Everything Everything

Everything Everything came together in Manchester around 2007 after various members moved to the city for university. Jonathan Higgs (vocals, guitar), Jeremy Pritchard (bass), Alex Sherwood (guitar), and Michael Spearman (drums) found each other and started making music that didn’t sound like anything else in Manchester. Or anywhere, really.

Man Alive in 2010 announced them as something unusual – Higgs’s piercing falsetto over twitchy, complex arrangements that somehow resolved into proper pop songs. MY KZ, UR BF was angular and immediate. Arc in 2013 pushed further into ambition. Get to Heaven in 2015 was the one where it all clicked: Distant Past and Regret were genuine pop moments delivered by a band playing music that was technically demanding and emotionally direct at the same time.

They’re not a band that fits neatly into Manchester’s lineage. There’s no obvious through-line from Joy Division or the Roses to what Everything Everything do. They’re closer to Radiohead or Talking Heads, but with a pop instinct that keeps them accessible. That’s probably why they’ve maintained a dedicated audience without ever quite breaking through to arena level.

Live, they’ve been regulars at the Albert Hall, the Ritz, Gorilla – mid-size rooms that suit their intensity. They’re a better live band than the records suggest, tighter and more aggressive. A Fever Dream and Raw Data Feel continued to push into stranger territory. They’re one of those bands where the Manchester connection is about the city providing a place to exist and create rather than directly influencing the sound. But they chose to be here, and they’ve stayed. That counts for something.