In the heaving Electric Ballroom in Camden, a crowd of twentysomethings is buzzing with anticipation. They're here for what many are calling 'Britain's best band' – the gloriously chaotic, laptop-wielding indie duo Getdown Services. As Ben Sadler and Josh Law take to the stage to the strains of Status Quo, they launch into a performance that is part chaotic aerobics class, part satirical gameshow, and wholly unforgettable.
From Lockdown Experiment to Festival Shutdowns
The origins of Getdown Services were, by their own admission, an 'accident'. Childhood friends from Minehead, both now 31, Sadler and Law had dabbled in music for years. It was during the lockdown, however, while living in different towns, that their unique alchemy clicked. Swapping ideas with an unselfconscious freedom, they forged a sound built on pop culture word association, louche electro-house grooves, and lyrics unafraid to delve into the mundane and the scatological.
'It feels genuinely liberating to talk about that stuff,' says Law of their more toilet-humour-inspired lines. This approach crystallised on their 2023 debut album Crisps, featuring the slacker anthem 'I've got choccy in my pocket'. A string of successful EPs followed, including Primordial Slot Machine and Crumbs 2.
Their 2025 has been nothing short of mammoth: 130 gigs, two sold-out UK tours, causing festival stage shut-downs due to overcrowding, and amassing over half a million monthly listeners on Spotify. Remarkably for a band with songs titled Vomit, Piss and Shit, they even received a red-carpet shout-out from Hollywood actor Walton Goggins. 'He's doing PR for us!' jokes Sadler.
More Than Just a Laugh: The Message Behind the Mayhem
While their high-octane stage show – featuring sumo stomps, shirt-ripping, and telling guestlist attendees to 'fuck off' – might seem purely laddish, it's carefully calibrated satire. 'This is not LadBible!' Law shouts from the stage. The duo are keenly aware that their image as two shirtless, shouting blokes could be misinterpreted.
'A lot of people see two white blokes with their tops off, shouting and swearing, and probably think we align with that [macho behaviour],' Sadler explains. 'And it's nice to remind people that we're not on that side.' Their lyrics, often focusing on small-town frustrations and rejecting toxic masculinity, back this up. Beyond the jokes about James Bay and Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals – 'being annoying is worse than being evil,' quips Law – lies a firm social conscience.
In August, they publicly criticised Victorious festival for censoring another band's pro-Palestine protest, donating their own fee from the event to charity. They are also vocal in calling out transphobia on social media.
Influences and the Road to 2026
Musically, they channel the compressed, chunky electro of acts like Daft Punk and Justice, while their stream-of-consciousness delivery draws comparisons to UK acts like Sleaford Mods. Their primary influence, however, is each other. 'There's a real desire to crack each other up,' says Law, citing comedy shows like Bottom and Phoenix Nights as key inspirations.
Yet they stress they are not a comedy double act like Tenacious D. 'As soon as someone says 'it's comedy', the joke's gone,' Sadler insists. They are a serious band who happen to be very funny.
With a second album in the works for 2026 and major labels circling, Getdown Services are at a pivotal moment. They remain committed to their independent Bristol label, Breakfast Records. And that self-proclaimed tagline of 'Britain's best band'? It started as a joke, but they're starting to believe it. 'In the beginning, we were barely even a band,' Law reflects. 'And now I think maybe we are.'
