presskit
mixing progressive rock, hard rock, and folk in the uk since 2025
Joe is a one-man rock band based in Salford, England. He draws on a wide range of influences like progressive rock, hard rock, and folk, and his skill at guitar, bass, drums, and vocals allow for each part to shine in their own way. Joe makes an effort to toy with the listener’s expectations by changing rhythm, tempo, key, and dynamic when it is least expected, all underneath lyrics covering both societal and personal troubles that drip in a disdain for the status quo.
Joe is working on polishing off several tracks including Wormwood and The Adversary to be released throughout 2026.
selected tracks
Hey! My name’s Joe, and I’m a solo rock artist based in Salford since 2025. I’m just a university student with a lot of thoughts about society (mostly negative) that I release through music. Whether it’s melancholy acoustic passages, heavy guitar riffs, or thick bass lines, It’s been the joy of my life to write and perform rock music since that West Lancs pre-teen picked up his first cheap bass during COVID. The Joe Kastane project has been years in the making; a culmination of experimentation with different genres ranging from EDM to black metal depending on what I was enjoying at the time.
I look up to many musical heroes that have helped shape my musical direction. The thick mellotron layers and fusion jazz of King Crimson, the galloping ferocity and soaring twin leads of Iron Maiden, the infinite riff-age of Metallica and Megadeth, the raw attitude of Motörhead, the intense genre fusing of Sleep Token and Opeth, the ridiculous complexity of Dream Theater, the battle cries of the Wolf Tones, the mellow melodies of Stereophonics, and the art and poetry of Peter Gabriel have all had a part to play in shaping my sound.
Over the course of 2025-2026, I have been piecing together several tracks that I hope to release in an EP later this year. It will be a particularly angry statement, questioning preconceived ideas of ostracism, religion, war, and society at large. While waiting for music to drop, there’s one thing you should keep in mind:
JOE KASTANE IS NOT A ROBOT
live performance
In terms of playing live, the only option available to me at the moment is as a solo acoustic or electric guitarist and vocalist, but if other musicians were available then a performance more similar to the studio recordings would be possible. I am happy to provide my own guitar, microphone, and cables. Of course I can also use any in-house equipment too.
While I am Manchester-based, I can very feasibly travel across much of the North West and potentially other parts of Great Britain for an event.
