Flange Circus

Flange Circus play hauntronica – an unnerving concoction of electronics and the phantasmagorical. They are fascinated (some would say obsessed) with the absurd, the otherworldly, the strange, the supernatural, the spooked and the eerie. The resulting compositions are an edifying journey through soundscapes, field recordings, neo-kraut, drones, industrialism, horror soundtracks, and channelled samples. Formed in 2012, and hailing from the environs of Manchester, Bury and New Mills, Flange Circus released their first EP, Ekranoplan, in July 2014 (then as a four-piece). The EP revealed the band’s diverse influences and styles, and introduced their now-renowned bizarre song titles, such as the epic glitch-rock of PUBC (Paper Shoes Vibing on Cat’s Piss’) and the ghoulish stomper, Pork Parade (In a Gold Lamé Suit). In 2015, the band released their second EP, Overexposed. Named after the crash site of a USAF B-29 Superfortress in the Peak District near Bleaklow, on this release Flange Circus’ desire to chart and explore uncanny and bleak landscapes in sonic form began to materialise – particularly on the chilling and icy Disko Bay that honoured the bay of the same name in Greenland. It was on their debut album, Abandoned Glow, released October 2017, that the band fully discovered their hauntronica sound. Across the 10 tracks (with titles such as Great Divisions, Homunculus Gardens and Moloch by the Sea) the band conjured everything from horror prog to sinister techno, supernatural cinematic bombast to ghostly drone, all-out fuzzed industrial stompers to unearthly krautrock. The second album from the band, Rural Eerie, released July 2020, marked an ambitious venture to explore the darker and sinister experiences of the countryside. A themed (don’t say concept) album of soundscapes, field recordings, and spoken word performances from poets and writers was the result. Third album Katabasis was released in 2023 on the eclectic electronic music label AnalogueTrash label to incredibly positive reviews and exposure on national radio via a play on BBC 6 Music by Stuart Maconie.