The Virginmarys

The Virginmarys fuse the intensity of grunge with punk’s raw drive, producing propulsive hard rock that echoes Arctic Monkeys and Foo Fighters. Emerging near the end of the 2000s, the group put out two early EPs and achieved modest success with the high-energy track “Just a Ride.” Their first album, King of Conflict, appeared in 2013, followed by Divides in 2016 and Northern Sun Sessions in 2018.

The trio originated in Macclesfield, England, in 2006 when vocalist-guitarist Ally Dickaty joined bassist Chris Birdsall and drummer Danny Dolan. Their aim was to produce thoughtful yet visceral hard rock that remained energetic and entertaining without descending into aggression for its own sake. The initial configuration proved brief, as Matt Rose stepped in for Birdsall during 2009. Over the next several years the band issued a series of EPs: Cast the First Stone in 2010, Just a Ride and Portrait of Red in 2011, and Dead Man’s Shoes in 2012. Their first full-length effort, King of Conflict, arrived on Wind-up Records in 2013 and earned widespread praise. Thanks in part to the momentum of “Just a Ride,” the record reached the U.K. Top 100 and climbed into the Top 10 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart.

The band released the single “Dust” in 2015 ahead of their second studio album, Divides, which surfaced in early 2016. While touring the U.K. in 2017 they issued the independent single “Sweet Loretta (You Know Me Better).” Their third album, Northern Sun Sessions, came out in 2018; a deluxe edition that added acoustic renditions followed the next year.