Press room · Hovercraft
Noise,
in print.
The short version, the useful facts and selected coverage of a band that disappeared for nearly thirty years and then started making records again.
The short bio
Grimsby. 1995.
Gone. Back.
Hovercraft formed in Grimsby in the mid-1990s around songs written by Piers “Charlie Pepper” Wildman and played by David “Golly God” Marsden, Aaron “Ron Nasty” Downing, and Daniel “Mr Shimble” Downing. The band left behind tapes, songs and unfinished business rather than a conventional career.
In 2025 those songs returned in radically reworked recordings. Now Hovercraft is back at the surviving tapes, demos and original performances, with two new records coming in time for Xmas.
Current release
New Hovercraft.
Coming in time for Xmas.
Two records. Thirty years in the making. Restored recordings, surviving tapes and new afterlives — without giving the game away before release day.
Reviews · interviews · features
What they said.
The original Press page is preserved below as the coverage record. The chronological trail of every clipping lives in the Transmission Archive.
Blown Away — Reviews
“Hovercraft proves with Blown Away that time only sharpens real music, it never dulls it.”
— The Cage (USA 🇺🇸)
“Hovercraft doesn’t chase moments on Blown Away, they create them.”
— The Cage (USA 🇺🇸)
“Dynamic, fun, fast, and sharp as ever.”
— The Whistling Traveller on Indie Kid
HOVERCRAFT — PRESS: EPK KIT
Read reviews and interviews with Hovercraft from outlets in the UK, US, Brazil, Ghana, India and Mexico. International acclaim for a lost 90s band rebuilt through AI.
About Hovercraft
Hovercraft are a resurrected 1990s indie-punk British rhythm and blues band from Grimsby whose long-lost catalog has been painstakingly reconstructed using AI, original tapes, and a stubborn belief that great songs deserve to be heard.
Formed around songwriter Piers “Charlie Pepper” Wildman, Hovercraft disbanded in 1996 when Pepper disappeared.
Three decades later, surviving members Golly God and Ron Nasty rebuilt the tapes, digitised the fragments, and began reconstructing the music using new tools.
The result is a trilogy of “AI-assisted reconstruction” albums:
- Shaken Not Stirred (5 October 2025)
- On The Rocks (5 November 2025)
- Blown Away (released on 5 December 2025)
Hovercraft’s music has been featured in international press across the UK, US, Brazil, India and Mexico.
Shaken Not Stirred — Reviews
“A record full of soul and delight… sound archaeology at an international level.”
— Music For All (Brazil 🇧🇷)
https://musicforall.com.br/hovercraft-seria-o-elo-entre-o-ontem-e-o-hoje-na-musica/
“A message sent through time… hovering between 1990s Britpop and modern soul.”
— HailTunes (USA 🇺🇸)
https://hailtunes.com/hovercraft-shaken-not-stirred/
“An extraordinary return… a neo-soul resurrection of lost ’90s brilliance.”
— NuvaPulse (UK 🇬🇧)
https://nuvapulse.com/hovercraft-return-with-shaken-not-stirred-a-neo-soul-resurrection-of-lost-90s-brilliance/.
“A reincarnation of nine songs between 1996’s Britpop glory and 2025’s digital future.”
— AKT Music (Ghana 🇬🇭)
https://www.aktmusic.com/2025/10/hovercraft-resurrects-lost-genius-through-artificial-intelligence-in-shaken-not-stirred-album.html
“An album that challenges the boundaries between memory, technology and art.”
— La Caverna (Mexico 🇲🇽)
https://lacaverna.net/shaken-not-stirred-el-regreso-imposible-de-hovercraft/
“Flawless production, endless creativity, and remarkable attention to detail.”
— The Cage (USA 🇺🇸)
https://www.cageriot.com/post/shaken-not-stirred-by-hovercraft-redefines-indie-brilliance-with-a-perfect-blend-of-soul-and-sophist/
“Raw emotional authenticity and sophisticated songwriting.”
— Os Garotos de Liverpool (Brazil 🇧🇷)
https://www.osgarotosdeliverpool.com.br/2025/11/hovercraft-trafega-pelo-soul-e-r.html/
On The Rocks — Reviews
“A time-warped descent into beauty, chaos, and the ghosts we carry.”
— Apricot Magazine (USA 🇺🇸)
https://apricot-magazine.com/review/hovercrafts-on-the-rocks-is-a-time-warped-descent-into-beauty-chaos-and-the-ghosts-we-carry/
“Their most audacious attempt to explore the emotional abyss left by their vanished songwriter.”
— EARMILK (USA 🇺🇸)
https://earmilk.com/2025/11/20/hovercraft-dives-deep-into-a-lost-catalog-with-new-album-on-the-rocks/
“Powerful, unique, rich in authenticity… every track connects with what matters.”
— Indieoclock (Brazil 🇧🇷)
https://www.indieoclock.com.br/2025/11/hovercraft-traz-disco-genial-do-melhor.html/
“Grit isn’t an aesthetic — it’s just the air you breathe.”
— RGM (UK 🇬🇧)
https://rgm.press/we-review-the-new-album-from-hovercraft-on-the-rocks/review/
“Songs the world needs to hear — celebrating Pepper’s legacy.”
— Sinusoidal Music (India 🇮🇳)
https://sinusoidalmusic.com/reviews/music-reviews/hovercraft-on-the-rocks/
“Dark, experimental, sensual, delicate.”
— Roadie Music (Brazil 🇧🇷)
https://roadie-music.com/on-the-rocks-hovercraft-lanca-album-que-caminha-por-ambientes-experimentais-e-sombrios/
Singles — Press
Mr Tooting Brown
“Cinematic, soulful and profoundly human… jazz-inflected, stylishly brassy.”
— Plastic Magazine (UK 🇬🇧)
https://plasticmag.co.uk/2025/10/hovercraft-shares-new-single-mr-tooting-brown/
“A stunning retro-soul single with magnetic performances.”
— FVMusicBlog (UK 🇬🇧)
https://fvmusicblog.com/hot-picks-7-10-25-the-best-new-releases/
“A jazz-laced cinematic masterpiece straight out of a Bond film.”
— Illustrate Magazine (USA 🇺🇸)
https://illustratemagazine.com/shaken-not-stirred-by-hovercraft-album-review/
Anytime
“A delightfully 80s–90s Britpop vibe with a fresh vocal performance… we’re fans.”
— Lost In The Manor (UK 🇬🇧)
https://www.lostinthemanor.co.uk/blog/2025/11/11/litm-pop-picks-this-week-featuring-james-zero-and-more/
The Promised Land
“A stunning AI-powered reimagining… moody 90s indie reinvented as vibrant horn-laced R&B.”
— TunesAround (USA 🇺🇸)
https://tunesaround.com/2025/08/08/hovercraft-unveil-new-single-the-promised-land/
“Connects us with the universe through transformation and renewal.”
“Great music isn’t bound by genre or time — it evolves, and it connects.”
— TunesAround (USA 🇺🇸)
https://tunesaround.com/2025/08/08/hovercraft-unveil-new-single-the-promised-land/
Interview Highlights
ODYSSEY
“Using AI isn’t nostalgia — it’s musical archaeology and resurrection.”
“Working with AI is like being in conversation with ghost versions of ourselves.”
https://odysseymagazines.com/music-1/template-review-rne7n-2mf22-5e6wm-m5wx9-5dgaj-jhm3k-mdjmg/
WAV.MAX
“The creative process has been nothing short of magical.” — Ron
“Our sound is evolving backward… moving forward to the past.” — Gol
“Everyone who listens and shares helps us get closer to finding our missing friend.” — Gol
FVMusicBlog
“AI was a revelation — finally we could regenerate our old songs and make them listenable again.”
“The closest I get these days to being in a band — finding the magic again.”
https://fvmusicblog.com/interview-hovercraft/
Pigeon Spins
“On The Rocks explores the raw, the unresolved — the dark side of Charlie Pepper’s songwriting.”
“AI has become a new instrument — sometimes the less you put in, the better it gets.”
“The real final chapter would be finding Pepper.”
https://www.pigeonopinion.com/post/pigeon-spins-featuring-an-interview-with-hovercraft/
RGM Introducing
“Every song we release is both memorial and message.” — Ron
“Pepper’s songs are even better than I remembered them.” — Gol
https://rgm.press/rgm-introducing-we-interview-hovercraft/interview/
Press Contact
For reviews, interviews, playlisting or press enquiries:
god@hovercraft.band
Press use
Need the useful bits?
For photographs, use the visual archive. For song histories, credits and version archaeology, use the Songbook. For anything else — interview requests, higher-resolution material or questions about the releases — get in touch.