Midlothian heavy metal rockers, Dog Tired release 'best album yet'

They’ve been rocking together for 18 years and Penicuik’s heavy metal rockers are ‘Dog Tired’.

Dog Tired released their fifth album this month.

Not in the literal sense. In fact, it’s just the band’s name. Since their humble beginnings in a Penicuik garage - Barry Buchanan, Keith Blaikie, Luke James and Chris Thomson, were just a bunch of teenagers “annoying the neighbours”.

Like most high school kids, they had big ambitions that went beyond playing in a garage.

Guitarist, Luke said: “A lot has changed since those early years apart from the fact that we still live in Penicuik.

“It was always the dream to release original music and go touring. Essentially when you’re sixteen you just want to be famous.

"It was when we entered out twenties that we took it a bit more seriously and started playing all over the UK.”

Their big break came when they seized the opportunity to play at the Bloodstock Festival.

"From there, we’ve just continued releasing music that gets consistently heavier,” said Luke.

Since then, Dog Tired’s progress has been relentless and remorseless. Driven forward by an unflinching work ethic and an unceasing desire to get better, get heavier, to push themselves to the limits and beyond.

They have toured tirelessly throughout the UK and Europe, releasing a series of albums, each more potent than the last, with Moshville Times declaring that Dog Tired ‘epitomise what metal is all about’.

Now, in 2023, Dog Tired have lifted their sonic assault to a whole new level, delivering a career defining statement with their fifth full length album, The Red Verse, which was released last Saturday.

Luke said: “It’s the best work that we’ve ever done. It’s the most visceral and dynamic and we just can’t wait for people to hear it. We started writing this album during the pandemic. Lots of it is just that raw energy of excitement that we got to play music together again. Eighteen years is a long time to be in anything, so to still be progressing is a great sense of achievement.”

While the band’s creative fires have never burned higher, resulting in a superbly crafted album, they are already looking forward to the next chapter in their story.