If rock ‘n’ roll was ever declared dead, The Zac Schulze Gang clearly didn’t get the memo. The Kent-based trio — made up of Zac Schulze, Ant Greenwell, and Ben Woodgate — are reviving the thrill of blues-infused rock with Straight To It, their explosive debut album out September 26 via Ruf Records.
Coming off a year that’s seen them win Best Emerging Blues Band (UK Blues Awards 2024) and Young Artist of the Year (2025), the band are poised to make 2025 the year they turn from cult favorites into household names. With Planet Rock’s Loz Guest declaring himself an “instant fan,” BBC Introducing calling their sound “a storm of bluesy swagger and riffs,” and TMRW Magazine hailing their “blistering guitar solos and swagger that could set a venue on fire,” The Zac Schulze Gang are building a reputation on sheer, electrifying authenticity.
Straight To It arrives as a statement of intent — no filler, no façade. Recorded with the same kinetic energy that defines their live shows, the album is a high-octane blend of modern grit and classic spirit, reminding us why guitars will never go out of style.
From the Clubs to the Crossroads
The Zac Schulze Gang have built their name from the ground up, cutting their teeth in sweaty clubs before sharing stages with Samantha Fish, Eddie 9V, and even performing at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival — a rare badge of honor for a new band still writing its first chapter.
Those live experiences bleed directly into Straight To It. Every track feels like it’s one breath away from combustion — sharp, soulful, and unrelentingly alive. The band’s chemistry is undeniable: Zac’s impassioned vocals and ferocious guitar tone are met with Ant’s propulsive basslines and Ben’s precision drumming, resulting in a sound that feels both classic and brand new.
“Betterland” and “Runnin’ Dry”: The Sound of Evolution
If earlier releases leaned hard into blues-rock fire, the singles “Betterland” and “Runnin’ Dry” reveal a new dimension. Betterland, in particular, finds the trio channeling the spirit of 90s Britpop with an emotional core that’s all about redemption, escape, and the hope of finding something worth holding onto. It’s proof that their influences stretch far beyond the expected — nodding to the likes of Oasis and The Verve without losing their own distinct identity.
Meanwhile, Runnin’ Dry pulls no punches. It’s pure blues-rock adrenaline: snarling guitars, pounding drums, and the kind of chorus designed to rattle the walls of every venue they play. Together, the two singles highlight the duality of Straight To It — a record that moves fluidly between the tenderness of reflection and the chaos of release.
Rock’s New Vanguard
At a time when many rock bands chase nostalgia or polish away their rough edges, The Zac Schulze Gang lean into imperfection. Their sound is human, full of cracks, sweat, and emotion — a far cry from overproduced algorithmic rock. They play like a band that believes music should feel dangerous again.
And clearly, audiences are responding. The band’s streaming numbers have skyrocketed — jumping from 4,000 to 17,000 monthly Spotify listeners in just twelve weeks — while their 100 Club headline show sold out ahead of the album’s release. There’s a groundswell building around them, the kind of grassroots excitement that defined every great rock resurgence from the 60s to the 2000s.
The Beauty of Going Straight to It
The beauty of Straight To It is its refusal to overcomplicate. It’s a reminder that sometimes all you need is three musicians, plugged in, turned up, and playing like their lives depend on it. It’s music for the believers — the ones who still crave sweat over screens, heart over hype.
As the last notes of Runnin’ Dry fade out, one thing becomes clear: The Zac Schulze Gang aren’t chasing trends, they’re torching a new trail. And if this debut is any indication, rock’s next golden age might just be starting in the UK’s backrooms and bursting out through Ruf Records’ speakers.
So, yeah — rock isn’t dead. It’s just getting started.
Your debut album Straight To It feels like a mission statement. What did you want to prove — to yourselves and to listeners — with this first full-length release?
We wanted to set a precedent that we’re not just a blues-rock band and that we have a multitude of musical influences that we proudly wear on our sleeve. We definitely want to push the boundaries of what the genre is to most people. Hopefully we have opened some ears (in a good way!) to different styles of music that maybe they aren’t used to listening to.
We also wanted this album to be fully-original to prove to people that we can write some decent tunes. We usually play a lot of covers in our set which we will continue to do. This album, however, will give us more freedom with the live show to mould the set specifically for each gig, how we see fit.
Critics have described your sound as “swagger that could set a venue on fire.” Do you consciously try to keep that raw, unpolished energy alive in the studio, or is it something that only truly exists on stage?
Yes, well we tracked the album to no click to maintain an intense and raw sound. We’re also aware of how hard it is to capture that live show energy so we didn’t lean on that too much this time around. We focused more on the songs being structurally sound and powerful for our debut. I think the next record will be even more raw/unpolished!
Betterland offers a more contemporary twist compared to your blues-rock roots. What inspired you to experiment with a britpop edge, and how did that stretch you as a band?
We wrote Betterland in our friend Rich’s backyard. It just sort of came out of nowhere to be honest. We knew we wanted a few songs on the record to step out of the “Blues Rock” realm and hence Betterland was born. We’re big Oasis fans and the current resurgence is just a bonus for us, and now by the looks of things, this song. We’re also into our emo/indie bands (listen to ‘Angeline’). We find it very natural to write these sort of tunes, probably because our old bands were of a similar style.
Themes of escape, redemption, and breaking destructive cycles run through the album. Were these reflections drawn from personal experience, or more from observing the world around you?
Again, not something we planned but yeah I can see that’s a common theme! I’d say it’s drawn more from personal experiences.
Winning Best Emerging Blues Band and Young Artist of the Year back-to-back must have been affirming. Do those accolades fuel your drive, or do you prefer to keep your eyes on the music itself?
Yeah, of course, it’s great to be recognized for our work. We take pride in working hard and touring constantly. We prefer to focus on the live show and the music but we are extremely grateful for any awards/reviews etc. that help along the way!
You’ve shared stages with Samantha Fish, Eddie 9V, and even played Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve taken from being around veteran musicians at that level?
I guess we’ve learnt that we can be our own band and survive/thrive with a limited team when we’re on the road. It’s always inspiring to see other bands working as hard/if not harder than us and winning over new fans night after night.
Your live shows have already become a calling card — even selling out the 100 Club. How do you approach translating that explosive stage presence into the recorded format without losing intensity?
That’s good to hear because that’s what we want! We try not to make it a replica of the live show. The show is constantly changing with jams, new intros and outros and little details that only we know how to adapt and mould. The actual visual performance and complete in-your-face energy is something you can only experience if you come to a gig.
Rock and blues are often framed as genres looking backward, yet you’re being positioned as the band keeping it alive in 2025. How do you balance honoring tradition with pushing it forward?
Again, that’s great to hear. It’s important for us to show our audiences who are influences are. We are very grateful to the Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon for giving us that first opportunity/position to show a bigger audience what we are made of. We put maximum energy into the live show which maybe has been lost on a few bands in this “scene” over the past few years. We are a live band and we hope the record can draw more people to the show. The blood, sweat and intensity that is part of our band/show is something we hope can inspire a new generation to pick up a guitar and start a rock band.
The tributes to Rory, Wilko Johnson and other older guitar bands like The Jam, Thin Lizzy, Oasis etc. are important to us and will always remain part of how our band operates on-stage and off. We also love a multitude of newer bands/acts like Wunderhorse, Turnstile, Vulfpeck, Charli XCX, Alex G etc. I think this blend definitely plays into our songs and shows, hopefully it’s creating something a bit different along the way?
Monthly listeners have quadrupled in just a few months. How do you process that kind of rapid growth while staying grounded in your craft?
It’s great that the numbers are going up. Obviously you don’t want them going down! We focus so much on touring and playing that we usually lose track of what’s happening online but it’s truly wicked to see that more people are listening. We noticed just on this recent UK tour a lot more younger people attending the shows who have found us on Spotify and Tik Tok which is an amazing feeling of progression for us. We are lucky to also have a great team behind the scenes who are putting the hard work in to help push our band forward!
If Straight To It is the opening chapter, what kind of story do you want the Zac Schulze Gang to be telling a decade from now?
That’s a long way away, but I’d like to think we will still be the way we are now. Touring hard, writing different kinds of songs with more intensity perhaps? I think Straight To It has proved to ourselves that the freedom is there for us to experiment with different styles etc. so who knows what sort of stuff we’ll be writing in ten years time. You’ll have to stay tuned!
