> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # AFTERDRIVE move up a gear - URL: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/afterdrive-move-up-a-gear/ - Published: 2026-10-09T13:01:13.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-09T13:01:13.000Z - Description: AFTERDRIVE have played with McFly, Maggie Lindemann and Suffolk’s most famous songwriter, but is their debut EP actually any good? Jon gives Dress To Drive a listen, and the short answer is yes. - Author: Jon Moran - Tags: Opinion It's music writing law that when you are talking about a band that not everybody is fully aware of - yet - you have to explain who they sound like. So, in AFTERDRIVE's canon of self-written alt-pop, you can hear the influence from The Script, The 1975, and the songwriting formula of Suffolk's very own Ed Sheeran, who the band supported on his Portman Road homecoming gig in 2025. But this EP, out on Friday, 9th October, shows a change of gear, and the Ipswich four-piece carving out their own unique piece of the market. But is it any good? It is. Shall we do the downsides first? There are far too many effects on singer Ben Watts' voice, the producer has had too many Pro Tools plug-ins for his birthday, and the songs occasionally lose their way. Second-up track Jewellery is a perfect example. It's a ballad, and a well constructed one, but then it isn't a ballad - and it is. Again. But this will come as the band evolves. Other than vocal effects, which when it all comes down are personal taste, the EP is well mixed and well produced, but more importantly - well played. Clearly at a better point than most young bands using their instruments, there is a lot to like about the guitar lines and riffs especially. There is confidence here, and perhaps more importantly there are signs of a band beginning to understand exactly what it wants to be rather than simply what it can be. Fake Licence Plates, track one, the lead track, is the best of the release, and shows considerable promise of more to come. It's a good, nearly great track, and probably the clearest indication across Dress To Drive of where AFTERDRIVE could be heading. There's some context worth adding here. AFTERDRIVE are Ben Watts on vocals, his brother Joe Watts on drums, Luke Ellis on lead guitar and Edward Ruff on bass. Three of the four met while studying music at One Sixth Form College in Ipswich, and their progress since has been rather more substantial than the usual local-band story. Supporting Ed Sheeran at Portman Road was the obvious landmark, but 2026 has seen them build on it: a sold-out Waterfront Studio headline show, support dates with Maggie Lindemann, an appearance with McFly and a slot at Ipswich's Halo Festival alongside names including Two Door Cinema Club and The Vaccines. Dress To Drive is their debut EP, and that matters because it feels less like four songs thrown together and more like a band trying to establish an identity. Across four tracks there is an attempt to tell a story of attraction, desire and things gradually beginning to unravel. Not every idea quite lands, but there is enough here to suggest that AFTERDRIVE are moving beyond simply being a promising Suffolk band. AFTERDRIVE, who I'm told reliably are as good live as on recording, are one of the jewels in the Suffolk musical crown, and it's considerably more likely than not that they will advance well into the national music picture in 2027\. And there is a chance to test that live reputation later this month. The Dress To Drive headline tour reaches London's O2 Academy2 Islington on Tuesday, 27th October. Doors open at 7pm, with the show scheduled to run until 11pm. It is an important step up for a band which, not very long ago, was playing the Suffolk circuit and is now beginning to make a serious attempt at the national one. On the evidence of Dress To Drive, they are not quite the finished article. That might be the most interesting thing about them. **Release:** AFTERDRIVE **Title:** Dress To Drive **Release date:** Friday, 9th October 2026 **Rating:** 7/10 More information, music and live dates are available from the band's official website: [afterdriveband.com](https://www.afterdriveband.com/?ref=ipswich.co.uk) AFTERDRIVE play O2 Academy2 Islington, London, on Tuesday, 27th October 2026\. Doors 7pm.