# The Blackout (group)
The Blackout are a Welsh post-hardcore band formed in [Merthyr Tydfil](https://www.edgepedia.org/merthyr-tydfil), South Wales, in 2003, with a line-up of two vocalists, Gavin Butler and Sean Smith, guitarists James Davies and Matthew Davies, bassist Rhys Lewis, and drummer Gareth Lawrence.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blackout-mn0002160554) Active from 2003 to 2015 and reformed in 2022, they released four albums, three of which reached the UK Top 40, with *Hope* (2011) their highest-charting at number 27.[2](https://www.cultvr.cymru/events/the-blackout/) • [3](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/blackout-hope/) Not to be confused with *The Blackout* (2019 film).
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales; formed 2003[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blackout-mn0002160554) |
| Members | Gavin Butler and Sean Smith (vocals), James Davies and Matthew Davies (guitars), Rhys Lewis (bass), Gareth Lawrence (drums)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blackout-mn0002160554) |
| Albums | We Are the Dynamite (2007), The Best in Town (2009), Hope (2011), Start the Party (2013)[4](https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-blackout-16-1215026) |
| Labels | Fierce Panda, Epitaph, Cooking Vinyl, 11-7 Recordings[5](https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/blackout/pages/biography.shtml) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blackout-mn0002160554) |
| Highest UK chart position | No. 27, *Hope*, first chart date 16/04/2011[3](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/blackout-hope/) |
| Split | Announced December 2014; final show 28 March 2015[4](https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-blackout-16-1215026) |
| Reunion | Announced tail end of 2022; Download Festival June 2023[6](https://discover.ticketmaster.co.uk/interview/the-blackout-it-feels-like-magic-where-we-are-right-now-60534/) • [7](https://thefestivals.uk/the-blackout-tour-dates/) |
## Formation and early years (2003–2007)
The six came together in Merthyr Tydfil in 2003 and cut a three-song demo EP, *Pull No Punches*, in 2004.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blackout-mn0002160554) In summer 2006 they signed to London's independent Fierce Panda Records, released the single "Hard Slammin'", and were nominated for Best British Newcomers at the Kerrang! Awards.[5](https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/blackout/pages/biography.shtml) A six-song EP, *The Blackout! The Blackout! The Blackout!*, followed in 2006, featuring "I'm a Riot? You're a F***ing Riot".[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blackout-mn0002160554) Their debut album, *We Are the Dynamite*, was released in fall 2007.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blackout-mn0002160554)
## Albums and labels (2007–2014)
In 2009 the band signed a worldwide deal with Epitaph, the label run by Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, and released *The Best in Town* in May 2009.[5](https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/blackout/pages/biography.shtml) Their third album, *Hope* (April 2011), was released through Cooking Vinyl and part-funded through the PledgeMusic fan scheme.[5](https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/blackout/pages/biography.shtml) Lawrence had broken his arm before the *Hope* sessions, so Phillip Jenkins of Kids in Glass Houses and Tom Winch of Hexes recorded the drum parts.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blackout-mn0002160554) *Start the Party* came out in 2013 on 11-7 Recordings, and the *Wolves* EP followed in 2014 as their last release before the split.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blackout-mn0002160554) • [4](https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-blackout-16-1215026)
## By the numbers
The chart record is short but consistent: *The Best in Town* peaked at number 38 on the [UK Albums Chart](https://www.edgepedia.org/uk-albums-chart) with one week in the Top 100 (first chart date 06/06/2009), and *Hope* peaked at number 27 (first chart date 16/04/2011), their highest placement.[8](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/blackout-the-best-in-town/) • [3](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/blackout-hope/) With *Start the Party* (2013), the band have three UK Top 40 albums.[2](https://www.cultvr.cymru/events/the-blackout/) Their most-streamed song is "Save Our Selves (The Warning)".[9](https://foxreviewsrock.com/2025/08/11/the-blackout-interview/)
## Sound and place in the UK scene
AllMusic describes a hot-wired mixture of metal, punk, and indie rock from a Welsh screamo act with emo, hardcore, and power glam metal influences; BBC Wales called them a heavy but poppy six-piece combining furious drumming, soaring melodies, and a dual vocal assault, with [Funeral for a Friend](https://www.edgepedia.org/funeral-for-a-friend) as their closest musical peers.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blackout-mn0002160554) • [10](https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/blackout/) Ticketmaster's Discover site places them as stalwarts of the UK scene at the turn of the 2010s, combining the intensity of post-hardcore with the melodies of pop punk.[6](https://discover.ticketmaster.co.uk/interview/the-blackout-it-feels-like-magic-where-we-are-right-now-60534/) They grew out of a community-rooted [South Wales](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-wales) hardcore scene of the early 2000s, playing alongside local bands Hondo Maclean and Midasuno against touring American acts such as Sparta, Boysetsfire, and [The Juliana Theory](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-juliana-theory).[11](https://www.vice.com/en/article/funeral-for-a-friends-matthew-davies-kreye-dissects-the-south-wales-post-hardcore-scene-of-the-early-00s/) After *We Are the Dynamite* they shared stages with Funeral for a Friend, Avenged Sevenfold, and Thrice, and played the UK indoor festival Give It A Name.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blackout-mn0002160554) • [5](https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/blackout/pages/biography.shtml)
## Split in 2015
In December 2014 the band announced that *Wolves* would be their final release, saying they were "unable to sustain this band anymore", with a farewell tour of five UK shows in March 2015.[4](https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-blackout-16-1215026) The tour ran from Birmingham's Asylum (23 March) through London KOKO, Manchester Academy 3, and Glasgow King Tut's, ending at Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre on 28 March 2015.[4](https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-blackout-16-1215026) The reasons were financial and practical. Rehearsing after finishing *Wolves*, the members concluded they could not carry on, wanting careers and financial stability; touring had become loss-making, with shows funded from their own pockets, which mattered with mortgages and children.[12](https://www.loudersound.com/features/q-a-the-blackout) Sean Smith and Gavin Butler also described a dwindling fanbase, with the audience aging and going to fewer shows, and Butler citing the business side of the industry for sapping the joy from the band.[13](https://rocksound.tv/features/the-blackouts-sean-smith-i-cant-wait-to-play-these-songs-again)
## Reunion and Download 2023
Reunion talks began around August 2022 through the band's long-running group WhatsApp, leading to an offer to play [Download Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/download-festival).[14](https://www.isthismusic.com/the-blackout) The reunion was announced at the tail end of 2022, their first shows since 2015, and the news trended on Twitter alongside [Metallica](https://www.edgepedia.org/metallica) and Slipknot.[6](https://discover.ticketmaster.co.uk/interview/the-blackout-it-feels-like-magic-where-we-are-right-now-60534/) • [13](https://rocksound.tv/features/the-blackouts-sean-smith-i-cant-wait-to-play-these-songs-again) They played a single warm-up show at the Redhouse in Merthyr Tydfil on 5 June 2023, about seventy minutes, before a roughly 45-minute set at Download that June.[14](https://www.isthismusic.com/the-blackout) Sean Smith stated the reunion would be "a nostalgia thing" with no new music planned.[14](https://www.isthismusic.com/the-blackout) At Slam Dunk they performed a *The Best in Town* anniversary set, fifteen years after its release.[6](https://discover.ticketmaster.co.uk/interview/the-blackout-it-feels-like-magic-where-we-are-right-now-60534/)
## Recent developments
After Download and a sold-out reunion show at Redhouse Cymru, the band announced a February 2024 UK tour: Manchester O2 Ritz (19 February), Cardiff University Great Hall (22 February), Birmingham O2 Academy (23 February), and London O2 Forum Kentish Town (24 February), their first tour in nine years.[7](https://thefestivals.uk/the-blackout-tour-dates/) • [15](https://discoverymusicscotland.com/gig-review-the-blackout-swg3-20-2-24/) In July 2025 they supported Funeral for a Friend, then headlined an outdoor show at Chepstow Castle on 16 August 2025, their only headline gig that year, with support from Blackgold and The Brass Bambees.[16](https://v13.net/2025/08/the-blackout-confirm-only-2025-headline-show-at-chepstow-castle/) The same month, on 21 August, they staged a 360° immersive live performance at CultVR in Cardiff focused on *Hope*, including songs such as "Higher & Higher" and "Ambition Is Critical".[2](https://www.cultvr.cymru/events/the-blackout/) • [17](https://rocksound.tv/news/the-blackout-announce-hope-15th-anniversary-performance) In August 2025 they announced a headline UK tour for December 2026 marking *Hope*'s fifteenth anniversary, with tickets on sale 28 August and dates including XOYO Birmingham (4 December), Electric Ballroom London (5 December), and Manchester Academy 2 (6 December).[18](https://thefestivals.uk/the-blackout-announce-hope-15th-anniversary-uk-tour/)
## References
1. [The Blackout, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-blackout-mn0002160554)
2. [The Blackout / Live Immersive Performance, CULTVR](https://www.cultvr.cymru/events/the-blackout/)
3. [HOPE – BLACKOUT, Official Charts](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/blackout-hope/)
4. [The Blackout announce split and farewell tour, NME](https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-blackout-16-1215026)
5. [BBC Wales Music, The Blackout Biography](https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/blackout/pages/biography.shtml)
6. [The Blackout: "It feels like magic where we are right now", Ticketmaster Discover](https://discover.ticketmaster.co.uk/interview/the-blackout-it-feels-like-magic-where-we-are-right-now-60534/)
7. [The Blackout announce UK tour for February 2024, TheFestivals](https://thefestivals.uk/the-blackout-tour-dates/)
8. [THE BEST IN TOWN – BLACKOUT, Official Charts](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/blackout-the-best-in-town/)
9. [The Blackout: Exclusive Interview, Fox Reviews Rock](https://foxreviewsrock.com/2025/08/11/the-blackout-interview/)
10. [BBC Wales Music, The Blackout](https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/blackout/)
11. [South Wales post-hardcore scene of the early 00s, Vice](https://www.vice.com/en/article/funeral-for-a-friends-matthew-davies-kreye-dissects-the-south-wales-post-hardcore-scene-of-the-early-00s/)
12. [Q & A: The Blackout, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/features/q-a-the-blackout)
13. [The Blackout's Sean Smith: "I Can't Wait To Play These Songs Again", Rock Sound](https://rocksound.tv/features/the-blackouts-sean-smith-i-cant-wait-to-play-these-songs-again)
14. [Feature: The Blackout - Still The Best in Town, is this music?](https://www.isthismusic.com/the-blackout)
15. [Gig Review: The Blackout, SWG3, Discovery Music Scotland](https://discoverymusicscotland.com/gig-review-the-blackout-swg3-20-2-24/)
16. [The Blackout 2025 Headline Show at Chepstow Castle, V13 Media](https://v13.net/2025/08/the-blackout-confirm-only-2025-headline-show-at-chepstow-castle/)
17. [The Blackout Announce 'Hope' 15th Anniversary Performance, Rock Sound](https://rocksound.tv/news/the-blackout-announce-hope-15th-anniversary-performance)
18. [The Blackout announce Hope 15th anniversary UK tour, TheFestivals](https://thefestivals.uk/the-blackout-announce-hope-15th-anniversary-uk-tour/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Heavy metal scenes › Artists, groups, and people: Heavy metal scenes › Modern Metal & -core › Metalcore artists*
*Initially written Sep 19, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 19, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license