On October 8th, Leeds-based post-hardcore outfit Static Dress posted yet another cryptic video to their instagram simply captioned "what happens next is completely up to you..." and linked the band's website.
The band is no stranger to mysterious posts, as their latest string of cryptic messages is set to come to conclusion soon (more on that below), but this one is different. Upon going to the band's website, you are faced with a map containing most of the UK.
You're able to place a "pin" anywhere on the map (including the ocean funnily enough), and doing so prompts you for your email address, noting that you can only place one pin per email address.
Several days later, the band would put out another post, instructing fans to check their inboxes.
To the dismay of many fans, their inboxes would remain barren, mine included. Those who had selected the city of Stoke-On-Trent would receive emails with invitations to a secret show at what would soon be revealed to be Riff Factory. (I am unfortunately unable to provide an email, because I did not receive one.)
Riff Factory is a small, affordable recording studio and rehearsal space founded in 2013 by Tom Carter and Ant Hulme, with the goal of, as described on their website, giving local musicians the perfect place to practice their riffs and record their masterpiece. Since it's inception it's become quite a hub for the town's local music scene, with Static Dress even performing there as early as 2021, before the venue section was even an idea.
On August 7th, Hulme would post in the Stoke Music Scene Facebook group photos of the area under one of their recording studios, announcing that they had been working since July 2024 to renovate it into a DIY venue, which drummer Sam Ogden would assist in the construction of.
In the coming months, The Riff Factory account would post construction updates, including the venue's bar area, stage, and outside mural, painted by Max from the band Return to Solace and Hulme.
On October 15th, the Static Dress discord account would post this image in the band's server with the caption "run it back?" Those with keen eyes will recognize it to be from the 2021 set posted above, in Riff Factory's rehearsal space.
On October 17th, the Riff Factory account would announce that their opening week would include 5 shows, with the first taking place on the 26th. The lineup included 4 bands, including a band called "Push Rope", a reference to the track of the same name, masking the true identity of the band: Static Dress.
On the 26th, the band would post to their twitter account the following:
SECRET SHOW TONIGHT SOLD OUT.
— Static Dress (@staticdress) October 26, 2025
IYKYK.
SUPPORT DIY VENUES.
DOORS 7PM. pic.twitter.com/C8CfOvXNZj
Static Dress are no stranger to DIY, as it's the very lifeblood of the band itself. Whether it be music, videos, or even distribution, the band does as much as they can independently, save for a brief stint with Roadrunner Records, with whom they have since parted ways. In January of 2024, they played a charity show in support of Boom, a Leeds DIY venue that was on the verge of closing, and all of the proceeds went to keeping the doors open.
Following the Riff Factory show, Ogden would release a statement on social media:
thank you to all that attended the show at Riff Factory’s venue opening in Stoke-On-Trent. I’ve been going to the Riff Factory space since I was 14, its always been a thriving space of support, art and culture merged into one and the new venue space just solidifies this even more.
Congratulations to Ant & Tom and the whole team at Riff Factory who made this dream a reality, seeing a venue open now instead of close is truly amazing.
Please continue to support your local music venues, they’re the lifeblood of bands, and without places like these, we wouldn’t exist
- sam
from sam: pic.twitter.com/vINHoYQgVQ
— Static Dress (@staticdress) October 27, 2025
Fans of the band's interconnected lore didn't walk away empty-handed either. Those with keen eyes were able to spot and decode a hidden message within the English braille on the front side of the shirt. When translated, it spells out:
sarah and maeve will arrive soon
For those unaware, Sarah and Maeve are the two mentioned in the Black Orchid diary entries on the band's secret YouTube channel. Maeve was also a working title for an unreleased track played during the band's set at Burn It Down Festival. This leads me to believe that the cryptic posts from earlier this year will come to a head soon, whether it end in a new song or not.
You can read The Nu Metal Agenda's previous coverage on the Black Orchid YouTube Channel here.
But for now, I echo the sentiment Ogden expressed in his post. Without local venues, bands like Static Dress wouldn't exist. Go to local shows, support your local scene.
DIY or Die.
Video of Static Dress performing "such.a.shame" at Riff Factory. Credit to @dom_g.o.r on Instagram
Static Dress are about to embark on a US tour in support of Dying Wish. Dates for those shows can be found below.
STATIC DRESS TOUR DATES:
11/14 Nashville, TN @ Eastside Bowl
11/15 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade - Hell
11/16 Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
11/17 Richmond, VA @ The Canal Club
11/19 Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
11/20 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
11/21 Amityville, NY @ AMH
11/22 Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
11/23 Boston, MA @ Royale
11/25 Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
11/26 Lakewood, OH @ The Roxy
11/28 Detroit, MI @ The Shelter
11/29 Chicago, IL @ Metro
11/30 St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
12/03 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
12/05 Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater
12/09 Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
12/10 Berkeley, CA @ 924 Gilman
12/12 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
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