Belfast-based queer-punk quartet Problem Patterns just got done with a headline UK tour supporting last year’s debut album, Blouse Club. I went to their Manchester date at Gullivers, with Arch Femmesis and Mere Amore; it was great fun! But they’re not taking a moment’s rest. Over the weekend, the band played multiple sets at Glastonbury, announced another string of shows and Summer festival slots, and dropped a brand-new single.
“I Think You Should Leave” does not relate to the Tim Robinson sketch show, alas. But it is a fuzzy, Undertones-y, prideful shout-a-long inspired by a journalist who disparaged their home nation of Northern Ireland. In a statement accompanying the single’s release, the band explain:
“He treated it like a scary, horrible place to be from. He asked us, ‘Why don’t you just leave?’ We could do nothing but laugh because, really, think about how rude that is to say. We love being a Belfast band and we want to embrace our rich history and educate people and give a message of hope. We’re saying ‘everybody leaves and nothing changes, I’ll stay here and create the spaces’, because we want to stay here and be a part of a better future and not just abandon our home, as the journalist had kindly suggested. It sort of dismissed all the work that’s been done to even get us here.”
“During the troubles, Ciara, Beth and Bev would never have met and that makes us so grateful to stand up beside each other now and create music together when such a short time ago, that would’ve been unimaginable. Everywhere has its problems, but this is our home. We’ve seen so many people leave for better opportunities elsewhere, and we can’t blame them, but we want to stay here and work together to create safe, inclusive spaces that work better for everybody. Additionally, Alanah actually moved here and created a home so it mustn’t be that bad.”
It’s one of Problem Patterns’ strongest songs to date with a killer chorus which must be great fun to bounce to live. The self-directed video similarly bursts with charming civic pride. You can watch that below and also check out their new Summer dates; I recommend catching them if they’re in your area/at your festival.
Problem Patterns Summer 2024 Dates
06 July – Stendhal Festival
12 July – 2000 Trees Festival
26 July – TRUCK Festival
17 August – Custom House Square, Belfast (w/ Stiff Little Fingers)
04 October – Broadcast, Glasgow
05 October – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
Photo by Angie Ricchiuto.
“I Think You Should Leave” is available now via Alcopop! Records.
Words: Callie Petch
