By: Kelly Kearney
Photo By Jeanie Jean Photos
Q) Your new album, Business, is an in-your-face, unapologetic record and a massive moment for the band. Fans are completely hyped for it. What does it feel like to finally have the album out in the world?
A) It is the best feeling to move ‘Business’ from our hands to everyone else’s!
Q) The video for the album’s latest single, “God Complex,” is out now. What inspired that song?
A) “God Complex” is about people who tell you how good their lives are when behind the mask they’re probably not as happy as the face they’re putting on.
Q) There’s a noticeable crossover into a heavier, almost metal sound on tracks like “God Complex,” which also features German punk frontman Ingo Donot from Donots. Was that a conscious shift?
A) We love listening to so many genres of music. The punk and oi subculture are what this band is built on, but it felt daft to ignore all the other music that we love. Punk is an attitude, it’s being anti-establishment. It was clear that we can still have that even if sonically we get heavier.
Q) How did the collaboration with Ingo come about?
A) Frank Turner introduced Ingo to us and vice versa. We played their big Munster show and crossed paths at festivals. We knew the song needed a melodic call-back and Ingo’s voice suited it to the ground. It was a no-brainer.
Q) I am obsessed with the sheer rage packed into the title track, “Business.” What’s the story behind that song?
A) [laughs] Thank you. “Business” the song was the start of Business the album. It was the point where we went, “Yeah, this is a new album.” It talks about our experiences of the music industry but is relatable for people from all walks of life. We’ve all been underestimated and undervalued at some point, surely? Writing a song about it is the best way to get the rage out!
Q) Who came up with the visual concept for the music video? Because, besides your talent for music and live performances, you both seem like naturals on camera and are pretty quick with a joke.
A) That was a joint effort. I knew I wanted a businessman character, and our tech AJ knew Dave Garlick, so that part came together quickly. We worked with Kris Barras on the video, and it all came together in a single room. It gives that sense of monotony but quickly switches to the rage you spoke about in the performance scenes.
Q) Lily, you dropped the news that along with the album’s September 11 release, you’re treating digital downloaders to a bonus cover of Poly Styrene and X-Ray Spex’s “Identity,” a track fans have been losing their minds over live. What made you decide to officially record that one for the fans?
A) You ask, we provide! Well, we eventually fold. [laughs] “Identity” is from one of the best records ever made, and “Breathe” is by one of the best bands to have ever existed. We love playing both live and wanted to give our tributes to the downloaders out there.
Q) For this album, you brought in producer Dan Weller from SikTh. What made Dan the right person to capture your raw live energy and harness it in the studio?
A) We knew the album was going to be heavier but keep the rawness that runs through The Meffs. We were introduced to Dan and knew quite quickly that he was the right person to produce this album. He knows heavy and full, but he also respected that we wanted to keep our stripped-back sound to allow us to play the songs live without losing anything.
Q) After a whirlwind year of festival tours and shows with legends like the Sex Pistols and The Damned, you became total UK scene sweethearts. That Facebook post was brilliant, by the way. How did you balance that chaotic road schedule with finding the time to write an 11-track album?
A) You’re a sweetheart…We toured What A Life for about eighteen months and partway through the touring cycle I decided not to write anything new, even if something came into my head. I didn’t want another What A Life because What A Life will always be out there. We wanted fresh and elevated. I started writing the songs for Business about six months before we recorded them.
Q) “God Complex” has this addictive line I can’t get out of my head: “Who are you when nobody’s watching?” It’s such a striking lyric that I have to ask: who are Lily and Lewis when the stage lights are off?
A) If we tell you, we have to kill you.
Q) Outside of the singles, what’s your absolute favorite song to play right now? Maybe one that audiences are vibing with the hardest on tour?
A) “Like Gravity” is the standout. It’s the song people keep referring to in our set when we play it live, and on the record when they first listen.
Q) Seeing musicians like Amyl and the Sniffers and Bob Vylan land spots on Later… with Jools Holland, do you feel like the mainstream is finally ready for this level of raw punk again? And are you ready for it?
A) What’s better than being anti-establishment on the outside of the establishment? Being anti-establishment inside the establishment. Let’s go.
Q) Speaking of the bigger picture, how do you see the state of punk as we head into 2027? Does it still feel purely underground, or is it in danger of losing some of its edge as it crosses over to mainstream?
A) I don’t think being mainstream means something has lost its edge, in the same way that I disagree with the idea that becoming more popular means you are selling out. As Fat Mike from NOFX said, “Selling out is when you think you know what’s popular and you change your band’s sound to fit that.” Becoming popular doing what you’re doing is an achievement, not something we should be putting down. Cue Turnstile, one of the most important bands of our time.
Q) You’re touring Europe right now. Any plans or hopes to bring this noise across the pond to US punk fans?
A) Loose plans but still plans. We want to tour everywhere in the world at least once, so it has to happen!
Q) What would you like to say to the fans who love your music and fill venues to catch you live?
A) WITHOUT YOU, WE DON’T EXIST. UP THE FUCKING MEFFS.
All Questions Answered By Lily Hopkins (vocals/guitar)