The Meffs have carved their path the hard way — DIY releases, zero industry backing, and a stubborn refusal to soften their edges. Now, with UK radio finally paying attention, a rapidly growing hometown festival, and their angriest album yet on the horizon, the duo are stepping into a new chapter without losing the fire that got them here. In this candid conversation, Lily and Lewis talk streaming pennies, punk politics, touring chaos, and why Business might be their most urgent work to date.

Q: Your new song feels personal, but also universal. What does it mean to you?

A (Lily): It’s both. It’s personal to us, but it also sums up how a lot of bands in our position feel. It’s about everything that came before now — how things change. UK radio didn’t want to know us for years, and suddenly they do a bit.

If you don’t fit whatever mould the industry wants at that moment, you’re not part of the gang. That’s where we’ve sat for most of our time in The Meffs. We’ve always done everything ourselves — no PR, no marketing — until now.

So yeah, it’s personal, but it represents a lot of people doing what we’re doing.

Q: Radio often references punk’s past — The Clash, etc. — but doesn’t always make space for current punk bands.

A (Lily): Idles are a great example of a band who broke through, but they’d been writing great songs for years before anyone picked them up. It wasn’t sudden.

You just have to keep going — if you can. Not every band can keep going long enough to get that support.

Q: It makes you wonder who actually gets paid in the music industry.

A (Lily): Exactly. Some corporations are making a lot, while we’re getting £0.003 per stream. They’ve got plenty of money — we definitely don’t.

MEFF FEST

Q: Meff Fest is coming up — excited?

A (Lewis): Yeah! It’s only our third one, and it’s grown fast. We went from a 180‑cap room to 600 last year, and now we’re in the big hall — 1,000 capacity. I don’t think any local band has done that here. We’ve got charity stalls, loads going on, and a lineup we’re really proud of (Lily): We’ve got Crass, UK Subs — my favourites.

Q: I was surprised to see The Subways on a punk lineup.

A (Lily): We toured with them, but even before that we recorded with Billy years ago. Just a couple of tracks, but we stayed in touch. They’re lovely people.

Q: Tickets seem really affordable.

A (Lily): That was the point. We didn’t want to charge £50 — loads of people wouldn’t be able to afford it. It’s our hometown; it should be accessible.

£25 covers costs and gets the bands here. We’ve even got fans flying in from Germany — friends we’ve made on tour.

If everyone has a good day, that’s what music is about.

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS

Q: What’s your history with Stiff Little Fingers?

A (Lily): We played two shows with them — one of them was the Sex Pistols show in Berlin. They saw us play and spoke to us afterwards. They said, “We already have a support band, which is a shame, because we’d love you to do it.”

We were gutted. Then we got the call later — they wanted us. We said yes immediately.

Q: Have you ever had to give something up because of a clash?

A (Lewis): Yeah — one of the Stiff Little Fingers shows. We’d had a mad week, loads of travel in and out of Europe. We drove back from the Czech Republic the day before the Norwich show.

The next day was Cardiff, but we had to get back to Hamburg. It was impossible. We were about five hours short of making it work.

TOURING & SONGWRITING

Q: Where were you coming from last night?

A (Lewis): We had a day off yesterday, but before that we played two nights at the Barrowlands in Glasgow. They’ve played there for about 15 years straight — it was our first time.

Q: You mentioned the song “Fight.” What’s the story there?

A (Lily): It’s one of the big ones in the set. It’s chaotic — in a good way.

A (Interviewer): Which song should I worry about my knees for?

A (Lily): That one.

LOVE SONGS

Q: Would you ever write a love song?

A (Lily): The Beatles wrote all the love songs — no one else needs to!

There are loads of great love songs already, but I don’t feel like I have anything to add. There are other things I want to say, things that need airtime.

If you’re in love, great — you’re sorted.

Business is probably the closest we’ll get to a love song… and it’s a love song to the music industry, which says it all.

SUPPORT SLOTS

Q: You’ve supported loads of bands now. Do you feel relaxed going into support slots, or do you still feel like you need to win the crowd over?

A (Lily): We always go in wanting to win the crowd.

A (Lewis) Always.

A (Lily): At your own headline show you can be cheekier, push the crowd more. With a support slot you have to respect the headliner’s audience.

A (Lewis): Like when we supported NOFX — perfect crowd for us. Total chaos.

A (Lily): They like confidence.

A (Lewis): Stiff Little Fingers fans are different, but we’ve done really well on this tour.

THE NEW ALBUM

Q: Let’s talk about the new album before we run out of time.

A: It’s called Business and it’s out in September. The idea behind it is that “business” is everything — all‑consuming. It covers daily life, politics, the world basically destroying itself. It’s about not feeling great, about frustration, about everything happening around us.

Q: Sounds heavy.

A (Lily) : It is.

A (Lewis) : Probably our angriest record.

A (Lily) : But we wouldn’t have written it if we didn’t still have hope. That’s important.

Q: Were the songs written gradually since the last album?

A (Lily) : Yeah, over about a year. I jot riffs on my phone or voice‑note ideas while driving. It builds up slowly. I try to make sure the lyrics and riffs work together. We’ve had times where we loved a riff but the lyrics just wouldn’t sit right.

Q: Do you write on tour?

A (Lily) No. When we’re touring an album, I consciously switch off. Even if something comes to mind, I don’t write it down.

Q: Really?

A (Lily) Yeah. Otherwise everything would end up sounding like the last record. Having a break keeps things fresh.

After years of pushing forward on their own terms, The Meffs are hitting a moment that feels both earned and inevitable. Their new record channels frustration, hope, and the world’s noise into something sharp and necessary, while Meff Fest and a run of heavyweight support slots show just how far their DIY spirit has carried them. If Business marks the next phase, it’s clear they’re entering it louder, bolder, and more determined than ever.

Interview by Matt Barnes