Words by Annie Barber
Photos by Charlie & Charlie and Jake Evans
“What the hell are they even talking about?” says Man/Woman/Chainsaw member Billy Doyle. He is referring to a couple of reviews they received for their debut album ‘Cannonball’, which contained some subtle jibes. “They made some interesting takes,” adds Emmie-Mae Avery. But the pair don’t dwell on it long, swiftly turning their attention instead to the overwhelmingly positive reaction of the industry, and most importantly, their audience. Though the band are young and only just embarking on their journey, ‘Cannonball’ is a very impressive debut with twists and turns that will keep listeners on the edge of their seats. Formed at just 16 years old, the group used to make their music in a converted vicarage, and are now stepping out to play on renowned stages across the UK and Ireland this Autumn, such as Glasgow’s King Tuts, Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club, and London’s Electric Ballroom.
The album has been referred to as art-punk but in reality spans several genres and defies convention in more ways than one. “I don’t even know if it’s that experimental because I think for us it’s just the instruments that we have it just how the songs come to be,” says Doyle. This casual approach proves that the band never set out to make a particular point with the album. Instead, it was made organically and, due to the variety of influences on the 6 band members, the result is innovative and varied, yet still hangs together. Central to the album are the trials and tribulations of being in your teenage years and early 20s. Avery thinks that this is partly why the album feels so cohesive. She says, “it’s about the universal experiences that all young adults have, and they’re not necessarily related in an overarching story or anything, but I think that [it] sort of does tie together in a way.”
Doyle says that it is an “insane eclectic mix of genres” that influences them. For him, Joey Santiago from the Pixies has been a big influence on the way he plays and writes guitar, saying that his method is “quite unconventional, but simple and just really effective.” Somewhat surprisingly, another inspiration to Doyle is Miles Davis. Avery pinpoints Ludovico Einaudi’s catalogue as an early influence for herself, which she calls “contemporary classical, very like Lloyd’s Bank sort of advert piano music.” She adds that it is “lit,” a word that is surely rarely used to describe the likes of Einaudi. With this sort of breadth of music informing their creative process, it makes sense then that the album is so diverse.
Another way in which the band break with tradition is their choice to have three lead vocalists on the album. Billy Ward, Emmie-Mae Avery, and Vera Leppänen share the role, each bringing a unique edge to the songs they sing on. When the band started, Ward did most of the singing, with Leppänen only making the occasional appearance. When Avery wrote ‘Get Up and Dance’ and brought it to the rest of the group, they decided it was a perfect fit for the album, and that she was the right person to do vocals for it. Though she was hesitant at first, she is now thankful that the others pushed her out of her comfort zone. And so should everyone else be; she does the vocals on ‘Nosedive’, an ambitious and comforting track that likens needing a shoulder to cry on while longing for independence to being an injured bird needing shelter.
‘Snakebite’ and ‘Goddamn, Lizard Man!’ are two standout tracks on the album. Avery reveals that the former was the B section of a longer song that they have played live over the years. Though it is part of something bigger, when they were working on the album and revisited the track, Leppänen came up with the hook over the chords that Avery wrote. What began as a simple line about someone having a picture in their wallet became a repeated refrain in the song, which makes it all the more emotive and touching. Doyle heard the latter before he was even part of the band and says that the language Ward uses when writing is very impressive — ‘Goddamn, Lizard Man!’ is certainly no exception. He sums up its sound with astonishing accuracy, calling it a “pretty stomping kind of swampy song.”
Just a few days after we speak, the band play a surprise set at End Of The Road, with a huge crowd in attendance. Starting in Belfast at Ulster Sports Club on the 19th of September, with stops in Dublin, Manchester, Newcastle, and more, Man/Woman/Chainsaw are headlining some of the most loved venues in the UK and Ireland. What can audiences expect from these shows? The album in full, some of their old songs, and a good time. Doyle says “we will always try and put on a show every night and have as much fun on stage,” with Avery quickly adding, “not try, we will.”
We finish up with Karma!’s compulsory questions. When deciding what colour the band or their music would be, Avery says “bright pink”, before landing on berry, like the limited edition vinyl of ‘Cannonball’. Doyle says it has to be a warm colour and asks what I think. For me, a golden yellow like the album cover is perfect for Man/Woman/Chainsaw. As for their song recommendations, Avery picks ‘California Love’ by 2Pac, and Doyle opts for ‘Absolute Beginners’ by David Bowie; two classics. Comically, Avery thinks Doyle was going to say something like ‘Absolute Guitar Tutorials for beginners’ — there’s everyone’s sign to start playing.
It is undoubtable that the band are on the up. But are they planning on abandoning everyone and running away? “No, not flying to the Bahamas,” says Doyle. “We should do that,” responds Avery. Well, I guess if they suddenly disappear, we know where to go looking for them. Hopefully they do not do it any time soon though, as audiences can not get enough of Man/Woman/Chainsaw.
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