UNQUIETNIGHTS.COM – Rock Band

PRESS RELEASE

UNQUIET NIGHTS SHARE NEW SINGLE “LAST DAYS OF ROME” OCT 30TH

Belfast rock band Unquiet Nights return on October 30th with new single “Last Days of
Rome”, a track shaped by the six years the band spent living in the Italian capital and inspired by questions of what lasts and what is ultimately temporary.

Led by Luke Mathers alongside Rodger Firmin on drums and Francesco Piciucchi on bass and keys, Unquiet Nights have spent more than a decade building an international audience through three albums, extensive touring and support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Absolute Radio, Kerrang! Radio, Hot Press and Sky Italia.

For fans of The Gaslight Anthem, The Wallflowers, Feeder, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and The War on Drugs, “Last Days of Rome” draws directly from a formative period in the band’s history.

Although its music had existed for years, played during rehearsals and soundchecks without ever becoming a finished song, Mathers eventually found its lyrical direction after seeing American sculptor William Wetmore Story’s “Angel of Grief” in Rome. Created as a memorial to the sculptor’s wife, the work prompted Mathers to consider ideas of permanence, loss and the contrast between the eternal and temporary.

Speaking about the single, Mathers says:

“The first six years of the band’s existence were spent based in Rome, which had a profound effect on us. The music itself for ‘Last Days of Rome’ is something we used to play for years in rehearsals, soundchecks and anywhere else without having written lyrics to it back then.

“What sparked the song being finished was seeing the ‘Angel of Grief’ statue by William Wetmore Story at a cemetery there in the eternal city, on the grave of his late wife. It’s my favourite statue in the world, and made me think about the idea of what is eternal versus what is temporary.”

The single could also mark the beginning of a wider body of work inspired by the band’s years in Italy. Having previously explored long-form storytelling on their third album, Seasons In Exile, Mathers sees plenty more material in the experiences accumulated during that chapter of the band’s life.

“We tend to write concept albums, as in full stories over the course of an album like with our third album Seasons In Exile, and I’m thinking ‘Last Days of Rome’ is the start of a new project. I have many other experiences to write about from our time based in Italy.”

“Last Days of Rome” was recorded at the band’s own Credential Sound studio before being completed at Manor Park Studio, with mixing and mastering by Neal Calderwood.

ABOUT UNQUIET NIGHTS

Unquiet Nights began in a rehearsal space above Belfast’s Limelight in 2010, where guitarist and vocalist Luke Mathers and drummer Rodger Firmin started recording what would become their debut album, 21st Century Redemption Songs.

Early singles “Shoulda Said Something” and “Burning The Tracks” attracted support from BBC Radio 1 and Absolute Radio, with BBC Radio 1’s Phil Taggart describing the band as “Pure Rock & Roll”. BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson later praised 21st Century Redemption Songs as a “fine debut album”.

The years that followed took Unquiet Nights across nine countries, playing their own shows in Amsterdam, Dublin, London, Munich, Bratislava, Toronto, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Rome, alongside support dates with acts including Bloc Party. During their years based in Italy, Umbria native Francesco Piciucchi joined the band on bass and keys.

Their relationship with Italy continued to grow when Sky Italia used the band’s “George Best City” to soundtrack its Buffa Racconta: Storie di Campioni documentary series.

Further releases brought continued radio and press support. “Promise of You” was named Track of the Week by Roddie Cleere on KCLR 96FM, while Hot Press described “Four Winds” as “a seductive, stadium-ready number that stakes a claim as the soundtrack to the summer.”

The band released their third album, Seasons In Exile, in January 2024, expanding further into progressive rock and receiving coverage from The Belfast Telegraph, Hot Press, Pure M, Record World International and The Sunday Life. The album helped introduce Unquiet Nights to a wider audience, with the band reaching 103,000 Spotify listeners over the following year, while single “This Is My Oxygen” brought their first airplay from Kerrang! Radio and TotalRock.

Now back with “Last Days of Rome”, Unquiet Nights are returning to one of the most important places in their history and potentially opening the first chapter of their next project.

“Last Days of Rome” is released October 30, 2026

https://www.instagram.com/unquietnights/


Words by Kevin Murray (Vamp & Fade PR)

Previous praise for Unquiet Nights:

“…So catchy…pure rock ‘n’ roll….” – Phil Taggart, BBC Radio One.

“…..”Four Winds” is an anthemic offering from the three-piece.” – Edwin McFee, Hot Press.

“…Unquiet Nights are a great band with tons of energy and swagger that will excite fans of groups like The Strypes, The Vines, Nirvana, and Bloc Party. Have a listen!”
– Greg Richling, The Wallflowers.

“…”Diamond And The Missing Son” is a gem of a tune that sees the acclaimed act shine brighter than ever. A 24 carat banger…”  – Sunday Life

“…Third album “Seasons In Exile” we can confirm is brimming with belters…”
– The Belfast Telegraph.

“…From their humble beginnings above Belfast’s Limelight club to international acclaim, Unquiet Nights have remained true to their roots while pushing musical boundaries…”
– Tristan Moore, Pure M

“…Chugs and roars along at a fair old pace, with aequal amounts of attitude and swagger.”
 – Pete Donaldson, Absolute Radio.

“…A great rock track. Moody, but not one that revels in it – there’s a sense of urgency in there. Bit of a journey, all told.”
– Pete Donaldson, Absolute Radio.

“…What makes the track so quintessentially Unquiet Nights is that they’re a group everybody claims to get but nobody can seem to pin down.…”
– Record World International

“Unquiet Nights are from Belfast. I got their album “Seasons In Exile” and it’s quite smooth and reminded me of Ghost, Blue Öyster Cult, Feeder….all sorts of things.”
– Johnny Doom, Kerrang! Radio

“…”Someone’s Love on Drugs” comes from their fine debut album 21st Century Redemption Songs – for which recording started in their native Belfast and was completed in their adopted home in Italy…” – Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music

“…Music of the highest, cloud-reaching calibre. Actually quite beautiful.”
– Aaron Phillips, Amazing Radio.