Millie Manders and The Shutup, the cross-genre punk phenomenon, are gearing up for a season of music releases and live performances. Ahead of their double AA-side 7” single release and UK tour, culminating in a highly-anticipated London gig on May 16th, we caught up with Millie Manders to delve deeper into their upcoming projects and plans.

Could you tell us more about the inspiration behind your new double AA-side single, "Angry Side" and "Can I Get Off?" What themes or experiences influenced these tracks?

Can I Get Off? Is about my utter despair at the world, the genocides and wars currently raging across it, and frankly, the fact that white supremacy and capitalism is at the heart of it all.

Angry Side is an ode to my teenage years - an angry, frustrated, trauma filled teenager just trying to figure herself out and making mistakes along the way.

With the release of your new music and the upcoming UK tour, what can fans expect from your live performances, especially at the highly-anticipated London gig on 16 May?

London will be special. While the rest of the tour will have all our new releases and maybe a surprise or two, London will have an acoustic opening set of some as-yet-unheard second album tracks played by Joe and I, before Voodoo Radio take to the stage. 

You've been championed by various radio stations and media outlets. How do you feel about the recognition you've received, and how has it influenced your journey as a band?

Any recognition and help with spreading the word for us is absolutely invaluable. The industry is SO HARD as a DIY band, so it's vital for us as a lifeline to new audiences. How has it influenced us? If you mean in terms of decision making I would say it hasn't... I do not write music specifically to seek recognition, but I am grateful when it happens. Has it influenced trajectory? I think it's really hard to measure unless you see a spike in Shazams on reports or something, and that has happened, particularly when Frank Skinner played one of our tracks recently (thank you Frank!)

Your commitment to sustainability and charity is commendable. Can you share more about the initiatives you're involved in and why they're important to you as a band?

We believe, with what feels like a whirlwind of chaos in the world, everyone should be doing their part to change things. So we champion causes we believe in - most recently donating to Mercy Without Limits (Palestine appeals) and Gendered Intelligence (Trans Rights), but we have also donated to NHS Direct and many others. We have more penned for later this year in association with limited edition merchandise releases.

As for sustainability, again, we believe we should all be advocating for better practices and pressuring conglomerates to change their activities. So we use paper packaging, refuse single use plastics for water on stage, eat vegan and travel sustainably wherever possible. 

Ultimately we believe all people and all creatures have rights, that all people, everywhere, deserve access to basic amenities and rights, and that the world should be taken care of, period.

As a cross-genre punk band, how do you approach blending different musical elements while staying true to your punk roots?

Often it's not even a thought process. Occasionally I might say "oh, let's try adding some funk in here", but we are a very eclectic outfit of musicians and we all bring our influences to the table. We write songs we enjoy playing and we don't worry about trying to find the right pigeon hole to be in. The punk comes from the social/economical/political standpoint lyrically, so that's sorted from the off anyway.

Your live performances have graced numerous festivals and stages. Do you have any standout moments or memorable experiences from past performances that you'd like to share?

Oh, so many. So, so many gorgeous, grin inducing moments. A few from the very recent past would be opening the Slam Dunk Dickie's Main stages and actually having a bunch of people rock up to watch and sing along with us, A packed out woodland stage at Bearded Theory and a lady crowd-surfing in her wheelchair, The Casbah stage at Rebellion at capacity for us and hearing hundreds of voices singing along with us... We have been so lucky and my head is FILLED with incredible moments.

How do you see your music evolving with the upcoming second album compared to your acclaimed debut, "Telling Truths, Breaking Ties"?

There are some stylistic changes, and that will, in part, be because Joe (guitar) and Pete (drums) were not on the team writing the first one. There are lots of reflections of things on the first album, but there is also a wonderful injection of new influence, too. I also personally feel like my writing style has developed and matured, I am tackling more subjects close to my heart lyrically, and enjoying the ride of being more collaborative this time around.

Could you shed some light on the creative process behind your music? How do you collaborate as a band to bring your ideas to life?

I think a big thing this time around is the quality time we have been able to afford in writing the record. We chose to have several writing retreats together where we either brought ideas to share with us to the room, or created while we were there.  I have had several line up changes over the years, and this way of writing has also meant more bonding within the band, understanding of each other's directions, more play time and I think that has largely formed the creative process, too.

You've supported notable acts like Less Than Jake and Ferocious Dog on tour. What have you learned from these experiences, and how have they influenced your own approach to touring and performing?

Each time you tour with a bigger band, there are different things to learn and gain from the experience. Most recently, touring with Zebrahead has made me think about fun things we can do production wise to add to the audience's experience - ZH are great at that. Less Than Jake and the way they fill a massive stage made me think about my own live performance. Ferocious Dog and their amazing community connection. There's always something more to learn, no matter the level you are at, and I am excited for the next learning experience, as and when it happens. 

Beyond the music, what are your aspirations for Millie Manders and The Shutup in terms of your impact on the music industry and your connection with fans?

We are absolutely ecstatic to have been awarded some funding for this second album, and it will enable us to give opportunities to a lot of women. We are going to be working with women in production, mastering, lighting, photography, musicianship and more and that's a massive goal for me - as a woman who has felt, often, that I have had to work harder in a very male dominated area (even more so in hard rock genres) I have always wanted to advocate for non-cis-male people to be seen. 

I'm always looking for more ways to interact with our audience. We are always at the merch desk, we try to be accessible on and offline, and I have a Patreon as well.

Thanks Millie- all the best for the future!

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and Managing Director of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.