Essex’s wildest bunch, proFESSional, just blew the roof off gigs with The Levellers and The Luka State, and now they’re back with a new track that’ll make your ears suffer (in a good way). “In The City” is a Molotov cocktail of jagged guitars, pounding drums, and frontman Mani sounds like he’s screaming his lungs out through a busted megaphone during a street riot. You’ve been warned.
Inspired by a lightning-bolt moment watching Mark E. Smith of The Fall mutter “in the city” during a YouTube deep dive, Mani conducted that spark of chaos into a track that’s all teeth and no apologies. Clocking in at a breakneck pace, the song’s angular riffs—courtesy of guitar slingers Rob Hennebry and Paul Fifield—slice through the mix like broken glass. Their twin attack conduits the wiry fury of The Buzzcocks and the garage-rock swagger of The Stooges, while Marco Gaspari’s basslines throb like a subway train under your feet. Drummer Jonny Brister? He doesn’t only keep time—he detonates it, with a ferocity that’d make The Hives’ sticksman nod in respect.
“In The City” doesn’t romanticize urban life—it vomits it back at you in all its glorious, grimy reality. It’s not trying to make city life look pretty – it’s dragging you through the gutter and showing you every damn cigarette butt along the way. Mani’s voice is like sandpaper on your eardrums, growling about all the crap and shine you find on those chaotic streets. No rose-colored glasses here, just the raw deal. But you know what? There’s still something magical about it all – those flickering streetlights, the tinny sound of an old jukebox in some dive. It’s for all of us who are sick of the bull but can’t help loving this concrete jungle.
proFESSional’s rise isn’t just hype. With BBC Introducing Essex and Cambridgeshire in their corner, plus shoutouts from indie tastemakers like Lost In the Manor and Plastic Magazine, these five are carving a lane dirtier than a back-alley gig. “In The City” is the first taste of their debut LP (due Autumn 2025), and if this track’s any sign, that record’s gonna be a knockout.
proFESSional aren’t “up and coming”—they’re here to burn old stuff. Raise “In The City” loud enough to piss off your neighbours, then blast it again. This is the sound of urban love, served raw and loud.