Form Affinity’s record Needling establishes them as a band on the rise bringing the Midwestern Emo scene to London’s underground circuit.
London's guitar bands are having something of a moment, and Form Affinity are the latest exciting addition to a scene that continues to produce some of the capital's most interesting new music. The four-piece, comprising Sam Kahn (guitar and vocals), David Kudela (bass and vocals), Natalie Levine (vocals) and Romeer Gopee (drums), fit comfortably into the scene that has grown around venues such as the Windmill and the Shacklewell Arms, alongside the likes of Man/Woman/Chainsaw and 1,000 Rabbits. Yet there's also a healthy dose of the heavier, more emotionally charged sounds associated with 2000trees Festival in their music. Plenty of London's rowdier guitar bands have found their way to the proving ground of Upcote Farm over the years, and Form Affinity could easily follow that trajectory.
Opening track 'Goodbye, Columbus' establishes the tone from the word go. There are flashes of Midwest emo here as the band really takes off, bringing emotional depth and vulnerability to a sound that moves between post-hardcore and slowcore. The gentler passages give way to bursts of screaming, while the vocals become increasingly raspy and the instrumentation more intricate as the track develops. It's almost a showcase for the different vocal styles and musical directions explored throughout Needling, distilled into one song. You can practically hear Form Affinity saying: you like this? You'll love the whole album. And based on what follows, it's hard not to.
The more time you spend with Needling, the more it feels like a record that brings the spirit of '90s indie rock and shoegaze into the current London emo and post-hardcore scene. The influence of contemporaries such as Dog Saints, Sevy Verna and Magda (1999) is particularly relevant, with the band themselves acknowledging how growing creatively alongside these artists has shaped their approach. 'Girls Named Kennedy' is catchy and restless, drifting into quieter passages before pushing forward again with a wall of distorted guitars. 'Prettiest Girl of All Time' is the highlight, capturing the raw, unpolished energy that runs throughout the record. There's something particularly appealing about the way Form Affinity allow the rougher edges of their music to remain intact, giving the songs an immediacy that suits their emotionally charged sound.
That sense of immediacy is no accident. The band recorded Needling themselves across various studios they had access to through their work in audio engineering, deliberately setting out to capture the dynamics of their live performances. Having spent the past two years developing alongside London's post-hardcore and emo community, they wanted the album to reflect both their own identity and the scene that helped shape it. It's an approach that makes sense when listening to the record, with its sudden shifts in intensity, quieter moments and bursts of distorted noise. Rather than smoothing everything out, Form Affinity have embraced the unpredictability of their live shows, allowing the songs to retain their urgency. This is organised chaos of the highest order, and all the better for it.
Longlisted for Green Man Festival 2026 and having joined WU LYF for multiple dates on their UK tour, Form Affinity are already beginning to make a name for themselves beyond London's grassroots venues. But it's the sense of community running through Needling that makes the album particularly rewarding. There's a genuine connection between the band's influences, the venues they've played and the music they've created, with the rawness of their live performances carried through into the recordings. It's a debut built on two years of playing, experimenting and growing alongside their peers, and one that makes a convincing case for Form Affinity as another band worth paying attention to in London's increasingly exciting guitar scene.