Meet Getner: Two Derry lads mashing it up with a Lancashire lad and a Yorkshireman and taking Manchester's practice space to the UK's back roads.

Now, I’m proud to say I have a (kind of) affinity for this band: my late wife was a typical Derry Girl, and after mixing in the close community ‘back home’ for 20 years, I can detect the ‘craic’ a mile away! I miss it and these lads, along with their adopted band brothers, were a breath of fresh air when I met them in Warrington. Was I getting a bit sentimental?? Definitely not, Getner are a superb live band and I must say, they are currently amongst the ‘tops’ in my favourite grassroots list.

They started around 2023 when Quentin (LV) returned to Manchester after living in Vietnam. Initially conceived as a solo project with a backing band, things quickly evolved into something more collaborative when he was joined by fellow Derry man Ruairi (Drums & V). Lead guitarist Charlie from Rochdale joined after answering an Instagram call-out, while bassist Will from Leeds completed the current line-up roughly a year ago after replacing former bassist Ted, whose commitments elsewhere left a vacancy.

The quartet are blending post-punk grit, folk storytelling and gloriously noisy live shows into just "punk" – there are no sub- divisions here and the Manchester-based four-piece have spent the past year refining a sound shaped by unlikely influences: Queens of the Stone Age, Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and (strangely enough), they have been likened to the Beastie Boys - only a similar delivery of lyrics I reckon?

Speaking of which - lyrics first, riffs later is the order with Getner, and Quentin and Ruairi serve as the band's primary song writers, Ruairi often scribbling ideas whilst at work before bringing them into rehearsals. From there, the rest of the band shape the music around the lyrics, allowing arrangements to grow organically through jamming. The process has become so productive that the band's biggest problem isn't writing enough songs – it's deciding which ones deserve to be recorded first. They recently entered the studio to record new material and their debut single; Motorman is available on Bandcamp now. It will be available on streaming platforms soon, but before then Motorman will appear on a Manchester label compilation due for a physical vinyl release in October 2026, it showcases a selection of emerging artists from the city's underground scene so I look forward to that one!.

Whilst some bands dream of selling out arenas Getner are just as interested in filling village halls, grassroots venues and market towns. “We're picking up fans in small rural towns," is how the band describe the strategy. So, what of ambition?

For now, the priority is getting in front of as many audiences as possible and the band’s current tour has been running since late August but will continue through to mid-October

Of course, there are dream gigs on the list and Glastonbury remains the obvious target, regardless of which stage they're offered, while an appearance on ‘Later with Jools Holland’ sits firmly on the bucket list so I strongly encourage readers to see them very soon.

Oh, before I go… the band's name might need some explaining. Getner is classic Derry slang and is generally used to describe something being grim or not well, so now you know, grab their branded merch, it definitely raises an enquiry from fellow band watchers!