Anarchic fun... All killer, no filler... Earworms aplenty. Exhausting all the superlatives, Millie Manders and the Shutup returned to Nottingham and proved that social awareness and a sense of justice need never be dull...
Going into this gig we had fond memories of pogoing away to Millie and her raucous retinue on a balmy May evening back in 2023, in the arboreal idyll of Bearded Theory’s Forest Stage. So, we knew we were going to have a great evening of socially-aware, high-energy, melodic punk-pop-rock. And with that we’ve used our quota of hyphens for this review...
But the location and sound weren’t half as good this time around. Having been to a gig recently at Metronome across town, the somewhat muddy acoustics at the Rescue Rooms suggests that they could do worse than review the set up and invest in new kit to better suit the room. But, yes, yawn.
Back to the gig, and the positives. Norwegian support act Ramona’s Tea Party brought thrash punk energy with them across the North Sea, and Ramona’s unbridled joy and gratitude at their warm Nottingham reception was just lovely.
Guitarist Christopher Lyngedal, dressed like Sid Vicious as Betelgeuse, was a whirling, high-kicking dervish, and spirited backing vocalist, with the driving rhythm section keeping the energy and attitude firmly locked in at 11. They were great fun and a perfect pairing for the headliners.
Towards the end of a very well received set, Romana got us all chanting the word ekstranummer (if I’m honest we went with "extra Moomin"), with the pleasingly impish reveal that it translates as "encore" in Norwegian.
Having hoodwinked us so, the band duly launched into their final number to well-earned approval and delight from the crowd. It’s not every gig you’ll see the crowd as ‘into’ the support as they are the headliners. Ramona’s Tea Party definitely won over some new followers.
After a brief interlude, Millie Manders and the Shutup took to the thoroughly warmed-up stage on
this, the penultimate date of their current tour. For a band with only a couple of albums under their belt, they have an incredible flair for creating earworms dripping with super-catchy riffs and choruses. Once you’ve heard their albums a couple of times, you’ll be humming their songs around the house like age-old hits that have always been in your life. And that’s no mean feat. It’s all killer, no filler with this mob.
They bring a keen sense of social justice to their music
The Shutup are all brilliant musicians, pumping out their infectious brand of punk-rock-ska-pop with
so much grit and passion. Special mention for bassist Georgia Boreham. Her obvious love for the
music and performing was uplifting, not to mention the fact that she often out-danced most of the
audience.
Catchy and uplifting aren’t all this this band have to offer. They bring a keen sense of social justice to their music, speaking to issues which really matter. This makes them standout as proud bearers of the protest song torch, at a time when so many others are more concerned with the oxygen of Insta- fame. Their social awareness plays out in Millie’s lyrics which take on global injustices, poverty, the widerning gap between the haves and the have-nots, and gender-based violence. Early in the set, Millie made an impassioned plea that we “shouldn’t’ have to be teaching our girls to be safe, we should be teaching our boys not to rape”.
Later, they played Can I Get Off speaking to global atrocities with a Palestinian flag hung proudly on a mic stand. If that all sounds a bit heavy, the band’s music is always spiky, danceable, boisterous and flecked with anarchic fun, so they pull off the balancing act of weighty, worthy subjects with a breezy, good-time delivery. It’s a thoroughly sugared-pill, although most in tonight’s audience looked well capable of taking their medicine neat.
Other stand outs were Fun Sponge, a rollicking, v-flicking ode to the miserablist mood-hoovers among us. At this point Millie and Co. were joined on stage by their support act wielding bubble blowers, with a spot of crowd surfing to boot. That was a sight even this part-time chip-pisser couldn’t fail to enjoy.
I can’t leave this without mentioning Millie’s incredibly powerful voice and range. I can’t recall the track, but there was great moment when she went all ‘Fifth Element opera alien’ on us, and it was such a thrill to behold and…behark?
They are ostensibly a funtime band, with (in the most flattering sense) a radio-friendly sound, but there’s much more to them once you scratch the surface. How many bands can make you dance and think at the same time? Not many.
Millie Manders and the Shutup performed at Rescue Rooms on 9th November 2024, with support from Ramona's Tea Party.
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