When STONE began, the group weren’t sure of their new moniker. The maiden name of lead singer Finley Power’s mother, it nodded to both his leadership and autobiographical lyricism, while also making it clear that this was no self-centred solo project. Like them, it felt enigmatic and snappy, no-nonsense in its rough and ready connotation. But for guitarist Elliott Gill, there were some practicality considerations, a nervousness about hoisting their flag on such a bold mast.
“We wanted to be first out the gate,” says Elliott. “We wanted to be that band that you had to see, to pour out all that angst that you had sitting inside. Throw beers at us, whatever; let it out!”
This desire to create catharsis is fundamental to STONE. Self-identifying as ‘The underground voice for the lost youth’, they blend the thrill of frenetic rock’n’roll with more intimate exploration of the Gen-Z experience, coming of age during a politically fraught time. Grounded by Power’s post-punk spoken-vocals, songs like ‘Waste’ and ‘Stupid’ race with instrumentational energy, as rewarding to mosh to as they are to emotionally absorb.
Their formidable live presence has piqued the interest of some of music’s biggest stars, also striving to create places where kids can go to let their emotions free. YungBlud personally requested that they join him on his 2021 tour, while Sam Fender had them perform at his Finsbury Park show, streaming their set on his Instagram page. Never ones to waste an opportunity, a recent weekend saw them head to Malaga in between blistering sets at Reading and Leeds 2022 to play Away From Home festival; with a huge audience in attendance, STONE’s music resonated just as thoroughly in Spain as it has in the UK, reflecting the universalities of their message.
