Band Line Up 2025
Pengshui don’t just ignore genre boundaries — they obliterate them.
Since erupting onto the scene with their 2018 debut single ‘CONTROL’, the London-based band have carved their own path through two full-length albums (Pengshui and 2022’s Destroy Yourself), three blistering EPs — the latest, EP iii, landing in March 2024 — and a relentless live reputation that’s impossible to ignore.
Their early breakthrough came via Kerrang! Radio’s Finding Fresh Blood competition, earning them a slot at Download Festival — a stage they returned to in 2022. They've since shaken the grounds of Glastonbury, Boomtown, Bloodstock, Colours of Ostrava, Pohoda, 2000 Trees, and more, bringing their uncompromising fusion of punk, grime, and bass to a loyal and ever-growing fanbase.
Even The Prodigy’s Liam Howlett took notice, personally tapping Pengshui to remix ‘Light Up The Sky’ and the generation-defining ‘Omen’ — two explosive reworks that have become instant crowd ignitors at their shows.
At their core, Pengshui is a collision of cultures and stories. Fatty grew up in Blackpool and picked up guitar at age 7, before moving to Leeds to study jazz. From there he formed the Ninja Tune-signed Submotion Orchestra before session work with grime heavyweights like Newham Generals and P Money pushed his passion for bass-driven music into overdrive. “I was just so into that chaos. It was a really exciting scene.”
Illaman’s story, meanwhile, began in London’s Queen’s Park. “My grandad is a Jamaican man who raised me on music from a baby. In nan and grandad’s house, where I spent most of my youth, I just remember the smell of weed, the sound of slamming dominos and these heavy reggae bass lines,” says the MC. “I grew up on a council estate where I was always around music: my cousin was a garage DJ who’d invite me to pirate radio with him. I had rude boy mates and skater mates with grunger chains and Blue Bolt jeans, and loved music from both those worlds.” His first band, Flict, combined elements of both and lasted for nine years, supporting Skindred and working with Cypress Hill members.
“We wanna take it as far as it can go, write fucking bangers and play big stages,” says Dave. For him there is one deep, personal ambition he wants to fulfil. “The guitarist in my old band passed away. We always used to talk about how crazy it’d be to play in front of 25,000 people. When he died, I decided I would love to honour his memory by playing to as many big audiences as possible,” he says.
“We’ve all dreamed of doing a band like this for over a decade,” says Illaman. “Now we’re here to smash every wall in our way.”
With their third studio album locked and loaded, Pengshui are gearing up for their biggest chapter yet. Brace yourself — this isn’t just a band. It’s a movement.
