Ben Sadler and Josh Law are two friends from the seaside town of Minehead in Somerset. They began making music together as kids. Years later, they started a band, and now that band is Getdown Services, and they are my favourite.
Getdown Services are based in Bristol and signed to local indie label Breakfast Records. They're absolutely amazing live and are known for their extremely high-energy topless performances. Josh is the one with darker hair and a moustache. Ben is the one with lighter hair and a moustache.
The band have a pretty eclectic sound, ranging from classic rock to disco bangers, but could probably be lumped into dance-punk. Their influences include Daft Punk, T-Rex and AC/DC. They have songs about:
- feeling anxious and shit on a night out ("I Wish It Didn't Bother Me")
- feeling like the monkey from The Planet of the Apes ("Caesar")
- "the sense of victory you get when you feel like you’ve physically intimidated an inanimate object into doing what you want" ("The Radiator")
- hating your shit landlord so much that you call him a "fucking receding-hair red-face tuck-your-shirt-in bootleg-jean dullard cunt" and hope his kid gets slide-tackled in PE ("Biscuit Tin")
But if you're going to listen to one song, listen to "Dog Dribble", because it's a fan favourite and a massive earworm.
Getdown Services' nickname of "Britain's Best Band" began as a joke, but it's not a joke to me, a normal fan who definitely doesn't have the kind of weird parasocial relationship with the lads that might drive me to make a fanpage.
Why do I like this band so much?
I first got into Getdown Services in early 2025 when I heard "Dog Dribble" and couldn't get it out of my head.
In January 2026, I saw them live, and it was one of the best gigs I've ever been to and turned me into a massive evangelist/propagandist. I've now attended two of their shows and am looking forward to the third.
Their lyrics combine juvenile silliness with a deeper sadness and frustration about modern life in a way that really appeals to me. And the songs are often catchy and fun to dance to. I just like their energy.
It's been really exciting to watch their star rise throughout 2026. Lately I've even met some fellow fans IRL because they spotted my totebag. Love to see Britain's Best Band getting more recognition!
Some of my favourite performances
It's hard to fully capture just how fun these guys are live, but I like these recordings too:
- Green Man festival set – Had to include this because it starts with ultra-banger "Evil On Tap" and the "oh my god" call-and-response which is really fun to do!!! Also "Head Down For the Conversation" is one of my favourite songs.
- KEXP set – Lots of fart noises in this one. I expected no less.
- "Dog Dribble" with The Bug Club – I love them as a two-piece, but they sure do sound fantastic with a live drummer.
Releases
So far, Getdown Services have released one album, Crisps, and four EPs. Their second album Massive Champion is out in August 2026.
My favourite records so far are Crisps and the EP Your Medal's In The Post. (I've got them both on CD.)
You can buy their stuff on Bandcamp.
Cultural references
Getdown Services are an extremely British band (not in a horrible way) and many of their references probably make no sense to anyone not intimitely acquainted with our stupid shit culture.
Let me explain some of the lyrics like I'm commenting on Genius:
"It's Ken Dodd's dad's dog's death on the telly"
("Dog Dribble", Your Medal's In The Post)Ken Dodd was a popular comedian in the UK during the second half of the 20th century. The tongue-twister "Ken's Dodd's dad's dog's dead" is known for being a classic piece of graffiti outside football club Tottenham Hotspur's old stadium White Hart Lane, and also as the name of a not-particularly-successful band. I'm not sure which one Getdown Services are referencing here tbh so this entire segment of the fanpage may be a failure.
"I wonder if I'll ever stop thinking about killing Baby Oleg / I hope not"
("I Can't Die Like That", Massive Champion)Price comparison website Compare the Market has a long-running marketing campaign featuring several meerkat characters. One of them is Baby Oleg. Personally I think Josh is right and all these meerkats deserve to die.
"I love the Sycamore Gap / But chainsaws did what big boys couldn't"
("I Can't Die Like That", Massive Champion)The Sycamore Gap tree was a famous landmark near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. In 2023, it was cut down by two dickheads who wanted attention.
"Nadiya Hussain / Hell of a fucking cook"
("Get Back Jamie", Crisps)Nadiya achieved national treasure status after winning the Great British Bake-Off. She's now a celebrity chef, and certainly a more beloved figure than Jamie Oliver, host of Jamie's 15-Minute Meals and the subject of the song's title.
"Wapping Wharf / Find me a worse atmosphere and I'll PayPal you a grand"
("Cream of the Crop", Crisps)This song talks about the ongoing gentrification of Bristol. Whapping Wharf is a bougie harbourside development made from shipping containers, and definitely the sort of place you could pay £9 for chips. (Also mentioned: shithouse shopping centre Cabot Circus.)
"Him right there, bet he thinks he's a deadly 60 / White flared jeans and wet-look hair"
("Deadly 60", Crisps)Deadly 60 was a CBBC children's nature documentary series about the sixty deadliest animals in the world. The song's boorish, red-faced protagonist is under the mistaken belief that he himself is cool enough to be one of them.
"Clarkson, May and Hammond / Vomit, piss and shit"
("Vomit, Piss and Shit", Crumbs 2)Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond hosted popular BBC car show Top Gear and Amazon Prime's The Grand Tour. Getdown Services are not fans, probably because these three are knobheads and Richard Hammond is not even a real hamster.