Millie Manders & The Shutup - Wake Up, Shut 
Up, Work
Release Date: Out Now
You might expect a certain punk
energy from a band called Millie Manders and the Shut Up but this album takes
that energy and then adds quite a few layers. Opening track ‘Angry Side’ sounds
like Pink guesting on a Frank Turner track with a beefy horn section just to
add to the ferocity and chaos – as openers go it’s a slap around the chops. ‘Shut
Your Mouth’ maintains the same energy and gives me the firm belief that the
live shows will be intense and in-yer-face but in the best way possible. The opening
trio is completed by ‘Me Too’, a track full of choppy, Foos-esque guitars paired
with staccato vocals reminiscent of Berries or Rews in the blend of punk energy
but seriously hooky melodies.
The brilliantly titled ‘Fun Sponge’ has no time for nay-sayers and blame-throwers before ‘Windows’ leans into the aforementioned horns to bring a certain skank energy to proceedings, a la Reel Big Fish. There is a slight drop in intensity on ‘R.I.P.’ but the powerful vocals ring through like Linda Perry at her biggest and best while ‘Halloween’ brings a more wistful vibe with a song about love lost but not forgotten. ‘Rebound’, however, brings the energy right back up with that Pink influence in there again and shows off a real ability for writing songs that could easily straddle the Atlantic and get serious rotation on any number of radio stations.
On ‘One That Got Away’, Manders & Co (that sounds like a solicitors, sorry) pump those horns hard and you can almost feel the bounce of the moshpit as the drums hit you right where it hurts. There’s brilliantly meaty chug to ‘Threadbare’ which, vocally, nods to Kate Nash but with pumped up Specials as a backing band. Penultimate track ‘Can I Get Off?’ is a triumph of frustration with the way the human race is driving planet Earth towards a cliff with a brick on the accelerator and the brake lines cut. The album closes with the breakneck drumming of ‘Pressure’ and as pure an example as you’re ever likely to hear of the brilliance of combining punk energy with big, big melodies. 'Wake Up, Shut Up, Work' is an outstanding album full of energy, ideas, melodies and messages – get involved, strap this one on and get ready to take on the world. The world needs you.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/milliemandersmusic
Live Dates:
24th October - Patterns, Brighton
25th October - 1865, Southampton
26th October - Wycombe Arts Centre, High Wycombe
27th October - Bedford Esquires, Bedford
31st October - Actress & Bishop, Birmingham
1st November - Thekla, Bristol
2nd November - The Cavern, Exeter
3th November - Yellow Arch Studios, Sheffield
6th November - The New Adelphi, Hull
7th November - Cluny 1, Newcastle
8th November - Club Academy, Manchester
9th November - Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
16th November - The Waterfront, Norwich