I first heard about Millie Manders and the Shut Up late last last year, when I heard their fun cross genre single ‘Shut Up’. The band have recently released a double A side single- ‘Angry Side’ and ‘Can I Get off?’ The single is raising money (alongside some new t shirts) for Mercy Without Limits- whose mission is to “To educate and empower women and children by enabling them to have an effective and positive role in constructing a better society.” They help women and children the world over including in Palestine and Iraq.
Frontwoman Millie says about the songs, “Angry Side is, I guess, a letter from my teenage self apologising for being so angry and wanting to burn down the world. I had a lot going on back then and I hid behind bravado a lot. I suppose it’s also me telling my younger self that it’s OK to have been that angry when I went through a bunch of trauma that I couldn’t process well enough to deal with it all. I was a kid. The Western world is privileged because it has pillaged resources from everyone else in the world. We need to unlearn what we know and recognise the suffering people are going through as a result of our greed. Can I Get Off? is an outpouring of my frustrations about that and, ultimately, the reason we are fundraising for Mercy Without Limits.”
Both sides of the single are truly brilliant with ‘Angry Side’ being a delightful slice of pop punk and my personal favourite of the two ‘Can I Get Off?’ fusing rap and an epic metal/rock chorus. Feeling inspired by Millie’s lyrics, I spoke with her to find out more about her music and inspirations.
1. What inspires you to make music?
Millie: Mostly anger – at the world, at politicians, at ex boyfriends, but also my mental health and self discovery/learning. At least, that’s where my lyrics are derived from.
2. What is the best description of your music you have heard or read in a review?
Millie: Oooh that’s a tough one. But I think someone once said it’s like being punched in the face, in the best way. Such a weird juxtaposition, but I guess it’s kind of what I aim for – to shake people one way or another.
3. What do you enjoy the most and the least about playing live?
Millie: Hearing people sing with us is my favourite thing. I’ll never get over the fact there are people that like our music enough to learn the lyrics and sing them back. The worst bit is the first night of any tour – feeling sick and unfit half way through the set because you haven’t kept up with the cardio!
4. Is there a venue or city that you’d especially love to play, and why?
Millie: I don’t think there is a particular city, but I would love to tour in Japan, Italy, America and anywhere else I can possibly go, and experience everything different about it. There are so many countries I have never been to, and touring them seems like the best possible way of doing that.
5. What is the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you at a gig?
Millie: Someone literally called me a God for a good 10 minutes. I actually said several times how uncomfortable it made me… No one should be compared to a God. It’s just plain weird. Don’t get me wrong, it’s so amazing when people love our music and enjoy our shows, but that just felt so… wrong…
6. If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be and why?
Millie: Like anything in this world I would change the capitalist, gatekeeper structure of it. I am not sure how it would work, but I do believe the people who make the art should be getting more for it.
7. If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and what would you work on together?
Millie: I would love to do a political rager with Rage Against The Machine. Or perhaps a spoken word masterpiece with Scroobius Pip. Or a harmony laden bop with Pink or Skin…. There are so many incredible artists/acts that I would kill to work with.
8. Who is your favourite new band/artist that we should be checking out and what do you like about them?
Millie: Ramona’s Tea Party. They are from Norway. Ramona is only 19/20 and her writing skills are already next level. They are humble, kind, hard working and they have some of the most fun pop punk anthems ever.
9. If you could give any aspiring musicians one piece of advice, what would it be?
Millie: Be fearless. Write for you. Speak up for what you believe in and stay true to the music you love creating. Everything else is marketing.
10. How has your approach to making music changed since you started out?
Millie: I don’t think it has, really… I was brought up to be brutally honest and to be who I wanted to be and I think that’s the way I have always approached making music. I’d say the only difference is I will refine my songs more before I release them into the wild, and I have better production these days, thankfully!
Thank you so much to Millie for taking the time to chat to Joyzine!
‘Angry Side/How Do I Get Off?’ is out now and you can get it here
You can catch Millie Manders and the Shut up on tour on the following dates:
April
10 Three Wise Monkeys, Colchester
11 Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
12 The Musician, Leicester
13 Katie Fitzgeralds, Stourbridge16 Bootleg Social, Blackpool
17 Bannermans, Edinburgh
18 The Forum, Darlington
19 The Key Club, Leeds
20 Wroot Rocks, Doncaster
24 The Anvil Rock Bar, Bournemouth
25 The Star Inn, Guildford
26 The Waterfront Studio, Norwich
27 The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
May
16 Downstairs at the Dome, London
Find Millie Manders and the Shut Up online: Facebook/Twitter/Instagram
Interview by Hayley Foster da Silva
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