Bugeye are a queer disco-punk quartet from Croydon who are amassing a big following. Fiercely independent, intelligent and humorous, their second album The Shape of Things is coming out on May 15th. Lorna Irvine caught up with front woman and co-producer Angela Martin to find out about it, their biggest influences, and what to expect from their live gigs.

Hi Angela. You’ve amassed quite a following since your debut, Ready, Steady, Bang. Did you feel a lot of pressure for the second album release, or is it easier this time around?

It didn’t feel like pressure in the way you might expect, mainly because Ready, Steady, Bang came out during lockdown. We didn’t properly get to live with it on the road until late 2022 into 2023, so for a long time our focus was just on playing those songs and building things up properly.

With the second album, I was more focused on making sure it felt like a real step forward. I didn’t mind taking time over it. We actually wrote most of an album in 2024, but it didn’t quite feel right, so we scrapped it and went back to the drawing board.

That ended up being a really important moment for us; we spent time figuring out what we genuinely love about music, what excites us, and where we wanted to push our sound. Once that clicked, the album came together quite quickly. So if anything, it wasn’t about pressure, it was about getting it right.

Aside from the obvious -music-,what are Bugeye’s main influences?

Aside from music, a lot of influence comes from how ingrained technology is in all of our lives now. It’s something we naturally lean into, not just sonically, but conceptually as well. Musically, we’re really into experimenting with guitar sounds and layering, taking a bit from ’80s synths and early electronic music, but also artists like St. Vincent and BONES UK who don’t really stick to the rules when it comes to guitar.

Outside of that, I’ve always been drawn to storytelling and how society evolves, looking at the past, the present, and what might be coming next. Things like misinformation aren’t new, we’ve just got better at recognising and talking about it. I recently re-read Animal Farm, and it still feels incredibly relevant. It’s a cycle on repeat. Power corrupts even the most just. There’s also a lot in there about how women are treated, and more broadly how people or anything are viewed when they’re seen as different. That sense of observation runs through everything we do.

So I guess The Shape of Things naturally became a bit of a social commentary; looking in, looking out, and trying to make sense of where we are and where we’re heading.

You all have a wicked sense of humour. Do you think it’s important for a band to not take themselves too seriously?

I can’t speak for other bands, but it’s 100% important for us. Life’s hard, but it’s also brilliant, and you’ve got to hold onto the things that bring you joy. Even with everything going on in the world, music and friendship are our escape. That’s what keeps it fun for us, and probably keeps us sane as well. If we took ourselves too seriously all the time, I think it would lose that spark.

There’s a big eighties influence to The Shape Of Things. Who are your favourite artists from that era?

So many. David Bowie and Blondie are probably the biggest touchstones for me, but there’s also a nod to Madonna on the album, and definitely Talking Heads, Gary Numan, Joy Division and Kate Bush in there, too. There’s so much to love about ’80s music.

It’s not just the music though, there was a real political and cultural shift happening in the ’80s, and the rise of technology started to change how people experienced the world. In a lot of ways, it feels like we’re facing similar challenges now, just on a different scale.

We’re not trying to live in the past though. It’s more about taking what we love from that era: the attitude, the experimentation, the sense of change, and bringing it forward, evolving it and adding our own perspective to it.

Who are you currently listening to?

We’re always dipping back into our favourites from the past, but right now we’re really into BONES UK, St. Vincent and Wet Leg.
On the newer side, there’s loads that feel really exciting at the moment. Adult DVD are doing something great, really rhythmic, deadpan, slightly off-kilter indie that feels made for sweaty rooms. Bureau De Change have this cool, art-leaning edge with loads of texture and atmosphere, and Lime Garden bring in those tight grooves and subtle electronic touches while still keeping it punchy and hooky.

It just feels like there’s a lot of bands at the moment pushing things in interesting directions without overcomplicating it, which we love.

What can audiences expect from a typical Bugeye gig? They look really chaotic and fun.

They’re chaotic, but in a good way. There’s definitely a sense of unpredictability, but it’s not all accidental. We know what we’re doing and we try to make every show feel a bit different.

There’s a lot of interaction with the crowd, getting people involved and making it feel like everyone’s part of something rather than just watching a band on a stage. We put everything into it, every time. At the end of the day, people have chosen to come out and see us, and we want them to leave feeling like it was properly worth it.

The Shape Of Things is released on May 15th on INH Records.