Millie Manders And The Shutup – Live In Newcastle

Five months into the year and finally we are heading to Newcastle to see one of the best live bands you could want to witness, Millie Manders & The Shut Up are without doubt a force of nature that never leaves a stage without giving everything they have to a show. But then this isn’t just a band, songs that rebel and rail against inequality, this is family, a family made up of the band and the fans, all on the same page.

Having gathered up everything we need to last a night in Newcastle, checked into our digs for the night, we head along the road to The Cluny. This is a venue that’s grown along with the area it sits in, it kicked off as a niche venue in a run down part of Newcastle, now its a place to be seen and it’s surrounded by a vibrant and up coming quarter. Its a warm night and the whole area is buzzing with people out for a catch up and not all here to see the bands, but this also gives a chance for some to come and join in with a night of superb music and company. The venue is obviously packed with Millie Manders & The Shut Up fans, but also you can see unadopted people too, some there for stag dos, but keen to see what all the fuss is about.

But before the controlled madness begins, there is a small matter of the support act, which falls to the Swindon’s (yeah the magic roundabout capital of Britain) outfit AllEarsAvow. They hit the stage to an at least three quarters full room, and hit is the right word too, this is powerful rock with a very tiny hint of pop that’s hidden well but not so much as to disappear without notice. This is a band we’ve not heard of or listened to prior to this gig, but as their set unfolds in front of us, its pretty clear that they will go down on the list of ‘bands to follow and watch out for again’, this is pure energy and I was going to say angst, but that would be the wrong word. This is rock/punk/pop with attitude, this is music to scream to at the top of your lungs, and you can see that this is an audience who definitely knows they are being witness to something damn good.  By the end of the set, you know your going to want to see this band again, the songs and energy leave no one in the room feeling deflated that’s for sure.

After being given enough time to come down from the high of the support act, refresh the parts that need it (at our age that’s pretty much every single inch), have a great chat with so many wonderful friends old and new, check out the merch desk and the anti racism group who have been invited along, its now time to get your dancing shoes and singing voice ready. The four band members hit the stage, Pete (Drums), Joe (Guitar), Georgina (Bass) and of course Millie (vocals/Guitar/Sax), it takes a split second to see that this is a group of people who love what they are doing and by the first notes of ‘Fun Sponge’ everyone in the room has already hit full throttle with excitement. Millie looks and sounds every inch a star, the knowing smile and connection with the crowd is palpable.  They rip through the first three songs with an intensity and fun that’s infectious, we all feel it, it’s going to be a night to remember already.

What’s obvious from this performance tonight is just how in great shape this band are, from Georgie’s frenetic Bass that always comes with a smile, Joe’s razor sharp Guitar, Pete’s Drums that smash out like a machine gun on speed, to Millie who has so much energy and charisma along with a vocal that could fill any arena on its own, all this is projected to the audience with such love and feeling. The whole set is filled with a huge slice of everything the band have released throughout a magical career so far, from Obsession Transgression, Can I Get Off, and the gloriously beautiful Glitter Mix, and sandwiched in-between a new song in the form of Age Disgracefully which added to the excitement in the audience for what is still to come in the future for upcoming releases. The problem with a Millie Manders & The Shut Up set is it never fells long enough, they could play for hours and you always just want more, but while this one lasts, we all make the most of it. From joining together in solidarity with all the women in the room and everywhere, the ones that don’t deserve to be left feeling scared when attending live music, something that should always be called out, to the need to fight racism and free Palestine, no matter, it’s all a part of what we are, that being the crowd and the band. But sadly all has to end sometime, after delighting us all with some absolute belters in Me Too, the fiery Bitter, Your Story, a song that strikes a chord, and of course the (not encore) of the just sublime Not Ok. We do reach the end, or is that the beginning fro some, I suspect that all those that haven’t witnessed the whirlwind of Mille Manders & The Shutup before, this will be a journey they are glad they made. It doesn’t matter how many times you see Millie Manders & The Shut Up live, every single one is as good, if not better than the rest, this night in Newcastle was no exception, and we only found out afterwards that Millie has been fighting a chest infection too, it never showed at all!!.  In “gigs of the year” list it goes……

Never underestimate, and never treat unequally, this will always be our way………. The Angry Ted Crew