Sumlin (@sumlin.bsky.social)

IRKED confront the system on their debut LP The Grievance IRKED have been steadily building their reputation in the DIY scene in northern England for some time now. With an EP that sold out two pressings and appearances on BBC 6 Music, expectations were high for the Newcastle band's debut album. The Grievance undoubtedly exceeds them. The album opens with 'I.R.K.E.D.F.U.', a two-beat instrumental into which Helen Walkinshaw bursts in, pushing the energy even further. It's a perfect starting point for the fourteen tracks that follow, which portray contemporary life as a system of constant pressure, where work, relationships and politics blur into one. IRKED don't offer a single, direct critique, but rather a mosaic of situations, from job insecurity to the cultural scene, showing how even spaces that should offer refuge fail to escape the system. https://loudwomen.org/2026/05/01/irked-confront-the-system-on-their-debut-lp-the-grievance/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social