Lewis Jones (co-vocalist) from Leeds alt-metal seven-piece Sleuth Gang runs Soundsphere through the band’s creation, and plans as we head into 2025! Gritty, Northern Punk music, taking influence from hip-hop, grime, hardcore and dance music, tackling themes often overlooked in rap music, creating an inclusive space for the marginalized, and outspoken.
How are you lads?
We are good thank you, eager to get the ball rolling with 2025. We aren’t usually ones to wish time away but we’ve ended 2024 on such a high, we just can’t wait to see what’s around the corner.
Talk us through the band’s creation – you’ve come together from loads of different scenes musically and geographically, right?
Jeremy and I (Lewis) used to work together in a service station and started collaborating on tracks under our solo aliases. I’d known Sam from college, where he was always a natural performer. He joined us on stage a few times, and it quickly became clear that this could evolve into something more permanent. Kris was the next to join. I’ve known him since I was seven, and he already had been in other local bands. Bringing him in was a massive turning point—it’s when we first began to shape our sound as a band. As things progressed and more opportunities came our way, we knew we had to do some recruiting.
It was actually on the back of doing a live session for Jericho Keys at BBC Radio York where Kris was having to play guitar and bass and we just had a backing track for drums. After searching through Facebook pages and websites, we stumbled across a notice from Brodie at the place we were practicing at the time, however it turned out that we already knew him through a mutual friend that Kris and I grew up with. Not long after, we found Dan and eventually the world gave us Lennon. Obviously, in between finding each new member there was a lot of stress and many prayers, but honestly, we haven’t looked back since. We’ve all become like family, and bringing them on board truly made Sleuth Gang come alive.
What would you say is the core message for Sleuth Gang?
We’ve never set out to make music with a specific social or political agenda. We simply write about what feels right to us. We’re like flies on the wall, using our voices to highlight things that interest us. If it makes someone think differently about a topic, great—if not, then fuck it. At the end of the day, we’re illustrators, painting the world as we see it through our own eyes—not artists creating a new one.
What about the mission statement, and goals?
We just want to make an impact, even if it’s in the smallest way, we want to look back and know, in that moment we did everything that we could. On a personal level, for me it’s all about making my mum proud, and knowing my dad is looking down thinking damn, the boy did good.
What would you say are the biggest challenges you face as a band?
Earlier this year, Jeremy was set to return to Bermuda for work, but he decided to stay, which was a huge relief for all of us, we need that Bermudan flavour. On a lighter note, having seven creative people in a band can be a challenge in itself. Sometimes, one person will do something—like a tic—and it sets off the rest of the band, one by one. At every practice, there’s always a good 15 minutes where we have to endure Dan, Lennon, and Brodie jamming out to Queens of the Stone Age, or just smile as Dan quotes movies nonstop.
What sort of things inspire the band outside of music – films, games or people and places for example?
Life is like a gift that keeps on giving. Whether good or bad, there’s always something to create art from. Personally, I know I’m a better songwriter when I’m in a darker place. Mike Skinner once said, “I never cared about God when life was sailin’ on the calm,” and in a way, it’s the same with music. When life is good, you don’t always feel the need for that creative outlet as much. But, on the flip side, music also plays a huge role in helping me find my way back to a better place. It’s kind of like the art kills itself which in itself is kind of beautiful.
Does the Leeds scene inspire the band at all?
The Leeds scene is currently really strong and has definitely inspired us in one way or another, especially with so many punk and noise bands emerging, but not a single one of us is from Leeds originally. For me, growing up in the York area with venues like Fibbers, The Duchess, and Stereo still thriving and going to a school that put a lot of emphasis on music, it set a standard I aspired to reach in my own career.
What are you most looking forward to, as we enter 2025?
We’ve got some exciting plans in motion—some still under wraps—but here’s what we can share: we’re headlining a show in Leeds this February and supporting The Bastard Sons at The Crescent in York. On top of that, we have new music on the way! If you’ve seen us live, you might’ve heard ‘Grit Your Teeth’ – we’ve recorded it, and it’s looking like it’ll be our next single.
Are you happy with how ‘Initiation’ has been received so far?
Honestly, it’s been incredible—I still can’t believe how well ‘Headshot’ has been received! Releasing the singles from the EP ahead of the full release was intentional, giving people time to get to know the tracks. It’s been surreal hearing fans sing our songs back to us. That’s something I never thought would happen.
What is the message for your supporters?
As I mentioned before, you are just as much a part of Sleuth Gang as we are. We’ve got a ton of cool shit coming your way in 2025, and we can’t thank you enough for giving us the best debut year we could’ve asked for. 2025 is Sleuth Season all year round baby!
