The life of a touring musician can be tumultuous and troubling. Being on the road for long stretches of time tests a band’s genuine relationship, and some just aren’t cut out for it. On the other hand, some thrive and cherish being slammed into a van and popping up at venues, saving every ounce of energy for their time on stage. We have witnessed tours change a band’s perspective and, thus, change the music they release. In the case of The Meffs, a live show is their sanctuary, church, and panic room all wrapped together. After bursting onto the scene with their double EP, Broken Britain Pt. 1 and Pt. 2, the UK punk band became synonymous with live performances. Now, they look to capture the legend of their shows in the studio with their Frank Turner-produced studio debut, What a Life.
The band’s 12-song debut was released earlier this month (September 13) via Bottles to the Ground Records. The album captures the cartoonish tempos of The Meffs as they piece together neck-breaking drums and frantic vocals. For a band that never seems to get off the road, What a Life captures the entire dynamic of The Muffs and positions them as punk purists who aren’t afraid to bend tropes from the genre to their will. Slow-burning tunes like “What” showcase their nuanced songwriting, while the explosive aggression of the single “Clown” gives us a look at their natural knack for crafting catchy melodies.
The Meffs are melodic frustration being exercised through legendary live shows and, now, a stellar debut record. The band is back on the road supporting Alex Cooper and Primal Scream and Glide had the opportunity to catch up with the band before their inevitable return to the stage. We discussed What a Life, their time on the road, and their relationship with Frank Turner. You can read the full conversation below.
Congratulations on the recent release of your new album. What has the reception been so far, and how did you spend release day and what have been some of the feedback on the album you’ve enjoy or not enjoyed?
Cheers! We spent release day playing a show for Music Venue Trust in Newcastle-Under-Lyme and they were a sick audience to spend it with. The reception has been incredible for What a Life. There’s a lot of noise about it, and many people are grateful to finally have it in their ears. It feels different to when we released the Broken Britain EPs. I loved the New Noise Magazine review; “this is no love letter to some sort of golden era of punk—It’s fresh; it’s fast; it’s loud; it’s brash, and it’s the perfect document of a new era’. We don’t want to regurgitate; we want the record to be a nod to the past, so this sums it up well. Streaming went mad, like 100,000 on day one. Our two exclusive UK vinyl variants sold out during presales.
I was surprised to learn The Meffs have been around only a few years; based on your sound, it could have been from the early ‘80s- late ‘70s. What do you credit the maturity of your sound to?
With What a Life, we knew what sound we were going for. Similarly with our first two EPs, we had a theme. For me it’s important to have a vision; I’m not here to write nonsense. There’s too much going on around us to do that. But we can still have fun with serious matters.
Who were you listening to primarily when you recorded What A Life? It has quite a ferocious bite that reminds me of Amy and The Sniffers and IDLES, while tagging at things like X Ray Spec and X…
When I’m writing, I listen to my voice notes over and over again! I tend not to listen to anything new because I’d get distracted. You’ve referenced some of our favourite bands of the last few years though. Only one person so far has picked up on my nod to a certain band in THINK BIG. Lyrically the album focuses on society and my own experiences, but musically I’ll let the listeners make the comparisons!
Can you talk about working with Frank Turner, what he offered to the band and helped with as a producer, and how your sound has evolved from your Broken Britains EPs?
Frank was a great person to be in a room with for two weeks. He pushed us further than we thought we could go in terms of our voices and performance, and he has ideas of his own musically. Having produced the EPs that came before, he knew what we wanted WHAT A LIFE to sound like and how we wanted to elevate our sound this time around. We’ve been touring non-stop so our sound has naturally developed because… We’ve got better. And we quickly found our sound for this album. It’s hits harder than anything we’ve released previously.
How did you decide to be a two piece rather than a larger band and what does being a two piece allow you to do that otherwise would be tough?
I sent Lewis a message on Facebook one day because I knew him from around town and noticed his profile picture was him playing an electric kit. I said “wanna be in a punk band?” He said “yeah, alright”. There was never any intention of having more members. I’ve never been in a band bigger than a duo. There’s obviously things we can’t do, like sound like Rancid, but pretty much everything else is easier with two I reckon.
How would you define punk in today’s musical landscape, and do you still see it as an underground thing or can it be like Arctic Monkeys or Catfish and Bottlemen playing stadiums?
It might sound cliche but punk is a way of thinking not necessarily a sound. Saying that, some of the best punk bands can be defined by their raw, classic sound. We’re about to play an arena tour with Alice Cooper, but we’re currently on a grassroots venues tour for Music Venue Trust. I don’t think either makes us less or more ‘punk’ and if people think otherwise, crack on. We’re not really bothered what genre we’re labelled. The landscape looks like the peak district. We drove through there the other day to get to Scotland. I think that’s Peak and not Lake. The drive is up and down; very striking in the distance though.
What has been your favorite live show you have performed so far and why? What is your typical preshow ritual?
It’s so rare for us to not enjoy a show! Download Festival 2023 was off the charts because it was packed and the audience were game for everything we did. It was our first major festival appearance too. Pre-show ritual – energy drinks, jump about a bit, paper plates…
What was the first concert you saw as a fan and the one that has had the most lasting impact on you?
My first show was Anthrax at Colchester Art’s Centre. My dad took me as a kid. 100% the one that has had the most lasting impact too. I’d like to meet them now to tell them.
