Hailing from the seaside town of Southend-on-Sea, San Quentin are the alternative indie rock band who quite simply put, make massive stadium sized anthems with rousing riffs and catchy chorus hook lines. They are a bunch of real working class lads who are looking to take over the music scene as we know it!  

San Quentin formed when songwriter Liam Cass and singer Owen Eves first got together with drummer Luke Johns and bassist Nick Keep back in 2019. They were later joined by Dan Ridgwell as the lead guitarist in 2020 and San Quentin was born. 

The band’s name is inspired by the iconic Johnny Cash  album ‘San Quentin Prison’. Johnny Cash being a major inspiration to songwriter Liam because of his working class background and relatable story telling lyricism coupled with a real rebel attitude.

2022 was a massive year for the band seeing them named as “BBC introducing” Ones To Watch, a sold out 400 capacity headline show with This Feeling, a debut headline London show at the iconic The Water Rats, and an electric performance at The Isle Of Wight Festival.  

The start of 2023 saw San Quentin up the ante once more with the release of their first single to be taken from their debut EP entitled  ‘You’re Lost’ (Feb 23 – 8k Spotify streams) which was released to much praise from the likes of John Kennedy on his Radio X show, BBC introducing, and Apple Music who added the track into their editorial playlist. 

This was followed by the more recent release of ‘Serotonin’ (June 23 – 2.6k spotify streams) and again which was picked by and given a worldwide exclusive first spin by John Kennedy on Radio X radio show. The track was also picked up by Richer Unsigned who made the band their Artist Of The Week and by Our Sound Music who ran an exclusive premiere of the accompanying music video.

“San Quentin are at the forefront of the revival of British guitar music! Due to cries of ‘one more song’ the band swaggered back on stage do just that and finish off their set by playing Step Off, proving that they are well and truly rising rock n roll stars and will soon be a band on everyone’s lips.” – This Is The Music 

“This lot are continuing their ascent as one of the more impactful names on the rise right now” – Mystic Sons

“San Quentin are a solid rock act that brings back the roots of the genre” – Illustrate Magazine

“It’s in your best interest to keep an eye out for this electrifying band” – Richer Unsigned

The ‘Feed The Ego’ EP consists of 5 tracks in total being the three previously released tracks of ‘You’re Lost’ ‘You’ve Got Some Nerve’ and ‘Serotonin’, plus the latest release of the title track ‘Feed The Ego’ and the additional track of ‘You Can’t Stop Me This Time’.

The whole ‘Feed The Ego’  EP is an electrifying mix of raw and driven indie rock showcasing stadium sized anthems that are carried along with heart pounding percussions, thrilling guitar sequences and commanding vocals. ‘Feed The Ego’ is a major contender for EP of the Year Status and it will no doubt cement this incredible band even further in their rise to stardom. 

Lead songwriter Liam has said of the track: 

‘Feed The Ego’ was created from observing how artists artificially inflate their popularity by using tactics like fake followers, bot streams, and likes, all to boost their own sense of importance. The term “Ego” is used ironically to highlight that despite a seemingly positive facade, there’s an underlying insecurity that can only be remedied by seeking validation from others. The writing process drew inspiration from the Marshall Mathers LP, aiming to capture a mix of humour and seriousness, similar to the album. Musically, influences from Rat Boy and Jamie T can be heard. The goal overall was to convey the humorous side of the situation while also carrying a deeper message.

We wanted the whole thing to be kind of a funny take on the situation, but still have that deeper meaning behind it, you know? I called the track ‘Feed The Ego’ in a sort of tongue-in-cheek way. Basically, even though things might look all great on the surface, there’s this underlying insecurity that only goes away when others give them the thumbs up.”

All tracks on the  ‘Feed The Ego’ EP were written by Liam Cass and the EP was recorded at SS2 Recording and was mixed and mastered by Rees Broomfield.  

Upcoming Gigs/Tours –

September 23rd – Real Time Music – Chesterfield 

September 30th Gathering Sounds Stockton

TICKETS CAN BE FOUND HERE