Meet Glasgow rave-rock duo Cowboy Hunters: ‘The world is ending, and we’re throwing a party!’
Through self-mythologisation, nihilism and enormous beats, this pair are the soundtrack to your next messy night out
There are plenty of ways to try and avoid the pain and harshness of the real and existential threats of the world in 2026. On new single ‘Have a Pint’, Glasgow duo Cowboy Hunters’ prescription is simple. More specifically (and swearily), they sing: “We’re fucked so let’s all get cunted” on the chorus, atop an exuberant rave-rock hybrid that’s messy, nihilistic and oodles of fun.
This pair’s song titles (‘Shag Slags Not Flags’, ‘Money for Drugs’; an upcoming debut release called EPeepee), alongside their fantastical mythology and nonplussed interview style (see below), all point to a band not taking anything too seriously at all.
This outlook, and their incendiary live shows, have got them the title of best band in Glasgow, according to local legend Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, and support slots with equally rabble-rousing names such as Sleaford Mods and Bob Vylan.
With EPeepee out on March 20 and a set of Irish shows with Sleaford Mods just behind them, we meet the self-nicknamed ‘Chunters’ – Megan Pollock and Desmond Johnston – to talk mythology, nihilism and their genre-melding outlook.
Read our interview with Cowboy Hunters and listen to them via our Play Next playlist on Spotify below.
Tell us the story of how Cowboy Hunters came to be…
Megan: We were hunting cowboys of course. Slim Jim was the name of the one we were hunting when we met. He got away unfortunately, and then we started the band.
Was being a duo a sense of needs must, or did the format appeal to you in some way?
Desmond: It was a needs must basis. ‘How can we continue to be a band when everyone else has run away?’ That was the inspiration.
What kind of band were you in before?
Desmond: It was a doom metal band.
Quite a bit of a stylistic change here, then?
Desmond: It’s the same, just sped up. If you listen to the riffs, they’re all doom metal riffs, but it’s just faster. It’s getting people to dance rather than solemnly knock their heads.
What appealed to you about creating a mythology for the band?
Megan: Well we were cowboy hunting, so…
Desmond: It’s almost like tricking people into listening to music that has something to say by making it look silly.
And what is it that you’re trying to say?
Megan: Get crunk!
Desmond: The world is ending, and we’re throwing a party. Everyone’s invited.
Megan: No cunts, no cowboys.
Desmond: No rock climbers.
Finally, what’s the biggest threat facing the cowboy hunting industry in 2026?
Megan: Cowboys.