Breaking from the Ordinary: How Emergency Break is Reviving Guitar-Driven Rock in Post-Pandemic London

Episode #0015

In a music landscape dominated by algorithm-friendly pop and viral TikTok snippets, a group of young musicians from Essex and London are making waves with something refreshingly raw and unapologetic. I recently caught up with Leo, frontman of Emergency Break, for the Wanderers Tales podcast to talk about their journey from teenage dreamers to indie rock contenders.

From Production Company to Punk Rock Powerhouse

The story of Emergency Break begins not as a band, but as a production company. Leo, Joe, and Ewan initially met at Saturday drama classes and bonded over their shared love of music. They'd make fan music videos for Arctic Monkeys and create short films—typical creative outlets for teenagers with big dreams.

Their pivotal moment came after watching a band called Sports Team at the iconic Roundhouse venue in Camden. "We turned around after it, in the least pretentious way possible, and thought, 'I think we can give this a go ourselves,'" Leo recalls with a laugh.

With that spark of inspiration, they recruited James on drums and Oren on rhythm guitar from Joe's secondary school, and Emergency Break was born. And unlike many bands where members float between multiple projects, Emergency Break stands apart—everyone involved is exclusively committed to this group.

"Drummers are so hard to come by, and bass players too because not many people want to be on bass," Leo points out. "We're one of the only bands that we're aware of where we only exist in Emergency Break."

Diving Into the Deep End

Rather than starting small, the band set themselves an ambitious first goal: selling out the 200-capacity Camden Assembly. For a brand-new band with no recorded music or live reputation, this seemed like a mountain to climb.

"At first it didn't sell incredible," Leo admits. "And then we sold it out like three weeks out, and we were like, 'Okay, that's 200 people coming to see us just because they've seen some photos we've put online.'"

Those photos, by the way? "They were bad," Leo laughs. "They were taken with an iPhone camera, and then Joe cropped out this crappy studio in the background and put a blue thing in instead."

But despite the humble marketing materials, they pulled it off. About half the audience consisted of friends and family, while the other half were curious music fans—some of whom Leo suspects came hoping to see the band "sink like the Titanic on stage."

Crafting a Sound That Breaks the Mold

When asked to describe Emergency Break's sound, Leo doesn't hesitate: "It's very raw, energetic, and unapologetic."

He acknowledges their recordings aren't the most polished productions. "They don't smell like we've had £2,000 thrown at it to make it sound Dolby Atmos in your ears," he says. But that raw quality is exactly what gives their music its authenticity.

Their songwriting process is equally unconventional, with Leo penning lyrics, Joe creating guitar riffs, and the band collectively piecing together their best ideas. "Hometown is the mixture of four different song ideas taken into one great song," Leo explains. "It's a very messy way of putting together a song, but we love that process."

This approach has yielded tracks like "Pyro," which captures the chaos of a festival's final night ("literally Mad Max: Fury Road," as Leo describes it), and "Hometown," an emotional reflection on Leo's experience moving to New York and being disconnected from his familiar world.

Standing Out in a Homogenized Landscape

Despite pressure to conform to popular sounds, Emergency Break remains committed to crafting something unique. Leo laments that his generation lacks iconic guitar-driven voices of their own: "If I was to have kids tomorrow and they turn around and go, 'Play me the music you listened to as a teenager,' I'm whipping out a 1999 album."

This observation touches on something profound about modern music culture. While previous generations created distinct musical identities that influenced fashion, language, and lifestyle, Leo feels his generation has been looking backward rather than creating something new.

"We all want to dress like Oasis. We all want to dress like the Libertines," he says. "And it's not because that's old and outdated, but because we don't have a version that's closer to us."

When asked why there seems to be a lack of creativity in his generation, Leo points to several factors: the pandemic disrupting momentum, limited investment in grassroots music, and the overwhelming competition created by digital platforms.

"Twenty years ago, I was lucky to walk into a studio and have my music put on a tape," he explains. "Now, anyone can put anything out. You're fighting a bigger pool to be noticed."

The result? Many artists chase virality instead of developing their sound. "Let's hope I put out the right TikTok at the right time that the right people listen to with the right music," Leo says with a hint of sarcasm, describing the mindset many emerging artists adopt.

On the Other Side: Creating Opportunities

Frustrated by the difficulty of breaking into festival lineups, Leo and the band decided to create their own opportunity. They founded "On The Meadow," a music festival showcasing emerging talent alongside more established acts who've built their careers independently.

"A lot of our mates were coming back to us saying they had applied to plenty of festivals and weren't playing one," Leo explains. "We just turned around and went, 'Look, if everybody's willing to come together, we'll create a day of music.'"

Now approaching its second year, On The Meadow has become a notable event on the London music scene, receiving over 1,600 applications from bands wanting to perform. Despite having only about 26 slots to fill, Leo and his team listen to every submission.

"What annoys me and upsets me is I can't honor everyone," he says with genuine disappointment. "I wish I could put 1,000 bands on, but I'm not Boomtown or Glastonbury. Maybe one day."

The Emergency Break Philosophy

The band's name encapsulates their entire ethos. What started as a production company name evolved into something more meaningful.

"We originally called the production company that as being like, 'We're going to make things that break you from the ordinary, break you from that everyday,'" Leo explains. "That spiraled into the band's message."

This philosophy extends to their live performances, which Leo describes as "a break from everything else going on in the world." They focus entirely on creating an immersive experience in the moment, deliberately avoiding discussions of politics or current events during their shows.

"We don't engage in whatever's been elected or whatever's gone on out there," Leo emphasizes. "It's about what's going on in here and who's jumping in here."

Reaching New Heights

The band's journey reached a significant milestone on July 12, 2024, when they headlined London's O2 Academy Islington. The concert, which sold out despite coinciding with the UK festival season, represents a breakthrough moment for Emergency Break.

"I remember walking out on that stage and just thinking—there's a moment in the concert movie where you can see it—I almost didn't say the words. I could almost hear my heart beating through my ears," Leo recounts.

The show, captured in a concert film available on YouTube, showcases the band's energetic performance style, complete with crowd surfing and mosh pits that caught the venue's security off guard.

"They weren't fully ready or prepared for what our show entailed," Leo laughs. "The security guy picks me up like a baby in that final song and puts me over the barrier going, 'You're not getting back in there anymore.'"

Looking Forward

Emergency Break shows no signs of slowing down. They're playing festivals nearly every weekend from May through August 2025, recording their biggest singles for vinyl release, and planning their largest headline show yet—350 capacity at London's O'Meara on September 5th.

For On The Meadow, Leo dreams of expansion: "I'd really like to hopefully expand it into a two-dayer, even a three-dayer at some point."

With their raw sound, authentic lyrics, and dedication to creating spaces for emerging artists, Emergency Break represents something increasingly rare in today's music industry—a group that prioritizes artistic expression over algorithmic success.

When asked what advice he'd give to aspiring musicians, Leo doesn't hesitate: "Go find the guts because it's worth it. It's so worth it. It's harder to watch someone half-arsedly go for it than it is to just watch someone go for it."

In an era where overnight viral fame often seems like the only path to success, Emergency Break reminds us that there's still value in taking the long road—building a fanbase gig by gig, writing songs that speak honestly about life's experiences, and creating music that serves as an emergency break from the ordinary.

Follow Emergency Break on Instagram @emergencybreak_ and check out On The Meadow festival, happening July 19th in London.