Manchester’s Aerial Salad Return With New LP R.O.I.

by | Jan 18, 2024

There’s a lot of talk in music and art of authenticity, truthfulness…the ‘real deal’. Many claim to have it, few actually do. Mancunians Aerial Salad have it in droves. This is the band that formed in 2016 with the sole intention of playing legendary punk festival FEST in Gainesville, which they did as teenagers. It didn’t matter that they could barely play, and it was an unmitigated disaster, they still had the front to do it. This is the band that embraced and cut their teeth in the DIY punk world, championed by scene kings Wonk Unit. They were poised on the brink of greatness with their epic debut album Dirt Mall in February of 2020 and, well, you know what happened next, every band has the same story, so we’ll park that there…

Aerial Salad (Liam Maxwell)

Aerial Salad (Liam Maxwell)
Aerial Salad (Liam Maxwell)

Instead, Aerial Salad got their collective heads down and pushed and developed their sound away from the three-chord blare of their formative years. This was always a band you were just as likely to see sporting a Stone Roses shirt as you would Snuff. Or a Cypress Hill top as you would see a Pizza Tramp. Aerial Salad describe their sound as ‘Madchester Punk’, a nod to their heroes in Happy Mondays, XTC, and Carter USM, spiced with the current furore spearheaded by burgeoning Brit-wave bands like Yard Act, Shame, and High Vis. Their second album R.O.I. (and first for highly regarded Venn Records) leans on these influences, driven forward by pure rock ’n’ roll swagger while conjuring a late stage, capitalist hellscape through brutalist lyrical narratives. To put it mildly, Aerial Salad is the band you want to see play the breakdown of establishments afterparty, and you already know you’re gonna love it!

The trio have shared a fresh taste of R.O.I. with new single Big Business, a song that singer and guitarist Jamie Munro says is about “a growing feeling that money is completely destroying entertainment, the idea came from a common notion that ‘all films are remakes’, it’s also inspired by any form of art, that is composed or created to serve the purpose only of capital.

“In the same way that many feel ‘football is all about money”, it’s the same in music, film, TV,” continues Munro. “Just about everything in the age we live in is purely for money. The song poses two questions. Has it always been this way? And does it have to be like this?”

Musically inspired by big, massive rock tunes from the 70s and Brazilian 60/70s samba/soul, as well as the usual XTC, The Fall and other brit new wave bands, Big Business lulls the listener into a sedate false of security with the calm guitar finger picking intro before the song’s sharp and jagged riff lashes out and the band pile in, wide-eyed and full of intent and purpose.

Watch the video for Big Business below:

Recorded lovingly in Vibe Recording Studio, Cheetham Hill in Manchester with Dean Glover, R.O.I. is an album that moves seamlessly from pulsing post-punk beats to unstoppable stadium rock anthems. The Same 24 Hours (As Beyoncé) is Britpop rallying against the fake facade of influencer culture, All Yer Dreamin is Mark E Smith at the Hacienda, Chances is Oasis taking on Talking Heads. Aerial Salad find space to explore new genres without losing the sense that this is a band born out of the hard touring, DIY punk scene, a community that continues to be close to their heart.

The northern three piece – comprised of frontman and guitarist Jamie Munro, bassist Mike ‘Wimbo’ Wimbleton and drummer Mike Marshall – want us to know they’re as authentic as it gets. Injecting that raw chaos and violent charm from the stage straight into their recordings. Their goal is to make themselves known to everyone and anyone, from rave heads to indie kids, poets to rockers.

R.O.I. is fantastical while acutely bedded in modern post-Brexit, Un-united Kingdom canon. We’re all trying to find our places in this new world, let Aerial Salad be the soundtrack. Pre-order R.O.I. HERE.

Don Broco Bring Greatness To Koko

Liang Lawrence (Ana Chen)

Liang Lawrence Unveils Reflective New Single ‘A Day Off In Margaritaville’ Ahead Of Autumn UK Tour

Rising alt-pop storyteller Liang Lawrence has shared her shimmering new single A Day Off In Margaritaville, a vibrant, emotionally layered track that marks the first offering from her upcoming EP It’s A Funny Thing, due later this year via The Other Songs.

Mae Stephens (Hannah Burton)

Mae Stephens Returns With Infectious New Single ‘Tiny Voice’

Breakout pop star Mae Stephens is back with a bang as she drops her irresistibly offbeat new single, Tiny Voice — a track as addictive as it is relatable. Following the runaway global success of her hit If We Ever Broke Up, which racked up over 500 million streams, landed her a Top 15 UK single, and earned Gold certifications in both the UK and US, Stephens continues to show why she’s one of the most exciting new voices in pop.

Maya Lane (Press)

Maya Lane Announces New Single ‘I Don’t Know You Yet’ And Debut London Headline Show Ahead Of New EP

Rising UK pop-country star Maya Lane continues her impressive 2025 trajectory with the release of a stunning new single, I Don’t Know You Yet, out now. The introspective, stripped-back track offers a poignant taste of her forthcoming EP, The Hurt And The Healing, due out on 4th September, and precedes her debut headline show at London’s The Grace on 3rd September.

Perera Elsewhere (Hugo Holger Schneider x Gene Glover)

Perera Elsewhere Returns With Electrifying Double Single Ft. Andy S & Announces New Album

Berlin-based, UK-raised experimental artist Perera Elsewhere (aka Sasha Perera) is back with a high-voltage double single, F*ck Le System / Time Will Tell, out now on Friends Of Friends – both featuring viral Ivorian rapper Andy S. The release serves as a bold statement on feminine strength, social rebellion, and sonic experimentation.

Don McLean @ The Long Road Festival (Press)

The Long Road Festival 2025 Assembles Its Biggest Line-Up Yet For August Bank Holiday Weekend

Now entering its sixth and most ambitious year to date, The Long Road Festival 2025 is set to deliver its boldest celebration of country, Americana, and roots music yet, taking over the scenic Stanford Hall in Leicestershire from 22nd–24th August. With more than 80 artists across six stages, the weekend promises an immersive blend of genre-spanning music, authentic Americana culture, and inclusive community spirit — and has already become the festival’s fastest-selling edition to date.

Stevie Wonder @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Bethan Miller-Carey)

A Night In Wonderland: Stevie Wonder And Guests Delight At BST Hyde Park 2025

“Awwwwight!” drawls Stevie Wonder, arms flung wide, grinning like a teenager trying on cockney charm for the first...
Neil Young @ BST Hyde Park (Trudi Knight)

Dance, Shadow And Harvest Under The Full Moon: Van Morrison, Yusuf Islam And Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts At BST Hyde Park 2025

Gone are the sparkled cowgirls and pop princesses of previous BST gigs. It’s the turn of the Baby Boomer generation to make up the core crowd of Hyde Park – a sea of grey hair, straw hats, and sensible shoes. They reapply sun cream religiously, have brought picnic blankets, and can be forgiven for taking their time getting up and down from the ground between acts. This is the generation that invented outdoor rock and folk festivals – and they’re here to show the rest of us how it’s done.

Poptones (Rune Gro-Nielsen)

Poptones Play Their Wild Card With New Single ‘Say Something Now’ Ahead of Forthcoming Album ‘Pure’

Danish experimental rock trio Poptones have unveiled their new single Say Something Now, offering a taste of the unpredictability and emotional depth that defines their upcoming sophomore album Pure, out 26th September via Happy Metal Records. Where lead single Skin Of Sea teased a shift toward expansive and instinctive composition, Say Something Now dives headlong into that experimental impulse—guided, intriguingly, by the rules of UNO. Yes, the beloved card game.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing