Newcastle’s Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs have never been a band to do things by halves. Their latest album, Death Hilarious, is a calculated onslaught—raw, aggressive, and laced with a biting wit that refuses to sugarcoat reality. Sitting down with guitarist and producer Sam Grant and drummer Ewan Mackenzie, it’s clear that this record was shaped as much by relentless touring as by personal introspection.
Unlike 2023’s Land of Sleeper, which was designed as an immersive headphones experience, Death Hilarious is built for impact. “We wanted it to be a slap in the face,” says Grant. The shift in approach came from the band’s near-constant live performances over the last few years, which tightened their chemistry and intensified their sound.
Mackenzie agrees that the album was a direct response to the road. “Usually, with a long run of touring, I’m looking to improve my playing, and when we come back into the studio, there’s a marker down—you can hear where we’ve developed.” That well-oiled, road-hardened approach gave Death Hilarious a more visceral edge.
But touring isn’t always easy, particularly for Grant, who acknowledges the anxiety that comes with stepping onstage. Mackenzie attests, “He’s never been naturally comfortable performing—it took him ten years just to be able to face an audience. He still prefers to just face us onstage.” For Grant, though, that discomfort is part of what makes the performances so compelling. “It keeps you on your toes, keeps you alive when you’re playing.”
While the band’s sound was becoming heavier and more direct on the record, singer Baty was grappling with creative self-doubt. “There was a point where he thought he couldn’t write lyrics anymore,” Grant recalls. But instead of forcing himself to find something profound to say, he leaned into the uncertainty. “After a while, he realized—this is my muse. He gave those thoughts a way to release themselves, hoping to exorcise them.”
That embrace of discomfort is woven into Death Hilarious. Mackenzie sees it as a response to the times. “There’s so much uncertainty and insecurity in the world right now. Rather than resort to forced optimism, I think it’s important to respond with something real and felt.” The band actively rejected the kind of empty positivity that dominates pop culture. “We try not to politicize what we do in the capital-P sense,” Mackenzie adds. “But you don’t have to dig deep to understand where we’re coming from.”
When it comes to writing, Pigs take a fluid, instinctive approach—ideas often emerge in the moment, with songs evolving organically from jam sessions. Take Detroit, for example. “ Detroit for example was actually like started with a drum beat” Mackenzie recalls. “We were just getting a really aggressive dynamic going and then, with that mindset, it then becomes a bit of a dot to dot – it starts following its path and so long as you’re receptive you can you can guide it in the right ways”, says Grant, who also talks of creating files on his computer full of ideas that he takes to these jam sessions. “It’s very collaborative, but different for each song”, says Mackenzie, “Adam brings some riffs in as well, Jonny does the too, obviously Sam brings a lot, but I wrote riffs for one of the songs”.
One of the album’s most unexpected moments is the guest appearance of El-P from Run The Jewels on “Glib Tongued”. The collaboration wasn’t something the band initially thought was possible. “Johnny [bassist John-Michael Hedley] had this bassline, and we were all rinsing our brains trying to figure out what it reminded us of,” says Grant. “Then it hit us—it sounded like our equivalent of a hip-hop track.”
Once the idea was there, they decided to aim high. “We made a shortlist of people we’d love to ask, and we were like, well, we could ask El-P, but there’s no way he’d do it,” Grant laughs. But when they reached out, they were floored by his response. “He just came back with, ‘That’s heavy as fuck. Sounds good.’ We couldn’t believe it.”
For Mackenzie, the crossover makes perfect sense. “There’s always been a link between hip-hop and heavy music. There’s aggression, social commentary—it’s all there. And usually, it comes from people who are actually really sound, despite the intensity of the music.”
Despite the rap influence on “Glib Tongued”, Pigs were careful not to veer into nu-metal territory. “I didn’t want to do something that sounded like that,” Grant insists. “We all grew up with that stuff—Johnny and Matt were definitely more into it than I was—but that wasn’t the direction we wanted.” Instead, Death Hilarious pulls from Sabbathian doom, minimalist noise rock, and searing post-metal, with unexpected touches of synths and pianos lurking in the mix.
“There’s a lot of weird stuff on this album,” Grant admits. “Like Stitches—it’s basically Motörhead trying to do glam rock with a drunk keyboardist.”
For now though, the band is preparing to take Death Hilarious on tour. “The reality of it is, there’s no mystery—we’re just going to tour loads,” Grant says. UK and EU dates are already selling, with multiple US trips on the horizon.
Mackenzie admits that adjusting to the touring lifestyle again is always a challenge. “We did so many gigs last time, and there’s always that bit of anxiety about jumping back into it.” But he also recognizes the way it strengthens the band. “Spending that much time together, you start to really understand each other. It’s more than just being tighter as a band—it’s about knowing where we’re all heading musically.”
As for the next album? They’re in no rush. “Right now, we’re just enjoying where we are,” says Grant. “Eventually, we’ll play these songs so much that it’ll be obvious when it’s time to write something new.”
For now, though, they’re sticking to their own mantra: Live, Laugh… RIFF!
UK/EU Tour Dates:
02 Apr / UK / Portsmouth / The Wedgewood Rooms
03 Apr / UK / Brighton / CHALK Live
04 Apr / UK / London / KOKO
05 Apr / UK / Bristol / SWX
07 Apr / UK / Nottingham / Rescue Rooms
08 Apr / UK / Birmingham / The Castle & Falcon
09 Apr / UK / Birkenhead / Future Yard
11 Apr / UK / Manchester / New Century Hall
12 Apr / UK / Leeds / Brudenell Social Club
13 Apr / UK / Leeds / Brudenell Social Club
15 Apr / UK / Edinburgh / La Belle Angèle
16 Apr / UK / Glasgow / St Luke’s
25–27 Apr / UK / Newcastle / Star and Shadow Cinema
