There’s something sickly fitting about a band called Hearing Tests recording in an abandoned NHS hospital once used to treat hearing loss. The irony bites harder when you realize this London-based quartet is one of the few acts in the UK scene actively trying to scream sense through the static.
After landing on our radar in late 2024 with their EP Shut the Door—a no-frills punch in the gut about everyday ideological warfare, PTSD, institutional rot, and cultural disillusionment—Hearing Tests vanished from the stage as frontman Kuba Starzynski was hit with a leukemia diagnosis. That could’ve been the end. But it wasn’t.
Fast forward to 2025: Kuba is in remission, the band has leveled up, and they’re about to drop a new 7” via freshly minted DIY label Grapes of Wrath Records. The release includes two new tracks, “Mob Rule” and “Bully”—no-bullshit protest anthems pressing against far-right dogma and systemic abuse. It hits streaming on June 4 and will be available on translucent red vinyl—just 40 copies, never to be repressed. Blood-colored, like the fight they’ve been through.
“Mob Rule” was written in the aftermath of the Southport 2024 stabbing attack. It dissects how nationalist narratives twist tragedy into propaganda, weaponizing fear to push anti-refugee sentiment. Kuba’s lyrics don’t deal in metaphors. They slam into you like a door shut mid-sentence.
“Bully” flips the lens toward power structures within the entertainment industry—specifically the men who abuse their positions and walk away untouched. The song tears through that silence, holding the mirror up without flinching.
And yet, despite the rage, this isn’t empty screaming. There’s craft in the chaos. The band channels early Minor Threat urgency, Black Flag’s vitriol, and the sludge-heavy stomp of acts like Melvins and Chat Pile. Guitarist Bill Duffy cites Nina Simone and Raketkanon in the same breath. Bassist Mark Cairns namechecks Adebisi Shank and LaFaro. Drummer Ed Harper is somewhere between Gang of Four and Tool, raised on dance-punk and John Bonham. Throw that mix into a concrete rehearsal room and you get something that feels dangerous again.
Hearing Tests didn’t start in some cozy pub. Kuba (originally from Warsaw) and Ed (from rural Woodton near Norwich) began rehearsing in a disused NHS facility in Kings Cross—literally in the room once used to test for hearing loss. That’s where the name came from. Bill (Cambridge) and Mark (Derry) joined after the hiatus. Together, they’ve carved out a sound that feels both lived-in and sharpened for now.
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Hearing Tests by Natalia MichalakHearing Tests return to the stage on July 16 at the New Cross Inn alongside Open Palms and The Higher Line. Expect no filler—just new songs, real tension, and the kind of live show that still matters.
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IDIOTEQ is a one-man DIY operation, tirelessly spotlighting the local cultural scenes and independent bands that often go unreported elsewhere. Born in the early 00s, this platform has been committed to giving hard-working artists the high-quality coverage they truly deserve.
No ads, no distractions—just pure inspiration and a genuine focus on independent artists and their stories.
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