Ahead of two upcoming sold-out shows on the South Coast, we talk to Punk Rock Factory, a band you wouldn’t even have heard of 4 years ago. We spoke to Peej, about their music, their sudden success and their tour that starts today.

• PUNK ROCK FACTORY HAVE RACKED UP 26 MILLION SPOTIFY STREAMS
• 5.1 MILLION LIKES ON TIKTOK
• 11 MILLION YOUTUBE VIEWS

What is Punk Rock Factory?

When a friend first introduced me to Punk Rock Factory, they described to me a band that played “Disney in the style of 00’s punk bands”. If you are new to the band, you would be forgiven for expecting the same as me; a tacky little covers band. But the reality is that PRF are making quality punk songs in their own right.

“Obviously the songs are already written, but we like to rewrite the songs. The only thing that is instantly recognisable would be any catchy hooks within the music and obviously the vocal melody. But we go in hard and we are absolute perfectionists in pretty much every way with this. If we are not 100% happy with the track, then it gets re-worked and we work on it more. If it doesn’t get to where we want it to be we don’t put it out. We’re always striving for perfection with this.”

Perfectly themselves

The band have their own recording space, so every decision and every song is down to the band without outside influence, and it has not only brought a strong vibe but a real understanding of who and what they are. The band is unmanaged, which is quite a surprise when you see the strength of their brand. In fact, quality is a running theme for the band:

“We’re all perfectionists in our own way. So, like, the branding and the marketing and the art work and the merch. It all has to be a specific quality and it all needs to be in keeping and on brand… Whether it’s a t-shirt or video or a photo or just a social post – as soon as you see it you know it’s PRF “because”; it’s instantly recognizable in one way or another.”

It’s not purely by accident, as Peej explained, their drummer comes from a marketing background and worked for record labels and understands the industry.

Out of the blue

4 years ago, Punk Rock Factory was just a band in a studio making punk covers that they liked to play. Without any management, they have risen to sold out shows and playing at Download Festival. I asked Peej how they have done it. 2019 they got back together to put together some tracks, and then lockdown happened.

“Covid lockdown during 2020 is where it really kicked it off for us. We work real hard on socials and stuff like that, marketing. It was that that really kicked it off for us. Everyone was at home, bored, they all had their kids there, all anything people could do is watch tv, watch box sets or swipe up and down on tictok.”

A Family Listen

What’s not to love? Disney, TV show themes and classic songs. It’s fair to say that parents that were listening to bands like Blink 182 at the end of the 90’s and the beginning of the Noughties finally have something to listen to in the car with their kids! The crossover of the genres has been a massive hit for people who love a bit of guitar-based fun, with songs that bring a smile to everyone’s face.

The smiles don’t stop with the new album, “It’s just a stage we’re going through”. Covers of everyone’s favourite musicals, including “Mamma Mia”,  “Rewrite the Stars”, “Defying Gravity” and many other musical classics.

Upcoming Tours

It’s not just social media and streaming songs; the UK tour is now underway, with a huge number of dates sold out already. The band then travel across Europe, with a number of dates already sold out as well. But the band love their home and are looking forward to playing some small shows in Wales:

“We decided to do a little Welsh run in March, starting on St David’s Day. We’re going to do a week or so around Wales playing the little sweaty club shows; the venues we grew up playing.”

The headline UK dates to catch PUNK ROCK FACTORY are:

• Thu 19th Oct – BRISTOL SWX
• Fri 20th Oct – GLASGOW O2 Academy
• Sat 21st Oct – NEWCASTLE University
• Sun 22nd Oct – SHEFFIELD O2 Academy 2
• Tue 24th Oct – NORWICH Epic Studios
• Wed 25th Oct – BRIGHTON Concorde 2
• Fri 27th Oct – OXFORD O2 Academy
• Sat 28th Oct – LEEDS Uni Stylus
• Sun 29th Oct – LONDON O2 Academy Islington
• Wed 1st Nov – SOUTHAMPTON 1865
• Fri 3rd Nov – MANCHESTER O2 Ritz
• Sat 4th Nov – BIRMINGHAM O2 Institute

To buy tickets and for a full list of all performances, including festivals already confirmed for 2023, please visit here.

Website: https://punkrockfactory.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/punkrockfactory/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/punkrockfactory
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@punkrockfactory
Twitter: https://twitter.com/punkrockfactory
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1doeW0oJMkO8kEq5g9kFNR
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/punkrockfactory