The Blackout Tickets

Welsh outfit The Blackout formed in Merthyr Tydfil in the early 00s, with Gavin Butler and Sean Smith on vocals, James Davies and Matthew Davies on guitars, Rhys Lewis on bass and Gareth Lawrence on drums. The sextet’s high-velocity mix of nu-metal, alt-rock and emo-tinged hardcore saw them share stages with their like-minded countrymen in Funeral For A Friend and The Automatic before they’d even signed a record deal.

Thanks to an aggressive touring schedule and their well-received 2003 debut EP Pull No Punches, The Blackout signed to Fierce Panda in 2003. Their first release for the label was the 2006 EP The Blackout! The Blackout! The Blackout! with their debut full-length, We Are The Dynamite following in 2007.

In 2009, the band parted ways with Fierce Panda and moved to revered punk label Epitaph, releasing their second album The Best In Town in 2009. Off the back of the release, they secured high-profile support slots with Paramore and Limp Bizkit.

Following Hope in 2011 and Start The Party in 2013, The Blackout decided to call it a day. Their final show was in 2015 in Southampton, after which Sean Smith and James Davies went on to form the band Raiders.

However, The Blackout returned in 2023, playing a sold-out reunion show in their hometown of Merthyr Tydfil before appearing at Download Festival in June. The reunion kept rolling with a tour announced for February 2024.