“Those who get used to it, end up quitting”, when there is no more care or excitement in what you’re doing, then why are you doing it? It was really insightful talking to Millie and she definitely changed my opinion on a lot in regard to underground punk music and generally having a passion for something. I stayed around to watch her perform and the energy in the room was electric. The venue was packed out with people wearing her merch, someone was even wearing LED ‘billboard-like’ glasses.
As I began my interview with the frontwoman of Millie Manders and the Shutup, I soon found out that she also had experience in interviewing bands, having written for “Punk Archive”; an online magazine; so I felt an added pressure to ask the right questions and generally do an excellent job at interviewing her.
When asked about her experiences with Bournemouth she reminisces about the time she spent in the Haven Holiday Park as a kid, with her grandma who lived in Christchurch, and the parties she’d go to here as she got older. She described herself as a “mutt” when asked where she’s from; born in London and moved out to East Anglea when she was a “small child”, she spent a lot of her childhood there before moving back to London, studying and living out her teenage years. Moving around a lot and leaving the comfort of her parents quite young.
Millie had to “grow up very fast” and described the “blessings and curses” of being independent. Being able to become money-savvy quite young was a blessing and although she didn’t have the financial support of living under her parent's roof for a while, she believes that the path she lead happened for a reason and she wouldn’t be where she is today if it weren't for her upbringing.
Toward the end of May and into June, Millie is playing at Slam Dunk Festival 2023 which is one of her “bucket list stages to play,” however, she mentioned it is impossible to prepare for something like that; “preparing yourself to walk out onto a stage that you've wanted to play for years, that multitude of your heroes have walked onto before you”.
Chloe: “When you're touring, what’s one thing you miss from London”
Millie Manders: “TRANSPORT”
Millie speaks about the efficiency of the TFL and how accessible everything is back in London, which is definitely something the rest of the country lacks, or Bournemouth specifically. Although, we can comfortably drive our own cars here, something a lot of people can’t do in London. Millie doesn’t drive! She also has no interest in learning how to drive anytime soon. This could be perhaps of the fact her dad was a bus driver and gave her access to free travel around the majority of London.
“Badass Women In Punk” is a playlist on Spotify, consisting of “all the gender spectrum”, curated by Millie herself. Definitely worth checking it out, I saved it to my library straight away.
Millie also has a Patreon where people can support her and it gives her a reason to explore her more creative side, specifically art, which she used to be really interested in when she was younger. Recently, she made a postcard with a lovely floral design that was set into a seeded paper with the intention to be planted for the bees. Throughout the interview, Millie continuously shared her appreciation for her fanbase.
The band’s van packed up and it was looking like they wouldn’t be able to tour anymore, however, the fans demanded a donation link where they gave money to help Millie and the band find the expenses for the £8k fix - which is amazing.
Coming to the end of the interview, I asked if there was any difference in how Millie feels performing now vs in 2013 when she first started. To which she replied, “there is no difference.” She still feels nervous before getting on stage, emotional seeing people sing her lyrics, and still has the exact same excitement and love for performing.
“Those who get used to it, end up quitting”, when there is no more care or excitement in what you’re doing, then why are you doing it? It was really insightful talking to Millie and she definitely changed my opinion on a lot in regard to underground punk music and generally having a passion for something. I stayed around to watch her perform and the energy in the room was electric. The venue was packed out with people wearing her merch, someone was even wearing LED ‘billboard-like’ glasses.
Overall, Millie Manders and The Shutup were amazing and I would definitely love to see them again. I’d like to thank Millie again for sitting down with me for this interview.