Millie Manders and the Shutup are a cross-genre punk band that you don’t want to miss. Their sophomore album, Wake Up, Shut Up, Work, released on the 2 August, a mix of undeniable hits and powerful protest songs. With no manager and publishing all their tracks themselves, Millie Manders and the Shutup are the pinnacle of independent music, and their lyrics are brutally honest. I had the pleasure of interviewing Millie Manders to discuss the new album, and early access to review the new tracks.
The first two songs, ‘Angry Side’ and ‘Shut Your Mouth', are sharp, bold and set the tone for a high energy album. ‘Angry Side’ tells the story of being 17 and angry – ‘a broken kid’. Manders said, “I explore whatever comes into my head at the time. I always find writing to be therapeutic, and when writing this album, I reflected on past trauma and how it’s affected my decisions.”
‘Shut Your Mouth’ is speedy with its fury. Manders said that anger is a “prevalent emotion for anybody, and can do a lot of good. If you’re angry about something in the world, go out and do something about it.” ‘Shut Your Mouth’ in particular immediately got stuck in my head, and you can’t help wondering how Manders manages to get through such quick lyrics without sounding out of breath.
‘Me Too’ is a feminist protest song that leaves you feeling justifiably angry, and empowered to act in protest against the patriarchal legal system that leaves rape victims without justice. I particularly connected with the lyric, ‘our bodies still aren’t ours until the systems change’, shouted out in Millie Manders’ incredibly powerful voice. I asked Manders whether music has always been about protest for her:
“In my earlier songs, not so much. It’s easier to be introspective first, but as I got older and less selfish, I opened my eyes to the atrocities, first in the UK, and then in the wider world. It’s lovely to see young people being more politically active!”
The bands’ other protest song on the album, ‘Can I Get Off?’, expresses disgust at the genocides and cruelty across the world, and mentions Gaza by name – something that many artists have been hesitant to do. “It was at the forefront of my intention to mention as many atrocities by name as possible. It’s important to speak out [for everyone, not only those in your country].”
Standout tracks for me were ‘Fun Sponge’, ‘Windows’, and ‘Halloween’, all for different reasons; a clear demonstration of the range of skills that Millie Manders and the Shutup’s hold. ‘Fun Sponge’ is a song about just that – boring fun sponges – and I believe it should be making its way onto everyone's party playlists in the next few months. Upbeat and danceable, ‘Fun Sponge’ is an edgier version of the classic party pop song. Manders told me that it was created from a bassline that George wrote, while Millie was upstairs writing the lyrics to ‘Windows’. The writing process for the band varies massively song by song – ‘RIP’ was written both in a Patreon workshop, for the lyrics, and by Joe weeks later, for the backing track.
‘Windows’ makes you wonder just how long it takes to bring together so many talented musicians, particularly the brass musician/s, who make this song extra distinctive. Plus, it has one of the best lyrics in all of punk: “dust is mainly made of skin but it sparkles in the sun”. How could you not love it?
Finally, ‘Halloween’ is the slowest in a high energy album, and acts as a reflective, delicately constructed palate cleanser. Manders sings of a lost love, referring to herself/her character as ‘a bonfire in your arms’. It’s just what the album needed to demonstrate the band’s versatility.
The band originally came together in 2014, but underwent lots of membership changes. From Millie’s first gig supporting Bombskare in Edinburgh, they have come a long way; they performed at the legendary Brixton Academy in 2019, and Millie sang ‘God Save the Queen’ by Sex Pistols at Shepherds Bush Empire in 2022. Manders summed up their experiences perfectly: “teenage dreams come true.”
Since then, they have used their influence to raise funds for various charities. They sold a new bunch of merch to raise money for the Trevor Project in June and they are currently selling a splatter vinyl of the new album – £5 from each sale goes to Mermaids UK. So far, it’s looking like the band has raised over £1500, an incredible feat.
Millie Manders and the Shutup’s second album Wake Up, Shut Up, Work is out now across all streaming platforms, and there are tour dates available across autumn on their website https://millie-manders.com/.
