The Fear

The Fear is what happens when unfinished business refuses to stay buried. Based in the UK, the band features Benj Ashmead (drums), Mick Satiar (vocals), Ad Lucas (guitar), and Adam Smethurst (guitar) — friends who once chased music full-time in various bands, only to walk away when the dream didn’t quite pay off.

They didn’t speak for ten years. In 2024, something shifted. Benj had quietly started writing again after a decade away and a beer with Mick turned into a conversation. The Fear was born — a fresh project fueled by years of experience and renewed drive.

Sonically, they fuse the intensity of metalcore with melodic alt-rock sensibilities — drawing from bands like Linkin Park, Underoath, and Papa Roach, while the vocals carry subtle echoes of Mancunian icons Oasis and The Buzzcocks.

But it’s the lyrics that truly mark their evolution. “When we were younger, we lived in a band bubble,” Benj explains. “We didn’t have much to reflect on — the words were surface-level, more about moment than meaning. Now, years of real life, loss, and growth have given us deeper stories to tell. Our lyrics carry more weight — confronting dark truths, struggles, and the complexities of outgrowing the past.”

Their debut singles “White Noise,” “Satellite,” and “Moths to Fire” (each with its own video on YouTube) mark the start of this new chapter, supported by a sold-out 16-date UK tour with Alien Ant Farm and a hugely successful run with SNOT in August. This isn’t a comeback — it’s a reckoning.