Surfing Pointers is a four-piece psych-shoegaze outfit from Manchester, the city that’s no stranger to birthing legendary music scenes. The band came together in 2019, starting as an experiment between Curtis Paterson (guitar/vocals), Andrew Beswick (guitar), and Callum Tough (drums).
What began as a DIY recording project soon blossomed into something bigger with the addition of Tilda Gratton on bass and vocals, rounding out the group with dreamy harmonies and deep grooves.
Their roots lie in a shared love for lo-fi grunge and psych bands like Further, Tomorrow’s Tulips, and Soda Lilies. From the start, the band embraced the raw, homespun ethos of the genres they admired, recording their first demo on a Tascam 4-track—a fittingly analog touch for a band steeped in nostalgia yet forward-thinking in sound.
Playing shows around Manchester, Surfing Pointers has become part of the city’s vibrant indie and shoegaze scene. They were a welcome addition to the lineup for fans of hazy, reverb-drenched soundscapes.
And then came the pandemic. Like many artists, they used the quieter days of COVID to hone their craft, diving deeper into songwriting and recording. While the lockdowns temporarily halted live gigs, creativity flourished. Some band members even kept the dream pop vibes alive through involvement in the London-based Atmos Bloom project.
Fast forward to November 2024: these formative recordings—a collection of four tracks laid down between 2019 and 2020—have now found a home with California’s BIRTHDIY Records. You can immerse yourself in these underground, shimmering gems on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and Amazon Music. The four-track self-titled EP is only $4 to stream on Bandcamp digitally, and it’s worth checking out.
Check out Surfing Pointers on Bandcamp here.
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