Luna Rosa are back with their first new music in more than two years and Luton fans will have the chance to hear it live this weekend when the Corby noiseniks return to The Castle in the first night of a weekend double header presented by the Vandalism Begins at Home collective.
The band have just released their latest single, ‘The Luge‘, via Lutonian fronted labels Vandalism Begins at Home Records and Blaggers Records, with the track already gaining attention across the music press and being named BBC Introducing Track of the Week.
Driven by a relentless motorik pulse, the track is built to never let up, surging forward with purpose. Inspired by the tension and the all-gas-no-brakes relentlessness of The Walkmen’s ‘The Rat’, ‘The Luge’ channels urgency into something raw and confrontational, while carving out its own all-or-nothing identity.
This is Luna Rosa at their most intense and emphatic, anchored by a groove-laden chorus that offers a nod to James Brown funk, filtered through the dance-punk lineage explored in ‘Meet Me In The Bathroom’ – the indie rock documentary on the early 2000s New York scene, that included The Strokes, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture.
Amid that tussle, frontman Rory McDade roars out a cue taken from the third Keanu Reeves-fronted John Wick film – “Parabellum!”
“If you want peace within yourself, you’ve got to prepare for war,” he says. “It’s about battling all your own demons and overcoming yourself.”
With other Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme fighting flicks in the backstory, ‘The Luge’ turns conflict into propulsion and aims that self- confrontation squarely at the dance-floor.
Uncompromisingly, it revels in rhythmic shifts without ever sacrificing intensity that McDade explains is engineered to be “constantly in your face until the end.”
‘The Luge’ marks the opening chapter of a new phase for Luna Rosa. No nostalgia, no soft reintroduction, just fuel poured on the fire.
Fans at The Castle will likely recognise the band’s explosive live energy. Luna Rosa have built a fond following in Luton and the venue last year hosted their first riotous UK show after their hiatus, where they previewed ‘The Luge’ in a packed night that became one of the standout gigs of 2025 for many regulars.
Friday’s show will also feature support from Northampton’s Oscillator and Dunstable shoegazers The Relights, with VB@H promising a night of “skyscraping sounds” and the kind of intense, sweat-drenched atmosphere that has made the venue a favourite among the town’s alternative music crowd.
Tickets are £6 online in advance or £8 on the door.
TV Face to make their Luton debut
The second night of the weekend double header sees noise-rock post-punk trio TV Face travel down from Lancaster for a rare southern appearance.
The band have earned a fierce reputation for their ability to weld dissonant chaos to pop hooks and turn it into something blistering, witty, and impossible to ignore.
Their second album ‘Wolf Rents Bark‘ received rave reviews from outlets including Vive Le Rock and The Punk Site, and it also landed at number seven in Louder Than War’s Top 100 Albums of 2025, which has has helped cement the band’s growing reputation on the UK underground circuit.
TV Face will be supported on Saturday’s bill by firm Castle favourites Gaylips and Blue Cabs, two acts with strong ties to the local scene.
Blue Cabs, from Milton Keynes, are preparing to release a new EP titled ‘Coping Mechanisms’, with the lead single ‘Stop’ due out on April 4.
Tickets are £6 online in advance or £8 on the door.
The Castle is also hosting the inaugural new artist showcase night on Thursday March 26, called First Signal, featuring Sugar Past 9, Matty Ram and The Jackhounds.
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