You can guarantee that a few days after submitting a long list of albums of the year another one will arrive that make us roll our eyes and punch the air simultaneously. Them Flying Monkeys third album Best Behavior may be just under a year old but it’s a selection of music that sits alongside the current UK Post-Punk crop of bands as comfortably as the glove around Alvin Stardust’s right hand. Keith Goldhanger suggests they’re worth checking out especially as they will be visiting the UK soon.
Fans of LCD Soundsystem and Idles, looking for something to complement their already bulging playlists will love this to bits. The band are Portuguese, the songs on this are brutal anthemic pieces of music you can dance to, sing along to and nod your heads furiously to. They’ve been touring for years yet their UK appearances have been less than modest. They’re back in the UK for a few dates in January 2026 and you’ll love them. It’ll take any one of the tracks from 2025’s album Best Behavior to convince yourselves. We’ll dangle this one in front of you as a gentle form of persuasion. Even the title is self descriptive.
These tunes with their throbbing electronic pulses loud crashing guitars and snarly vocals are made for anyone we’re used to witnessing from a few bands from South London over the past decade but with huge choruses that Idles would be proud of (Everybody Everything half way through the recent album is as exciting as when we first heard ‘Well Done’)
Opening track Beautiful mess with its throbbing electronic intro reminiscent of Killing Jokes’ Requiem, it’s just as hypnotising until the guitars start crashing in and a Wire-esq voice guides us towards screams and crashes that are prevalent on the album.
Pretty Sticks sounds like what you’d expect if Gillaband wore flares and Glittery coats. All snarly vocals we’ll be singing along to as soon as we get the chance it’s expected.
Everybody Everything will draw you in you’ll nod furiously knowing exactly where most of these tunes are going and you know by now you’ll be going back to the beginning again as soon as these 35 minutes are complete.
One only hopes this band now three albums old will visit the UK on a more regular basis so anyone missing out on the following UK shows can get the chance to join in.
To coincide with these dates the band have recently provided this additional banger Big Boy. There’s a big chance there’s even more to come from this band. Make it a new years resolution to check this band out.
We’ll let you know even more once we know even more.
LIVE DATES
13/1/26, Paris, Supersonic
14/1/26, Rouen, Le 3 Pieces
15/1/26, Gent, Klub9030
16/1/26, Groningen, ESNS 2026
17/1/26, Hamburg, Hafenklang
DISCOVER THEM FLYING MONKEYS
Words by Keith Goldhanger. More writing by Keith on Louder Than War can be found at his author’s archive. You can also find Keith on Facebook Instagram and Bluesky
A Plea From Louder Than War
Louder Than War is run by a small but dedicated independent team, and we rely on the small amount of money we generate to keep the site running smoothly. Any money we do get is not lining the pockets of oligarchs or mad-cap billionaires dictating what our journalists are allowed to think and write, or hungry shareholders. We know times are tough, and we want to continue bringing you news on the most interesting releases, the latest gigs and anything else that tickles our fancy. We are not driven by profit, just pure enthusiasm for a scene that each and every one of us is passionate about.
To us, music and culture are eveything, without them, our very souls shrivel and die. We do not charge artists for the exposure we give them and to many, what we do is absolutely vital. Subscribing to one of our paid tiers takes just a minute, and each sign-up makes a huge impact, helping to keep the flame of independent music burning! Please click the button below to help.
John Robb – Editor in Chief
Leave a Reply