The journey between those poles, from then to now, is one of the key stories told by their second album, National Average. And trust Big Special to invest those stories with wisdom, insight, the blackest humour and the most absolute humanity. And these might be their stories, but the lessons speak to us all.

They’ve been friends for decades, first crossing paths while studying music BTECs in Walsall during their late-teens where they formed a band. It didn’t happen for them – not then, anyway.

But this backstory still grounds them now. Then, during lockdown, with endless days of nothingness stretching out before them, they took another swing at that dream. Before, Hicklin had sung his poetry over acoustic guitar strum; now, he felt an urge to scream these words, loud and true, over a noise that would match them. Moloney stepped up to once again throw in his lot with his dear friend. Of course, he always believed in Hicklin. And once he heard the lyrics to ‘Shithouse’, to ‘This Here Ain’t Water’, which spoke so eloquently and elementally of their lives, their mental health struggles, their dreams and the obstacles that lie before them, he knew that faith was well-placed.

Upon its May 2024 release, the debut album Postindustrial Hometown Blues was baptised with acclaim; Big Special found their audience, and then expanded it, and then expanded it, and then expanded it further. The work was hard, but the rewards came fast.

And so National Average reflects the world as it is, as Big Special have seen it while grinding around the nation and screaming their poetry at the people. The album also registers how their own lives, their own world has changed, and what that means. “We’ve finally got a taste of everything we ever wanted,” says Moloney, “and we’re loving it. But every silver lining has a cloud with it. Mental health isn’t situational. You can be living the dream and still be depressed along the way.”

With characteristic Big Special flair, the darkness is leavened by more than a ladle-full of the blackest humour.

But the upbeats are easily matched by the album’s downbeats, the album’s emotional shifts more crafted than on the debut. “The first half of the album is about ambition – you can hear the confidence of it, even a little bit of sleaze,” says Hicklin. “The second half is about reflecting on what’s happened, how everything’s changed. You’ve got to be honest with the darkness.”

Moving forward remains Big Special’s ethos, pressing on through changes big and small, staying true to who they are without betraying the truth of who they might become, thankful for the energy and insight that’s driven their mission this far, and will fuel whatever comes next.

Brotherhood is key. “There’s only ever been two people in Big Special,” Hicklin says, “so we’re the only two people who get it, what this unique experience has been. The intensity of our relationship is good. In a lot of ways, we’ve just been lucky, and things lined up so that we’re able to do this. It’s not some fucking divine thing – we’re just good at what we do, and we’ve got a good team. We should respect the craft, respect the audience, and do the best we can, so we can keep on doing it.”