Overview
Historically, Manchester, UK breeds a certain toughness. As a pillar of the 19th century Industrial Revolution in Northern England, factories and warehouses line much of the city’s rain-baptized topography. A hardworking lot who shoot straight without apology, its denizens traditionally take an incredible amount of pride in where they come from. Embodying the grit and gusto of Manchester, Guilt Trip bring a blast of homegrown intensity to their hybrid of hardcore and metal. The five piece—Jay Valentine [vocals], Jak Maden [guitar], Sam Baker [guitar], Tom Aimson [drums], and Lily Kilcoyne [bass]—slide striking melodies in between throat-slitting thrashy riffs and earth-splitting breakdowns.
Amassing tens of millions of streams and playing to packed crowds, they’re primed to amplify this hometown energy and pride on a global scale with a series of 2025 singles and their forthcoming debut LP for Roadrunner Records.
“Manchester is small and rough, so the venues and the shows are rough too,” says Tom. “I think it all rubbed off on our music.”
“It’s subconscious,” agrees Jak. “Manchester is the hardest working city in the world. It’s where the ‘Manchester Bee’ comes from. Like worker bees, everyone works their asses off, and they don’t necessarily get rewarded for it. If you’re from London, you’re on the map instantly and probably know someone in the industry. When you’re from up North, nobody pays attention, so you’ve got to be legit and stick to your roots. We worked for ten years to get to where we are now.”