# Adult DVD
**Adult DVD** is a six-piece dance-punk band from Leeds, England, formed during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown by singer Harry Hanson and synthesizer player Greg Lonsdale. The band fuses post-punk guitars, multiple synthesizers, and 1990s rave and acid house influences with comic, character-driven lyrics, and released its self-titled debut album on Fat Possum Records in September 2026.[1](https://legendswillneverdie.com/2026/09/25/adult-dvd-self-titled-review/) • [2](https://djmag.com/reviews/adult-dvd-adult-dvd)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Formed in lockdown in 2020 in Leeds, UK, by Harry Hanson and Greg Lonsdale, who wrote songs together over the internet[1](https://legendswillneverdie.com/2026/09/25/adult-dvd-self-titled-review/) |
| Lineup | Harry Hanson (lead vocals), Greg Lonsdale (synths/vocals), Danny Blackburn (guitar/synths), Jake Williams (synths), Jonathan Newell (drums), George Manson (bass)[3](https://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2023/06/13/introducing-adult-dvd/) |
| Releases | EP *Fountain of Youth* (2023) and *Next Day Shipping* (2024); self-titled debut album, 25 September 2026, Fat Possum Records[1](https://legendswillneverdie.com/2026/09/25/adult-dvd-self-titled-review/) • [4](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/adult-dvd-sign-to-fat-possum) |
| Label | Signed to Fat Possum Records in January 2026; "Real Tree Lee" was the band's first release on the label[4](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/adult-dvd-sign-to-fat-possum) |
| Sound | Dance-punk and synth-punk blending post-punk, electroclash, acid house, and electronica, with influences including LCD Soundsystem, Soulwax, and The Prodigy[5](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/91290/adult-dvd-adult-dvd/) |
| Reception | The debut album holds an 81/100 critic consensus across eight professional reviews[6](https://chorus.reviews/albums/adult-dvd-adult-dvd) |
## Formation and name
Hanson and Lonsdale met while working behind the bar at the Brudenell Social Club, a well-known venue in the Hyde Park area of Leeds. Both had reached the end of earlier projects: Hanson's previous band was the atmospheric indie-rock group Glass Mountain, which also included future Adult DVD drummer Jonathan Newell, while Lonsdale played in the psych-rock band Uncle Buzzard alongside George Manson, Jake Williams, and Danny Blackburn.[7](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/adult-dvd-on-the-rise)
During lockdown the two began writing songs together online, an approach that produced the band's first single, "Broken English". When they decided to perform the computer-made tracks live, they judged the arrangements needed six people and recruited their former bandmates.[3](https://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2023/06/13/introducing-adult-dvd/) • [8](https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/adult-dvd-leeds-band-play-next-interview-56992/) The name came from a drawing Lonsdale had made of an old sex shop labeled "Adult DVD shop", which hung framed on the wall of a bandmate's house where the group recorded; the band advises searching "ADULT DVD BAND" online.[3](https://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2023/06/13/introducing-adult-dvd/)
## Music and lyrics
The band's sound pairs club music with a live rock band: three synth lines, electric bass, live drums, and guitar, described by one reviewer as techno floor fillers played by a post-punk band.[8](https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/adult-dvd-leeds-band-play-next-interview-56992/) Hanson has cited [LCD Soundsystem](https://www.edgepedia.org/lcd-soundsystem), Soulwax, and [The Chemical Brothers](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-chemical-brothers) as influences, and has said the band treats synthesizers like guitars, building in the choruses that traditional synth patterns can flatten.[8](https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/adult-dvd-leeds-band-play-next-interview-56992/) • [7](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/adult-dvd-on-the-rise)
**Lyrics.** The songs center on fictional characters and absurd scenarios rather than autobiography. "Bill Murray", from the first EP, lists the filmographies of [Bill Murray](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-murray) and [Tom Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hanks) side by side and grew out of a Reddit thread claiming the two actors are the same person; "Doomsday Prepper" and "Hot Set" on *Next Day Shipping* follow a bunker survivalist and stalled actors on a film set. Hanson and Lonsdale originally handled lyrics, but writing became collaborative across the band from "Bill Murray" onward.[7](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/adult-dvd-on-the-rise) • [3](https://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2023/06/13/introducing-adult-dvd/) Hanson has described the approach as freeing: because the music is danceable, the words can be as ridiculous as the band likes.[8](https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/adult-dvd-leeds-band-play-next-interview-56992/)
The band writes in pairs across three home studios rather than jamming as a six-piece, which Hanson attributed to the amount of equipment involved and the members' initially limited synthesizer skills.[3](https://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2023/06/13/introducing-adult-dvd/) • [8](https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/adult-dvd-leeds-band-play-next-interview-56992/)
## Career
The band self-released its early records, recording between members' houses and a studio, with distribution help from the Leeds organization Launchpad and support from BBC Introducing.[3](https://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2023/06/13/introducing-adult-dvd/) Its first international shows came at the Left of the Dial festival in [Rotterdam](https://www.edgepedia.org/rotterdam) in 2023, where the band secured a European booking agent.[9](https://www.nme.com/features/music-interviews/adult-dvd-debut-album-interview-radar-3967890)
Festival appearances followed, including [Glastonbury](https://www.edgepedia.org/glastonbury) in 2025 on the BBC Introducing stage, and slots at [Green Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-man) and End of the Road.[7](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/adult-dvd-on-the-rise) • [10](https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20260421-4370628/) In January 2026 the band announced its signing to the American independent label Fat Possum Records and released "Real Tree Lee", a song about a radicalized online conspiracy theorist.[4](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/adult-dvd-sign-to-fat-possum) In March 2026 the band played SXSW in Austin, its first United States shows, introduced on one bill by BBC radio host Steve Lamacq.[11](https://www.denon.com/en-us/inside-denon/brand-stories/adult-dvd.html) • [12](https://panicmanual.com/2026/03/20/sxsw-review-adult-dvd-march-15-bme-palm-door-on-sixth/) In April 2026 the band made its first visit to Japan, playing sold-out shows in Osaka and Tokyo.[10](https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20260421-4370628/)
## Debut album
The self-titled debut album was released on 25 September 2026 via Fat Possum Records. The band self-produced the record at The Nave Studios in Leeds.[13](https://onlygreatmusic.com/reviews/adult-dvd-self-titled/) Its twelve tracks move from guitar-based dance-punk toward acid house and rave: "Do As I Please" opens the record, "Coffin Dodger" imagines a man attending his own funeral, "World's Best Boss" satirizes office hierarchy, and the closer "Rolling Face" is an extended acid-house finale.[6](https://chorus.reviews/albums/adult-dvd-adult-dvd) • [14](https://theplayground.co.uk/album-review-adult-dvd-adult-dvd/)
Critical reception was broadly positive. The aggregate site Chorus.Reviews recorded an 81/100 consensus across eight professional reviews, with "Do As I Please", "Coffin Dodger", and "Rolling Face" the most frequently praised tracks.[6](https://chorus.reviews/albums/adult-dvd-adult-dvd) Reviewers placed the band within a current wave of British dance-punk alongside acts such as [Fat Dog](https://www.edgepedia.org/fat-dog-band), Yard Act, and [Getdown Services](https://www.edgepedia.org/getdown-services).[5](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/91290/adult-dvd-adult-dvd/)
## References
1. [Adult DVD – Self-Titled review, Legends Will Never Die](https://legendswillneverdie.com/2026/09/25/adult-dvd-self-titled-review/)
2. [Adult DVD – Adult DVD, DJ Mag](https://djmag.com/reviews/adult-dvd-adult-dvd)
3. [INTRODUCING: Adult DVD, God Is In The TV](https://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2023/06/13/introducing-adult-dvd/)
4. [Adult DVD sign to Fat Possum, The Line of Best Fit](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/adult-dvd-sign-to-fat-possum)
5. [Adult DVD – Adult DVD, Sputnikmusic](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/91290/adult-dvd-adult-dvd/)
6. [Adult DVD – Adult DVD review score, Chorus.Reviews](https://chorus.reviews/albums/adult-dvd-adult-dvd)
7. [Adult DVD are on the rise, The Line of Best Fit](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/adult-dvd-on-the-rise)
8. [Meet Adult DVD, the Leeds band making huge, grin-inducing dance-punk, Rolling Stone UK](https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/adult-dvd-leeds-band-play-next-interview-56992/)
9. [Follow Adult DVD down the rabbit hole into their rave-rock wonderland of characters, NME](https://www.nme.com/features/music-interviews/adult-dvd-debut-album-interview-radar-3967890)
10. [初来日大阪公演は超満員──Adult DVDが語る、ロック×ダンスの現在地とその先へ, マイナビニュース](https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20260421-4370628/)
11. [Adult DVD Artist Spotlight, Denon](https://www.denon.com/en-us/inside-denon/brand-stories/adult-dvd.html)
12. [SXSW Review: Adult DVD, March 15, BME @ Palm Door on Sixth, The Panic Manual](https://panicmanual.com/2026/03/20/sxsw-review-adult-dvd-march-15-bme-palm-door-on-sixth/)
13. [Adult DVD — Adult DVD Album Review, Only Great Music](https://onlygreatmusic.com/reviews/adult-dvd-self-titled/)
14. [Album Review: Adult DVD – 'Adult DVD', PLAYY. Magazine](https://theplayground.co.uk/album-review-adult-dvd-adult-dvd/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › Indie and alternative bands › Post-punk and new wave bands › Post-punk revival and 2000s acts*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license