SLEAZE releases new single “Universal Adaptor”

Rising from South London’s after-hours world, SLEAZE are a band that make sense only when the night has tipped into something messy, loud and unforgettable. Self-described as “Post Pub Kebab Shop Glam Rock,” they’re a riotous love letter to the city’s nightlife and a sharp reflection of the disillusioned modern condition. Fronted by David Ashby alongside Bede Trillo on bass, Laurie Yule on guitar, Al Grumble on keys and Percy MacKay on drums, SLEAZE sound like the soundtrack to a delirious stumble home, where heartbreak, glitter and late-night philosophy collide.

David, a former member of The Ludes, has long been a familiar face in London’s underground art scene, co-writing Fat White Family’s “Bobby’s Boyfriend” and witnessing Florence + The Machine cover The Ludes’ “Girl With One Eye” on Lungs. Away from the microphone, he’s a prolific visual artist whose work recently filled Dublin’s Horse Gallery during a residency. “Can’t have music without the art. I tried that before, and it just didn’t work. I became far too two-dimensional in that situation. I get pretty grim if I don’t create something every day,” he shares.

Forged in the pubs and rehearsal spaces of South London, SLEAZE’s sound fuses glam, punk and a sneer of late-night romanticism. Their lyrics live in a world of bar stools, cigarette burns, and emotional monologues that come just a little too late. David describes their sound as “pop music distorted through photocopiers and analogue lenses,” a phrase that perfectly captures their rough-edged sonic aesthetic.

After years of relentless gigging, the band stormed three stages at Glastonbury, built a cult following through handmade merch and ultra-limited vinyl runs while signed with Agent Anonyme Recordings. Their debut double A-side, “Push Tuck” and “Daffodils,” marked their arrival and also made their on-screen debut in Lena Dunham’s Netflix series Too Much, in which the band themselves appear. Now, with their debut album SLEAZE PLEAZE due next March, the band are preparing to confirm their status as one of the UK’s most exciting new acts.

Their latest single titled “Universal Adaptor,” recorded at RAK Studios and produced by Malcolm Doherty, brings in Roxy Music legend Andy Mackay on saxophone, a fitting touch for a band that turns grime into glamour and despair into dancefloor euphoria. Jumping straight in with lively guitar chords and splashy drums, David’s expressive voice rolls in to stitch bouncy melodic leads into the energising pop rock arrangement that flows with warm sax tones and charging rhythms.

Paired with the single is a music video filmed by Simon Webb and Malcolm Doherty at Zap Studios which captures the band’s energy and charisma performing the track, resulting in a spectacular visual accompaniment for the track. It’s an epic new release from a thrilling new band on their unstoppable rise. As David Ashby puts it, “Everything seems to be simmering at the moment” and if “Universal Adaptor” is any indication, SLEAZE are about to boil over.

Commenting on the new single, he shares, “What’s ‘Universal Adaptor’ about? People aren’t shagging enough. They’re looking at their phones too much. Phones just drift into your hand, then your brain drifts into them, It’d solve a lot of problems if we focused on dancing, shagging, or whatever you want to do. Not staring at that screen. It’s about that, really.”

Watch the music video for Universal Adaptor below

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