Split Chain

Bristol’s Split Chain brings its dense, high-gain shoegaze and alternative rock to The Underworld, London on 25 September 2026. Formed as a quintet around vocalist Bert Martinez-Cowles, the band folds 90s and 2000s influences into a more current production, moving between alternative, grunge, emo and metal-tinged textures. Their writing stays melodic while the sound leans thick and saturated, with vocals that shift from tight-lipped tension to a more fragile register. The group has carved out a path between heavy shoegaze, post-hardcore and alternative metal without locking into a single lane.

On stage, Split Chain plays with contrasts and dynamics: weighty drums and bass anchor surges of guitar fuzz, then open into diffuse, misty layers. Riffs push hard, feedback swells and drop-outs create space, and the melodic line holds the centre through the noise. The live format stays direct and compact, built for impact more than polish, with passages that slow-burn before breaking into louder peaks. It’s a set where density and clarity trade places, and where the band’s hybrid sound finds its most immediate form.