The Spook School Take Aim at Corporate Pinkwashing on New Single ‘Corporate Caring’
The reunited Scottish indie-pop quartet also announce their first UK headline tour since 2019, with new album Like A Heartbeat arriving in January 2027.
Scottish indie-pop quartet The Spook School have shared their new single, ‘Corporate Caring’, a pointed response to corporate pinkwashing and the companies accused of abandoning their public support for LGBTQ+ rights in favour of backing right-wing politicians.
The track appears on the band’s forthcoming album, Like A Heartbeat, due for release on 29 January 2027 via Alcopop! Records in the UK and Slumberland Records in the US. The record marks the group’s return following an eight-year hiatus, bringing one of Scotland’s best-known queer indie-pop bands back with a renewed focus on solidarity, community and political resistance.
Discussing the single, vocalist and guitarist Nye Todd said: “This is a song about a kind of shallow, meaningless, performative ‘caring’ that takes the place of any real solidarity or conviction. It’s about corporations who a couple of years ago had their logos plastered all over pride events and are now pouring money into the pockets of right wing politicians.”
‘Corporate Caring’ follows the release of ‘Falling’, the album’s lead single, which arrived in August 2026. The band’s return has already attracted attention from music publications and broadcasters, including Stereogum, CLASH, Dork, BBC Radio 6 Music and Radio X.
The Spook School Announce First UK Headline Tour Since 2019
Alongside the new single, The Spook School have announced their first UK headline tour since their farewell run in August and September 2019. The dates will take the band across the UK in February 2027, with additional appearances in Scotland, France and at Manchester Punk Festival later in March.
Drummer Niall McCamley welcomed the return to live performance, saying: “Going back on tour is a dream come true. Playing live and community has always been at the core of what we do. We can’t wait to hit the road, to see new and old friends, have more misadventures, and cause a little chaos along the way. We are so excited to be back!”
The touring schedule includes a special album-release in-store performance and signing at Glasgow’s Assai Records on 29 January 2027, the same day Like A Heartbeat arrives. The band will subsequently play Edinburgh’s La Belle Angele, Brighton’s The Hope and Ruin, London’s MOTH Club, Bristol’s Exchange and Nottingham’s The Bodega, among other venues.
Tickets for the February UK headline dates are scheduled to go on sale at 10am on 13 October 2026, while tickets for the Assai Records in-store event are already available.
New Album Like A Heartbeat Arrives in January
Produced and mixed by Rod Jones of Idlewild at Post Electric Studio in Leith, Edinburgh, Like A Heartbeat was mastered by Grammy Award winner John Webber at AIR Studios, whose credits include work with Hozier and English Teacher. The album is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
A limited Dinked Edition pressing of 300 copies is also available to pre-order, featuring exclusive ‘Heartbeat Red and Yellow’ splatter vinyl, eight Spook School Top Trumps cards and a signed 8 × 6-inch press photograph.
The album follows a period of relative inactivity after the band's 2019 farewell tour, interrupted by two sold-out reunion shows in December 2023 celebrating the tenth anniversary of their debut album, Dress Up, released through Fortuna POP!.
With Like A Heartbeat, The Spook School return at a time when the band say LGBTQ+ rights are once again under threat in many parts of the world. ‘Corporate Caring’ sets out the record’s central concerns, challenging performative allyship while reaffirming the importance of genuine solidarity and collective action.
For a band whose music has long connected queer identity with community and independent music culture, the new single signals a return that is as concerned with the world beyond the stage as it is with getting back on it.
The Spook School — Live Dates
- 4 November 2026 — Edinburgh, The Caves
- 29 January 2027 — Glasgow, Assai Records (in-store performance and signing)
- 20 February 2027 — Edinburgh, La Belle Angele
- 24 February 2027 — Brighton, The Hope and Ruin
- 25 February 2027 — London, MOTH Club
- 26 February 2027 — Bristol, Exchange
- 27 February 2027 — Nottingham, The Bodega
- 28 February 2027 — Leicester, Firebug (Leicester Indiepop Weekender)
- 6 March 2027 — Paris, Supersonic
- 26 March 2027 — Manchester, Manchester Punk Festival
Like A Heartbeat is released on 29 January 2027 via Alcopop! Records in the UK and Slumberland Records in the US.
Image supplied by Alcopop records