Instagram story viewer> @built2will> Posts

Will Fitzpatrick

@built2will

1.6K

followers

2753

following

I make noise: vocals/guitar @goodgrieflpool, bass/guitar @witching_waves. Punk/noise/pop enthusiast. Too many records'n'books. Have bass, will travel.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Haven’t played many shows with Good Grief this year - hopefully more next year to coincide with IMMINENT PROJECTS, cough cough. One cool thing we did in March, though, was drive to Todmorden to play in a tiny pub with our @hhbtm labelmates @wutband! So glad we got to meet and hang out with these guys. Vancouver’s finest folks and a hell of a band - this second album is an all-action slab of heroically melodic indiepop that puts me in mind of Cub, Go Sailor and All-Girl Summer Fun Band (you know, the good stuff), with some wonderfully sardonic lyrics peppering the deceptively sweet sounds. Loved the live show but this album is genuinely superb. Get involved if you haven’t already, and join me in demanding their return to these shores in 2027.

I also love their debut album Now, particularly the smartly pissed-off cut White Walls - someone do the right thing and press it to vinyl pls.

Fig 2: we had our pictures taken so we could send one to @hhbtmike. Excelsior! by @built2will

32

1

20 hours ago

A year ago today I was at work when my manager messaged me to ask if I was free ‘for a catch-up’, before telling me that my role was being made redundant. It’s a been a weird 12 months since; I’m not going to wang on tediously about it but obviously it does all mess with your head and your sense of self somewhat. I’ve definitely learned not to jump into another terrible job too soon, so that’s a… plus, I guess?

Still kinda putting myself back together, which is fine. I’m currently paying the rent by slinging records and things to the general public, which is pretty decent. Mainly just taking each day as it comes and generally surviving, which isn’t so bad.

Dunno why I’m posting this really, beyond the fact that it feels vaguely significant in a cosmic sort of way to have reached the one-year landmark. Feeling older and still bruised, but I’m still here and I’m still going. Cheers to @sazzlebizzle and @theoldrope for keeping me sane during this whole thing! Everyone else, I hope you’re generally doing ok as we continue to navigate this endlessly weird era.

Death to the oppressor, and to the robots while we’re at it. Apologies for this sudden bout of sincerity; unsolicited observations about books and records will resume forthwith.

Peace out
w x by @built2will

299

81

3 days ago

Book #57 for the year is Mr Vertigo by Paul Auster. Finally coming towards the end of the big Auster re-read/gap-filling project, and if I’m honest I approached this one with mild trepidation - when I first got into his books, only to read too many on the bounce and end up getting a bit sick of him, this was the book that tipped me over the edge.

Delighted to report that I really enjoyed it on revisiting; it’s more of a fantastical romp than some of his other novels, although chance plays its usual major role. Walt Rawley is a young boy living on the streets of St Louis, before he’s swiftly taken under the wing of the mysterious Master Yehudi, who promises to teach him to fly. The story evolves into a whirlwind ride through selected parts of early 20th century America, including traveling performers, encounters with the KKK and the Mob, and a reckoning with Walt’s own racism. It pushes and pulls on your emotions while identifying a unique beauty in achieving the impossible, and without wanting to spoil it, the final lines took my breath away. The whole thing can feel like a pile-up of barely-connected shaggy dog stories (another Auster speciality) but if you just go along with the ride, it’s a pretty great read. Really happy to have been able to reassess this one.

#bookstagram #justfinishedreading #abookaweek #abookaweek2026 by @built2will

14

0

5 days ago

The wonderful @buffalotomband being wonderful at Band On The Wall this evening. Fifteen years since I last saw them but still a fiery bundle of energy, charm and fabulous songs - roared straight out of the gate with Summer and Tree House, before working their way through a set packed with old favourites (plus Helmet and New Girl Singing off their understated and lovely 2024 album Jump Rope). There’s just something about the way I’m Allowed kicks into its chorus that transcends their power trio setup; it’s more than just the sound of three old friends who happen to be great at what they do. There’s magic in those simple chords and boy, do they know how to unlock it.

Speaking of magic, absolutely wonderful to see @mrgerardlove again. Ably accompanied by Tom Crossley, he brought a delicate beauty to old Fanclub classic like Star Sign, Ain’t That Enough and my personal fave Don’t Look Back. I can’t wait for that long-gestating solo record to appear; this was one of the most lovely things I’ve witnessed on a stage in ages. Fabulous.

Later they joined forces for a jaunt through Sparky’s Dream, and you don’t need me to tell you that it was boss. Still slightly giddy.

#terriblephotosofgreatbands by @built2will

59

5

7 days ago

Is this the greatest rock’n’roll record of all time? Almost certainly not… but also yes, absolutely! On Four Louies Live, esteemed guitar necromancer Bill Orcutt combines Steve Reich’s minimalist landmark Four Organs with the timeless garage rock crunch of Louie Louie (specifically The Kingsmen’s version). It’s a record of contrasts: so smart it’s ludicrously dumb, so dumb it’s absolute genius; incredibly smartarsed and remarkably heartfelt. The two alternate versions here were originally mashed together by Orcutt for a solo record in 2024, but here they’re fleshed out by a live band including his regular collaborators Wendy Eisenberg, Alan Licht and Chris Corsano, among others - and the results explore the common ground between two very different ways of achieving more with a whole lot less. It’s The Stooges meets Suicide, it’s a blinding transcendence of the primitive rock riff, it’s all and none of these things. Anyway, it’s a lot of fun and it made want to punch a hole in the air, so that’s gotta be good. by @built2will

66

3

14 days ago

Book #56 for the year is The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt. Painter Harriet Burden is frustrated by her low standing in the New York art scene, believing her work to be the victim of cultural misogyny - so she devises an experiment whereby three male artists are persuaded to exhibit her work under their own names as a means of proving her point. Inevitably, the art world is not quite rocked by her stunt, but the fallout is absolutely fascinating, as Hustvedt uses a series of devices (academic study, interview transcripts, journal entries, magazine articles, etc) to create a narrative tapestry - a panoply of voices and perspectives that complicate the issue of perception, but ultimately focus the story’s key issues. The novel is complex and sometimes more clever than necessarily entertaining, yet whether detailing male selfishness or skewering the pomposity of highfalutin art scenesters, it’s pretty great throughout. No spoilers, of course, but I found it hard not to be moved by the closing scenes, wherein the story’s emotional core is finally revealed. A good ‘un.

#bookstagram #justfinishedreading #abookaweek #abookaweek2026 by @built2will

2

1

15 days ago

Last time I saw the Lemonheads live, the tone was set immediately as Evan arrived onstage on a skateboard and promptly fell off it. This time he was in much finer form and his voice sounded as good as I’ve heard it in two decades - but it all ended very suddenly when he stropped offstage having seemingly lost patience with a very chatty crowd during his acoustic segment of the set. A bemusing end.

No idea what to make of Evan’s gross and widely-documented problems, or his apparent fragility in terms of handling a restless crowd; I wasn’t going to go to this show until cheapo tix showed up on one of those seat-clearing apps we’re not suppose to talk about. Re: those problems, I’m sort of prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt based on his wife’s version of events and other explanations I’ve heard from people closer to the label, but honestly, who knows? What a mess.

Anyway, Tenderfoot, The Great Big No and Togetherness Is All I’m After (“Baby, don’t blow it” - dohhh, maybe too late) were great tonight. Eurgh.

#terriblephotosofgreatbands by @built2will

87

8

21 days ago

Put it in the books: chaos loves @_the_tubs_ and The Tubs love chaos (probably). While circumstances meant this gig felt like it was wobbling on a high wire at times, songs from the new record sounded sensational live, especially Stoop To Me and Heaven Or London. We also got a smattering of faves from Cotton Crown and a searing encore of Wretched Lie… no Sniveller or Strange, but hey, I love this band and I’ll take whatever they wanna throw at me. Could’ve lived without the ‘altered perspectives’ of two very vocal ‘enthusiasts’ down the front, but Taylor inevitably rose to the challenge and matched them for presence. To reiterate: can’t get enough of those wonderful Tubs! Dead good.

My first time seeing @bramwellband too (fig. 6-8), and holy shit, what a great band! The sound in Tunnel didn’t do them any favours but they soared majestically regardless - loads of shimmies’n’shakes that reminded me of the Shoes and The Replacements, tucked neatly into some glorious jangling powerpop. Wonderful stuff and I need to see them again asap.

#terriblephotosofgreatbands by @built2will

81

0

22 days ago

Book #55 for the year is Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. I keep hearing good things about Flynn so figured it was time to give her a go - I dimly recall enjoying the Gone Girl movie on its release but couldn’t remember anything more specific than ‘creepy’ and ‘Affleck is in it’. Anyway, I was expecting thriller trash based on little more than my own half-formed biases, so it was a pleasant surprise to find a smartly-plotted, occasionally horrible but always compelling mystery (even though it does signpost the big reveal pretty vividly) with interesting things to say about trauma and abuse. I liked it! Which of her books should I read next?

#bookstagram #justfinishedreading #abookaweek #abookaweek2020 by @built2will

5

1

23 days ago

Every time I go to see thee remarkable @holyfband play a show, I’m reminded of how much I love going to see Holy Fuck. Wonderful stuff at the White Hotel in Salford this evening.

#terriblepicturesofgreatbands by @built2will

26

2

24 days ago

Love Is Always There is the long-awaited debut album by Merseyside’s post-hardcore heroes @codebreakband1 - it was worth the wait. These 12 songs mash up the garagey clatter of Fucked Up’s more anthemic moments with the serrated edges of Washington DC’s infamous Revolution Summer and the noisier end of the San Diego scene. The production is spot on, the guitars are blazing and the whole thing just sounds (and is) great. Particularly pleased to hear my live favourite The Rope has finally been captured on record - an MTV breakout hit if ever there was one. Lovely stuff. by @built2will

34

3

25 days ago

Book #54 is Passing by Nella Larsen. This 1929 novel is centred around Irene, an African-American woman of mixed race living in New York, who bumps into her childhood friend Clare during a trip to Chicago. It soon transpires that Clare is married to a rich white man, who also believes her to be white due to her light skin, and his racist beliefs mean their relationship is essentially a ticking time bomb. It’s very short but pretty taut, prompting questions about race, class and gender that are arguably period-specific but still have echoes nearly a century down the line. Certainly an interesting one, and worth diving into some of the criticism around it too.

#bookstagram #justfinishedreading #abookaweek #abookaweek2026 by @built2will

4

0

a month ago