This resulted in the duo adding guitarist Matt West, who also played in Spires, and drummer Dani Washington, who was aware of Wrexham's local music scene. Bassist Fil Thorpe-Evans joined shortly after leaving Lincoln melodic hardcore band Climates. "I Couldn't Wait to Leave 6 Months Ago " was posted online on 8 June. On 11 June, it was announced the band had signed to US label We Are Triumphant. The band recorded more songs with Seb Barlow in the attic of Ben's home.
The band released an EP, Rain in July, in September 2012, which gained the band even more attention from people. According to Barlow, "People took notice and demanded that we play shows." The band supported With the Punches and Me Vs Hero in the UK in December. The December 3rd date of the tour was the band's live debut. At their second show the band signed with a manager. The band toured the UK supporting Hacktivist in February 2013. Also in February the band released the A History of Bad Decisions EP as a "pay what you want" download. The band and their tour manager went on a holiday to Florida. The group ended up playing two shows that were "crazy and sold out and packed", according to Thorpe-Evans. Videos of the shows ended up online, which were seen by Hopeless Records. Hopeless got in contact with the band's manager who put the label in contact with the band. The band signed to Hopeless in August 2013. Being signed to the label was "a dream come true" for the band.
The band released their debut album, Wishful Thinking, on 14 January 2014. Up until this point, the band was a "fun, part-time ", according to Barlow. With the release of the album, the band became a full-time thing, according to Barlow: "Fuck it, let's do this properly". The success of the album resulted in Thorpe-Evans, West and Roberts quitting their jobs, Washington turning down a place at the Academy of Contemporary Music and Barlow dropping out of university. Following the release of Wishful Thinking, Neck Deep began 2014 with a full UK headline tour and also toured the UK as the main support for We Are the In Crowd, before a headline tour covering the US with Knuckle Puck, Light Years and Misguided by Giants. The band were announced to perform on 2014 edition of Vans Warped Tour. The band's two EPs were remixed and remastered as part of the compilation Rain in July / A History of Bad Decisions, released on Hopeless on 17 June. It was released to capitalise on the band's popularity at the time. Barlow said that this compilation would be "definitive release of songs". The band hoped that the new fans that enjoyed Wishful Thinking "will enjoy the chance to check these songs out now that we've had a chance to improve how they sound!" The band won the Kerrang! Award for Best British Newcomer 2014, beating nominees Blitz Kids, Bury Tomorrow, Lonely the Brave, and Decade. The band headlined the Intercontinental Championships Tour, along with Knuckle Puck , Seaway and Trophy Eyes , and touring the UK. The tour was set to start January 2015 and run through February. In late 2014, they entered the studio with producers Andrew Wade and Jeremy McKinnon to record their second album.
Map & Directions To Venue
