EAST EXCHANGE: Pioneering ‘Scouse Grunge’
Grunge has been one of the most revered rock subgenres, portraying vulnerability and anger at the world through gritty instruments and pulverising rhythms, the misconception of grunge being a “don’t care” attitude when really they care so deeply the rage erupts out of them. Liverpudlian quartet EAST EXCHANGE are now taking on two incredible feats: bringing classic grunge expression into a modern setting, and breathing new life into the underground scene in Liverpool. “The whole reason we started this project was to emulate that sound,” explains lead vocalist Sonny K. “We love the whole dynamic of it all and making it is just where we’re happiest.” Drummer Elliot Burge praises guitarist Frank Madri, “he’s good at producing his tone to feel that they might have felt back then.” “We love the modern day grunge or post-grunge movements, we love hardcore - but that 90s era grunge is definitely where we want to be,” Sonny K adds.
Inspired by giants of the 90s movement such as NIRVANA and SOUNDGARDEN, they’ve also incorporated alt-rock elements that were based on their love for PINK FLOYD and SMASHING PUMPKINS. From an assortment of genres, EAST EXCHANGE have carved out their own sound that sits on the edge of nostalgia without feeling like a replica of the bands that came before them. “We did all the demos and then we could hear our sound from the outside,” Burge thinks back on how the band first found their ‘chosen’ sound. “We were taking advice off of all sorts of people, they were giving us feedback and what not, and it was about a year and a half ago when we really started to get settled on the demos for our EP. It was three years of trial and error.” “We’ve moved into a more powerful era,” adds Sonny, “we’re a lot more established when we play now.”
The EP in question is torn between ties., a six-track record full of personal feeling and fighting back the discontent of everyday life over gutsy instruments and hardcore factors. It took an incredible three years for the quartet to select from an impressive backlog the defining songs for their record, a decision that has paid off and shown the scene exactly who EAST EXCHANGE are. “We just love writing and jamming and creating, it all coming together - we’re always ready for the next thing to come at us,” Burge says about the direction they’re heading in, explaining that the band all write together and collaborate as a close-knit unit. “We look back on songs [that didn’t make the EP] and go “oh remember that one!”, but we wrote them at a time when we felt a certain way and the next EP will feel different, we don’t want them to sound the same.” “Maybe one day we’ll get a demo link out there,” Sonny half-jokingly offers a way for fans to hear the songs left off.
The recording process was not a simple one though, with the band being unceremoniously kicked out of their recording space mid-project and forced to finish the EP in a dangerously freezing warehouse. At the risk of them reliving the trauma, we had to ask about it. “We look upon it fondly,” Sonny laughs. “That might be the reason I got rasp in my vocals, I’ve got asthma now or something!” “That was the turning point in our whole band,” Burge also laughs with his friend, “It was a warehouse full of the wildest props ever, so it was a good laugh. We recorded some videos and people loved the dark look, so it made us what we are. There was something about it that felt right for the music we were making.” Sadly, the warehouse has since been converted to a superstore, but we joke with the duo that they could perform on the grounds where it all started whilst the shop sells its wares around them.
As alternative music faces a revival, we’re curious to hear what EAST EXCHANGE think, particularly as a young band emulating older grunge. “It’s nice to see that people are branching out into all these songs that we’ve obviously loved and grew up on, it’s nice to see it coming into the real world more,” Burge muses. “We’d love it to be the case that Liverpool becomes another home for grunge,” Sonny continues, - Burge jokes it’s not exactly Seattle, the actual birthplace of grunge - “It’s got a long history of doing similar music - we’ve got mates younger than us and they’ve started a movement similar to grunge, so hopefully people start recognising it as that.” “There’s definitely more alternative rock coming out of Liverpool. There’s not as much grunge, so it becomes difficult to book gigs that make sense for us as we don’t have that grunge community around us. But we did a show in London and that was one of our best shows because grunge is what people have gone to see and we love that,” concludes Burge. “There’s all these sorts of alternative rock icons from each subgenre that we take influence from and we’ve fused that into our own ‘Scouse grunge’.”
There’s a collective laugh at this unexpected but accurate description, before they both agree they need to get this movement going fast. With ideas brewing for their next EP and their sights set on touring in the near future, EAST EXCHANGE will soon be bringing their unique grunge movement to their growing fanbase and other grunge appreciators. For now though, we leave them to the more immediate plans of celebrating torn between ties. with their band and crew.
EAST EXCHANGE released their debut EP torn between ties. on 4th September 2026 via AWAL.
Words: Julia Stark
Photos: Dylan Cox
With thanks to: Halestorm PR and East Exchange
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