On sobriety, self-discovery, and ‘Spit!’ Glasgow punk artist Martha May of Martha May and the Mondays recalls their journey in the music scene so far, and how it has been shaped by identity and Scottish drinking culture.
Having been in pop duo Pretty Preachers Club until 2021, Martha explains why it wasn’t quite the right fit for them.
“It was pop music, it wasn’t what I really wanted to do. That band helped me massively and I’ll never forget all that because it completely brought me out my shell. I would not sing in front of people or was confident really until that.
“After two years of performing with them (Hannah), we decided to go in separate directions. She wanted to do pop singer-songwriter stuff and I wanted to do folk, punky-folk and as I started to do more gigs I wanted to experiment more instrumentally.”
In 2021, after finding bandmates to make-up the eclectic group, the name was an impulsive and satirical choice.
“We were trying to make it a joke, like ‘everyone will hate us’ because everyone hates Mondays, and because it’s just another punk band in Glasgow. But it was just a kind of joke and it stuck.”
Naming Charli XCX as their main inspiration, May explains how the band are influenced.
“I don’t always write from my own perspective anymore. I started to run out of material in the second lockdown and I remember thinking I don’t have anything about myself I can write about anymore, so I’ll write something from someone else’s, and I started doing that a lot. It kind of helped me also see things from other people’s perspective.”
Martha casually describes this experience whilst drinking from a Lucozade bottle at a corner table in Starbucks, opening up about their challenges with alcohol and its affects on their wellbeing.
“I’ve been sober for almost two months now” They proudly disclose.
“It was really badly affecting my mental health. I was just drinking all the time, going out a lot, and just using any excuse to drink all the time.
“I couldn’t do a gig without drinking a shit ton before it and it was just starting to really impact my life, and I lost a couple of jobs through it and friendships. So, I thought, you know what? I need to just nip that in the bud.”
Having performed their first gig sober the day previous, May says their mind is a lot “clearer” when onstage.
“I noticed mistakes easier, with the band and myself, and it meant afterwards I was a lot harder on myself. Usually, if I come off the stage and I’m drunk, I don’t remember as much and I’m not as much paying attention to detail, whereas because I was completely sober yesterday, I was nit-picking everything.”
Speaking about the other bandmates, Martha describes drinking culture in the punk scene, stating that their colleagues are “keeping the punk real”.
“They (those in punk bands) tend to be people who are damaged or addicts, so as they progress in their career, they are able to become sober.
“I think it’s also become a trend to be sober, it’s become cool.”
When asked about whether there is a certain stereotype of people in punk bands, Martha jokingly describes it as “biting bats and drinking blood”.
It seems fitting that Lana Del Rey’s psychedelic ‘A&W’ quietly plays in the coffee shop, as Martha discusses their self-discovery journey.
“I feel like I’m still learning. I think I’m comfortable just saying queer, and I think that me recognising that I was non-binary and not someone that was born in the wrong body, helps.”
Pretty Preachers Club may have helped define Martha’s style, but it has also shaped the brand of their current band.
“To me, that band was all pop and pastels, but this one is black, chains, and renaissance vibes. We’re kind of leaning into that vibe right now and I love it.
Just two months after the band’s new EP ‘Spit!’ was released, when talking about the summer ahead, which includes a gig at iconic Glasgow venue Saint Luke’s, Martha gives some insight into the festival application process, and how sometimes it’s difficult to see hard work paying off.
“We were shortlisted to play a bunch of massive festivals in summer and we never got it, and that was hard because we worked so hard and all year.
“You have to send a video of you playing live that’s at least five minutes long, and around four songs. It’s so much work to apply to every single festival. So that was like 15 festivals I applied for and then when you don’t get any it’s frustrating. I’ve just been emailing constantly.”
With over 15,000 followers on Instagram and 33,000 on Tiktok, Martha says that whilst it looks like the band are doing well, they still have a long way to go.
“If you look at my Instagram account you’d think they’re doing really well, but it’s because I only post the good things, like everyone does.”
“I’ve got loads of followers because of TikTok. It looks like the band is famous and we’re not. We work really hard to get all the gigs we get. It’s us emailing and phoning a million people a week.”
When asked about what’s next for Martha May and the Mondays, a networking event in May is a clear standout.
“They actually reached out to us. They chose us last year as their artist of the year.
“We’re playing Wide Days, which is a music events convention in Edinburgh and it’s a room of a few hundred music industry people.”
Just before leaving I make sure to ask what punk-folk-lover Martha’s go-to karaoke song is.
“Rap God.
“Doesn’t get more punk than Eminem.”
Interview conducted and written by Lucy Clark
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